By Juliet Hildah.
National Planning Authority in partnership with the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Water and Environment and financial support from the with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday officially launched the Green Growth Development Strategy during the 8th National Development Policy Forum at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala. The event was officiated by the Rt. Hon. First Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Moses Ali representing the Prime Minister Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda who was not able to make it.
Green Growth is an inclusive low emissions economic growth process that emphasizes effective and efficient use of the country’s natural, human and physical capital while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide for present and future generations. Therefore, as demand for industrialization grows in Uganda today, now is the right time to emphasize Green Growth.
The Uganda Vision 2040 aspires to pursue economic development and socioeconomic transformation premised on the principles of a green economy such as equity, environment sustainability, resource efficiency, climate change adaptation and mitigation and inclusiveness. The Green Growth Strategy aims at achieving this.
The Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy (UGGDS) provides the blue print for Uganda’s transition into a green economy. The UGGDS highlights focus areas deemed to have the greatest green growth potential in terms of boosting GDP, green jobs creation, resource use efficiency, social inclusive and equity and environmental sustainability.
In his key note speech, Joseph Muvawala, the Executive Director National Planning Authority called upon Ugandans to protect Mother Nature by embracing Green Growth however costly it may be to us at the moment. “Choose to become cheap now and be expensive in future,