The National Development Plan (NDP) III framework taking effect in June 2020 was approved in September 2019. The NDP III outlines 5 objectives and 16 development strategies, to be implemented by the various MDAs and Local Governments. Of interest is development programme 10: Community Mobilization and Mindset Change, under objective 4 of NDPIII.
Mind-set change in the NDPIII mainly targets the community but to achieve lasting progress, it should start with government. Central Government should address the issues that have jaded the population, and caused loss of confidence in the Local Governments, agencies and itself; resulting in limited civic participation. Issues such as corruption have hindered government’s efforts to rally the community around a national ideology or value system. The issue of corruption and poor governance can be addressed by transformative leadership that can be fostered through institutional capacity building, mainly targeting the decision makers.
Strategies to influence mind-set change are undermined by hand-outs from government that cannot be sustained in the long run. For example, well intentioned development programs like Post War Recovery and Presidential Pledges reinforce the handout/dependency mentality among beneficiaries. Handouts tend to weaken the desire and capacity to use one’s intelligence to initiate development. They have exacerbated what the framework termed as the ‘diminished role of the community and family’ in guiding and constructively supporting the youth; who have now developed a poor attitude towards work, and have largely shunned agriculture.
Therefore, though NDPIII recommends family sensitization, this might not be sufficient. A policy or program that instils the value of hard work in household heads that will in turn impart the same on their children is required. This is especially important if government wishes to achieve value for money from it programs such as the Youth Livelihood Program.
Mind-set change was a key component in transforming impoverished rural South Korea in the 1970s. According to UNDP, this was realised through the Saemual Undong initiative focused on community driven development that fostered mind-set change, self-help, volunteerism, diligence and cooperation. Through a collaboration between the Republic of Korea and UNDP, successful pilot projects known as Inclusive and Sustainable New Communities were set up in Maracha, Kayunga and Luuka in 2015, based on the same ideology. There has been a change in the residents’ perception from total dependency on Government, to communities taking charge of their own development. This has also led to transformation in the respective LGs, when it comes to service delivery.
Therefore, if replicated in other rural areas of Uganda, this initiative has the potential to empower rural communities, promote sustainable development and empower vulnerable populations. However, its replicability might not be financially feasible because it was donor funded, but there are best practices from the initiative that the Government can apply to objective 4 of NDPIII.
The main challenge tagged to NDPIII objective 4 is the ‘limited community participation and social accountability in development programmes.’ Taking lessons from South Korea and the pilot projects in Uganda, mind-set change requires an element of community ownership that can be achieved through co-funding of community programs by the government and beneficiaries, within the bounds of a feasible co-funding percentage or contribution of resources such as land. Ownership breeds and sustains responsibility.
A major challenge to community ownership is that government programs are super-imposed by the Central Government. Thus the LGs are relegated to the role of receiving and locally implementing centrally planned interventions, which poses a challenge to NDPIII’s strategy of improving local capacity to plan and implement government programs. Hence, innovation in local leadership should be fostered.
In conclusion, if the above challenges are not addressed, mind-set change cannot be achieved. A wholesome approach targeting communities with the understanding that they vary in social, cultural and economic fabric is necessary. Emphasis should be put on local solutions for local problems.
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