President Yoweri Museveni has officially launched the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), a bold and strategic blueprint aimed at addressing Uganda’s most pressing development challenges and propelling the country toward socio-economic transformation.
The unveiling took place Kololo Ceremonial Grounds before he delivered the address on the State of the Nation on Thursday, 5 June 2025.
In her remarks, Speaker Anita Among, described the plan approved by Parliament on January 9, 2025 as a national blueprint for transformation and sustainable development and a precursor to the National Budget Speech, scheduled to be delivered on June 12, 2025.
“I acknowledge the contributions of all stakeholders involved in the formulation of this plan,” Among said adding that “I request that before you begin your address to Parliament and to the nation, you symbolically unveil NDP IV as the foundation for the upcoming budget speech.”
In his address, President Museveni credited the NRM’s leadership with laying the ideological and institutional foundations necessary for Uganda’s modern development. These, he said, are anchored in four key principles: patriotism, Pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy.
“This ideology promotes the mass line—ensuring social uplift for all, not just a privileged elite,” the President said.
“Policies such as Universal Primary and Secondary Education, mass immunization campaigns, and wealth creation programmes like Operation Wealth Creation, the Parish Development Model, and Emyooga have significantly improved the quality of life in Uganda,” he added.
Museveni further cited Uganda’s rising life expectancy, now at 63 years compared to 45 in 1986 when the NRM assumed power. He also noted that the population has grown from 14 million in 1986 to 46 million today, according to the 2024 National Housing and Population Census—evidence, he said, that Ugandans are now living longer, healthier lives.
The President further highlighted improvements in the literacy rate, which has increased from 43 percent in 1986 to 80 percent today. He also pointed out a dramatic shift in the economy where the percentage of Ugandans engaged in subsistence farming has dropped from 90 percent in 1986 to the current 33 percent.
“This transformation illustrates that mass line programmes are the most effective path to socio-economic change,” he said.
In line with this philosophy, the President outlined priority areas for NDP IV: ensuring peace and security across the country; accelerating industrialization by establishing factories that use locally available raw materials; promoting exports and import substitution; strengthening the private sector; increasing market access; and skilling young people through industrial vocational hubs.
Spanning the period from financial year 2025/2026 to financial year 2029/2030, NDP IV lays the foundation for inclusive growth and sustained wealth creation. The plan emphasizes sustainable industrialization, full economic monetization, and robust private sector growth.
The NDP IV aims to achieve an increase in GDP growth rate by by financial year 2029/2030 and an increase in average monthly nominal household income.