The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has officially launched the National Budget Month for Financial Year 2026/27, an initiative aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and citizen involvement in the budget process. The launch took place at the Ministry’s Conference Hall in Kampala, where Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, underscored the government’s commitment to engaging citizens throughout the budget cycle.

“The success of any budget goes beyond its formulation and depends largely on effective implementation, monitoring and oversight by all stakeholders,” Ggoobi said.

The FY 2026/27 budget was passed by Parliament on 24 April 2026 and is anchored on the theme: “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy through Commercial Agriculture, Industrialization, Expanding and Broadening Services, Digital Transformation and Market Access.” According to the Ministry, the budget was developed through an extensive consultative process involving the President, Cabinet, Parliament, local governments, civil society, development partners, the private sector, academia, youth and women groups, persons with disabilities, and ordinary citizens across the country.

First introduced in 2018, the National Budget Month serves as a platform for government to account to citizens on achievements registered during the current financial year, communicate opportunities available in the new budget, and obtain feedback to inform future planning and policy decisions. Activities include budget dialogues, media engagements, publications, social media campaigns, and community outreach initiatives conducted in partnership with civil society organisations and development partners.

Ggoobi noted that the initiative has significantly enhanced public ownership of the national budget and improved Uganda’s performance in international assessments. According to the latest Open Budget Survey, Uganda’s budget transparency score improved from fifty-eight percent in 2021 to fifty-nine percent in 2023, surpassing the global average of forty-five percent. Budget oversight also improved from fifty-nine percent to sixty-seven percent during the same period, well above the global average of fifty-two percent.

However, the Permanent Secretary observed that there is still need to strengthen public participation in the budget process and expressed optimism that ongoing efforts will lead to improved performance in the 2025 Open Budget Survey. He commended budget transparency partners including CSBAG Uganda, ACODE Uganda, UDN, UNICEF Uganda, SEATINI Uganda, the Uganda Revenue Authority, and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda for supporting citizen engagement and budget literacy initiatives across the country.

The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining collaboration with stakeholders in promoting openness, transparency and accountability in public finance management. Ggoobi officially launched the National Budget Month activities for FY 2026/27 and called upon all citizens, institutions and development partners to actively participate in the engagements to ensure effective implementation of the national budget and achievement of Uganda’s development aspirations.