Chairperson
H.E. The President of IFAD
Distinguished Governors and Observers
Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the Government and People of Uganda, I would like to express my gratitude to IFAD for the excellent arrangement they have made for this meeting. I wish to congratulate the outgoing President, Mr Fawzi H. Al-Sultan for successfully completing his term of office and ably steering the Fund.

I wish to thank IFAD for its continued support to Uganda since 1981. This, together with the support of other donors, has helped Uganda’s economy grow at an average rate of 6% per annum in the last decade. IFAD’s support is significant because it focuses on the agricultural sector which accounts for 45% of the economy and employs 80% of the population. Consequently it has led to a big reduction in poverty levels in Uganda from 56% in 1992 to 35% in 2000.

The Government of Uganda has for several years dedicated its efforts to eradicate poverty. This process has been guided by the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) which was first drawn in 1997 and revised in 2000. The PEAP establishes the policy framework for eradicating poverty in Uganda within the next two decades (1997-2017). Within the PEAP the Government has focused on agriculture and developed the Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA). Under this plan, Uganda is being transformed from a poor economy where most people are locked into traditional subsistence agriculture into a modern economy where agents in all sectors are able to participate actively in economic growth.

Last year my colleague, The Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and Alternate Governor for Uganda informed you that we were at the final stages of the strategic framework for PMA. He requested IFAD support in a number of areas. I am glad to report that the framework has now been finalized and is operational and IFAD has accepted to finance the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme.

The Fund is currently financing the following programmes/projects:

· Cotton Sub-sector Development Project

· Vegetable Oil Development Project

· District Development Support Programme

· Area-based Agriculture Modernisation Programme

The following Projects are in the Pipeline:

· UWESO Development Programme

· National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAAS) Programme

In conclusion, I wish to commend IFAD’s Workplan 2001 especially in as far as it pledges to make a sustainable contribution to poverty eradication.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for listening to me.

Statement by Hon. Gerald Ssendaula, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Governor for Uganda)