A delegation of senior government officials from Botswana’s Ministry of Finance is in Uganda on a peer learning mission focused on strengthening Public Investment Management (PIM) systems.
The team, comprising Deputy Director Development Budget Edwin Tebangwa, Chief Economist Moemodi Max Sebudubudu, and Principal Economist Dimpho Baleseng, is seeking insights into Uganda’s framework for identifying, assessing and selecting new public projects.
The delegation met with the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury (PSST), Ramathan Ggoobi, alongside Acting Director Budget Hannington Ashaba and the technical team from the Projects Analysis and Public Investment Department at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
According to officials, the Botswana team is particularly interested in understanding how Uganda manages the full project cycle — from project identification and appraisal to implementation and fiscal oversight within expenditure ceilings.
The visiting officials are also exploring how Uganda rationalizes a bloated project portfolio amid budget constraints, manages its project database, and ensures that projects undergo rigorous appraisal before approval.
Ggoobi welcomed the delegation and emphasized that successful project management requires strong backing from top political leadership and strict adherence to evaluation standards.
“Projects must undergo rigorous evaluation to succeed,” he noted, adding that institutional capacity building is critical to sustaining effective PIM systems.
The PSST stressed the importance of training officers in PIM processes, saying ministry technical teams must not only master project appraisal methodologies but also cascade the knowledge to other government ministries and departments.
He further highlighted Uganda’s approach of co-investing with the private sector and establishing structured frameworks such as the Integrated Bank of Projects and the Development Committee to enhance transparency, coordination and accountability in public investments.
The visit underscores growing regional cooperation in public financial management, as African countries increasingly seek to strengthen fiscal discipline and maximize returns on public investments through shared learning and institutional reforms.
