Historical photo: Prime Minister of @GovUganda Rt Hon @RobinahNabbanja and Ag Minister of @mofpedU Hon @henrymusasizi1 pressing the button to send the first tranche of PDM money directly to Ugandans at the base of our economic pyramid. No more middlemen of money. No leaky bucket. We’ve taken time to verify the PDM SACCOs to ensure we capitalise only those that are ready i.e. with registration with Registrar of Cooperatives; evidence of 1st GM held; and of training of members; and certified resolution appointing signatories to the bank accounts.

Dear Ugandans, I am minded to make a few comments about the debate that has ensued over the agreement the @GovUganda recently signed with an investor to produce instant coffee in Uganda. A thread… On Wednesday, our veteran journalist @cobbo3 shared an article wondering why Ghana, a leading producer of cocoa, gets only 2% out of the $100 billion chocolate market. Check out the article: businessinsider.com/ghana-cacao-gr… 1/

@_360Mentor Firs, please leave @ManUtd alone. Peter Drury sent me to bed last night with these words, “Glory days are old, trophies are old, best players are old, the coach is old…and the stadium is Old Trafford.” They are still ringing in my ears. #360Mentor @_360Mentor @ManUtd Now let’s talk economics. Now that H.E the President has reopened the economy, we (@mofpedU) have a plan to support recovery of households, businesses and economy. The plan includes ongoing fiscal and monetary stimuli as well as new interventions as outlined below. /1 #360Mentor

Behavioral economics teaches that human being do not only behave irrationally, we’re PREDICTABLY irrational. Today I drove around the city and realized 7/10 people wore a mask; and in a proper way. This is very good but raises a few questions:
Thread… 1/ 1. Why did people wait for COVID to turn wide-spread to practice the preventive measures that experts have been telling us to practice since the pandemic began?
2. Why did we wait for the car to knock for us to remember to wear the seatbelt?
2/

Dear Ugandans, especially politicians here are the official numbers (as provided by @StatisticsUg):
1. Total population = 41m
2. Average family size = 4.6 persons (largest in Teso 5.9 and lowest in Kampala 3.4)
3. Popn below 18yrs = 54%
4. Urban population = 27%
1/ 5. Net pri sch enrollment = 91%
6. Net sec sch enrollment = 27% (Highest in Kampala 52%; lowest in Acholi 7%)
7. Literacy rate = 76% (adults only 72%)
8. Popn with non-communicable diseases = 3.5%
9. Popn that abuse alcohol = 18%(highest in Karamoja 48%; lowest in Busoga 4%)
2/

@StatisticsUg releases the 2019/20 Household Survey. Although overall poverty reduced to 20.3% from 21.4% in 2017, Acholi sub-region has registered a high increase in poverty from 33% to 68%. This is huge given that the war ended 15yrs ago and the region has been growing fast. I’m told by a colleague (top economist) from the region that in 2020 most of the Acholi was badly hit by floods that washed away huts and gardens. As a result crop harvest was very poor.

URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Ugandan manufacturers are being crowded out of EAC market by non-tariff barriers (NTBs). From closed border with Rwanda to outright flouting of EAC CM protocol by Kenya & TZ, our manufacturers’ access to EAC market has shrunk. Thread... #SaveUGManufacturers Kenya and TZ are blocking Ugandan exporters from accessing their markets, yet we’re in a common market. The EAC CM had started to smooth trade. When Uganda reported a trade surplus with Kenya, for the first time in 2017, Kenya resorted to NTBs. See table
#SaveUGManufacturers

Relaxing #lockdown in Uganda; 19 May 2020.

In addition to measures announced earlier, the following have been announced by President:
1. Shops selling general merchandise allowed to open provided they’re not in arcades/malls.
2. Market vendors allowed to commute from home. 1/2 3. Public transport allowed - carry half of the normal capacity wef 2nd June (when masks will be availed free of charge). Not allowed in border districts for another 21 days.
4. Boda-bodas not allowed to carry passengers. Only deliveries. 2/3

I can see Western “experts” are struggling to come to terms/explain why #Africans, with our poorly equipped health systems, are not dying (at least as much as Americans & Europeans) from #Covid_19. Many think we are actually dying but underreporting. Let me hazard a few guesses. I promised a blog on this. I will, but let me first tweet a few ideas. I think structural factors (demographics, weather, population densities and settlement pattern, levels of urbanization etc) could’ve helped Africa to limit the spread of #COVID19, at least for now. 1/

Africa’s obsession right now is creating jobs for young people that keep pouring into the labour markets. But the real time bomb is in a statistic leaders and policymakers seem less interested in. Few kids of the poor are transitioning to secondary school. 1/ With exception of Ghana, Ethiopia, Senegal, DRC and a few other countries most kids of the poor in Africa, are dropping out of school. In Uganda only 3 out of 10 kids of the poor transition from primary to secondary. 8 of 10 kids of the “rich” transition. 2/