{"id":43823,"date":"2026-09-21T18:56:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/?p=43823"},"modified":"2026-09-21T18:56:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:56:56","slug":"reliable-affordable-energy-key-to-ugandas-500-billion-economic-ambition-ggoobi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/21\/reliable-affordable-energy-key-to-ugandas-500-billion-economic-ambition-ggoobi\/","title":{"rendered":"Reliable, Affordable Energy Key To Uganda\u2019s $500 Billion Economic Ambition \u2014 Ggoobi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Uganda\u2019s ambition to transform its economy into a US$500 billion powerhouse by 2040 will depend heavily on the availability of reliable and affordable energy, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ggoobi made the remarks during the Uganda National Dialogue on Energy, Climate and Development, convened by the African Institute for Sustainable Energy and Systems Analysis (AISESA), where government officials, researchers, financiers, private-sector players and development partners discussed Uganda\u2019s energy future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PSST said energy should be viewed not merely as an infrastructure requirement but as a critical driver of Uganda\u2019s wider economic transformation agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He linked the energy transition to the Government\u2019s Tenfold Growth Strategy, which seeks to expand Uganda\u2019s economy to US$500 billion by 2040. The strategy identifies agro-industrialisation, tourism development, mineral-based development including oil and gas, and science, technology and innovation as key engines of growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Ggoobi, these sectors cannot achieve their full potential without sufficient, dependable and competitively priced energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cReliable and affordable energy\u201d is therefore expected to play a central role in lowering production costs, supporting industrialisation, increasing competitiveness and enabling Ugandan businesses to participate more effectively in regional and international markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Finance Ministry has previously identified electricity and other energy sources among the major areas of public investment required to support the Tenfold Growth Strategy, alongside transport infrastructure, education, health, ICT and private-sector development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Financing Uganda\u2019s energy transition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ggoobi also called for a shift towards well-prepared and bankable energy projects capable of attracting both domestic and international financing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He stressed the need for value for money and measurable development outcomes, warning that financing mechanisms must ultimately translate into lower costs of capital and stronger economic returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the instruments highlighted were blended finance, green and sustainability-linked financing, carbon markets and public-private partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The approach, he said, should allow Uganda to mobilise additional investment while protecting public finances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The emphasis on project quality and value for money comes as Government seeks to accelerate implementation of the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which is the first of three five-year development plans intended to deliver the Tenfold Growth Strategy. Government&#8217;s planning framework envisages doubling the economy every five years on the path toward the US$500 billion target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Energy at the heart of industrialisation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Finance Ministry has repeatedly positioned energy as one of the critical enablers of Uganda\u2019s economic transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July 2026, Ggoobi said Uganda\u2019s economy had reached about US$70 billion, leaving the country with a substantially larger economic base from which to pursue the US$500 billion target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Government\u2019s strategy also seeks to increase the country\u2019s productive capacity by expanding value-added exports, attracting significantly higher foreign direct investment and building infrastructure, including energy systems, railways, roads and digital connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ggoobi said Uganda\u2019s energy transition should ultimately be judged by its contribution to structural economic transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means using energy investment to reduce the cost of doing business, support competitive industries, expand exports, raise household incomes and improve livelihoods while strengthening the country\u2019s resilience to climate-related challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The message places energy policy firmly within Uganda\u2019s broader economic agenda: power is not the end goal, but a foundation for production, industrialisation and wealth creation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Uganda\u2019s ambition to transform its economy into a US$500 billion powerhouse by 2040 will depend heavily on the availability of reliable and affordable energy, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi has said. Ggoobi made the remarks during the Uganda National Dialogue on Energy, Climate and Development, convened by the African Institute for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27989,"featured_media":43824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[7704,10661,10660,119],"class_list":["post-43823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-ramathan-ggoobi","tag-sustainable-energy-and-systems-analysis","tag-uganda-national-dialogue-on-energy","tag-uganda-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27989"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43825,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43823\/revisions\/43825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}