economy 15 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda's Innovative Minds Hampered by Lack of Funding, Says Finance Minister
Uganda possesses a wealth of innovative human capital, but their groundbreaking ideas often remain unrealized due to insufficient funding, according to Finance Minister Henry Musasizi. This lack of financial support contributes significantly to the nation's unemployment and poverty challenges. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/uganda-has-highly-innovative-but-underutilized-human-resource-says-minister-musasizi-5497674
Finance Minister Henry Musasizi has highlighted a critical paradox within Uganda’s economy: a highly innovative population whose potential is largely untapped due to a severe lack of funding.
Speaking at a forum with development partners and researchers in Mbarara City, Minister Musasizi lamented that many promising Ugandan innovations wither before they can benefit communities. He pointed to examples like the Kachwekano Agricultural Research Centre, where “idle minds and science” exist due to financial constraints.
“We have a highly innovative human resource, including professors, but their ideas and innovations die because they lack money to transform them into real solutions,” the minister stated, emphasizing that translating ideas into practical solutions for community challenges is hampered by inadequate financial backing.
The government, he announced, will now prioritize funding for science, innovation, and technology as a cornerstone of its economic transformation agenda. President Museveni has specifically tasked the minister with identifying key economic drivers, with support for innovators placed at the forefront.
Minister Musasizi also called upon educational institutions and innovation hubs to meticulously maintain databases of their graduates and innovators. This, he believes, will enable the government to more effectively identify, support, and integrate these individuals into national development programs.
“Most of these young people are sitting on good ideas and innovations but lack funding,” he explained. “If institutions maintain records of those they train, government can align them to programmes and provide support.”
Collaboration among development partners was also lauded as crucial, with suggestions made for pooling resources to address issues such as providing alternative livelihoods for wetland communities and expanding access to affordable financing for innovators. The significant issue of unemployment, affecting approximately 1.4 million working-age Ugandans, underscores the urgency of these initiatives.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)