Associates in public-private Partnership (PPP) have been advised to involve the communities that are to benefit from the project services lest it triggers unintended negative consequences.
Lt Gen Charles Angina, the deputy coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, said any PPP projects that don’t have the backing of the community would be on shaky ground.
“Any project that the community is not involved in, doesn’t stand on a very firm ground. But if the community is part of the project, I can assure you, it will stand the test of time,” Lt Gen Angina, said at the launch of the High Level Inaugural PPP Conference in Kampala City yesterday.
The three-day conference that drew experts in PPP projects from Africa, Europe and Asia, is aimed awakening government and private sector spirits about the new market opportunities.
President Museveni and former prime minister of Kenya Raila Odinga are expected to attend the conference today.
Lt Gen Angina said PPP projects are the better alternatives of lifting developing countries out of poverty and saving them from the burden of borrowing resources that sometimes come with high interest rates.
“Some countries are leading today because their companies embraced PPP projects…. China is now leading with companies that top investment opportunities in the world because of PPP,” he said.
Uganda passed a law that enables PPP projects. The specialised hospital in Lubowa, Wakiso District is one of the PPP projects that are underway.
Mr Pedro Neves, a member of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Business Advisory Board, said government’s commitment is key in the success of PPPs.
Ms Allana Kembabazi, the head of the right to health programme at the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights, said: “When starting PPPs, we need to have integrity and transparency and that is the inclusion of the local people which is a human right.
When you look at most projects in Karamoja sub-region, they always don’t include the local people.”
About PPP law
Four years ago, the PPP law was passed, with high expectations, among others that it should allow for preparation and financing of critical infrastructure and such related projects between government and the private sector.
Uganda’s own infrastructure financing deficit is estimated at $1.4 billion annually.
PPPs are now aggressively being pushed as a frontier in enabling Uganda to bridge this funding gap, and perhaps escape the impact of its ballooning debt. Some thing that government is eagerly championing.
By Daily Monitor
