The Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, says government reforms have significantly improved household incomes, leading to a sharp reduction in poverty levels across the country.
Ggoobi said poverty has declined from 56 percent in 1995 to 16.1 percent today, pointing to steady economic reforms and targeted government programmes as key drivers of this progress.
“Ugandans are much better off now compared to the past. Poverty has reduced from 56 percent in 1995 to 16.1 percent as a result of the reforms we have undertaken,” Ggoobi said.
He also noted that the country has made strong progress in moving households away from subsistence farming into the money economy. According to Ggoobi, households engaged in subsistence activities reduced from 68.9 percent in 2010 to 33.1 percent by the 2023/2024 financial year.
“This shift shows that more households are now producing for the market rather than just for home consumption,” he said.
Ggoobi attributed the transformation to financial inclusion and wealth creation initiatives under the NRM government, including Operation Wealth Creation, which supplied farmers with key agricultural inputs.
“Many people remember when coffee seedlings were being distributed across the country. Those investments are now paying off,” he said.
He revealed that Uganda’s coffee sector has recorded historic growth, with export earnings rising to $2.2 billion.
“For the first time in Uganda’s history, coffee receipts crossed the one-billion-dollar mark in the last financial year, and within the same year, they doubled,” Ggoobi said.
The Treasury says the strong performance of the coffee sector continues to boost rural incomes and strengthen Uganda’s position as a leading agricultural exporter in Africa.
