Sheila Depio prepares to take western region district stakeholders and other participants through the online social service equity atlas during the dissemination held in Mbarara. The atlas is aimed at monitoring the effective delivery of national programmes affecting children. EPRC Photo
On May 30, 2018 Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) and Unicef Uganda held the first regional dissemination of the online national social equity atlas under the theme “Linking Resources to Service Delivery”.
The engagement, which was held in Mbarara brought together participants from mainly local government at district level, MDAs, development partners, non-government organizations, academia and civil Society.
The participants were among others, trained on the use of the social services equity atlas to compare their outcomes with regional counterparts or other districts in the country with whom they receive similar funding or have similar socio-economic conditions.
EPRC Research Analyst, Sheila Depio took participants through the online Atlas, which is housed by EPRC, UNICEF, Ministry of Health, and MoFPED.
According to Unicef Uganda, the National Service Delivery Equity Atlas represents a bold effort to improve expenditure efficiency and effectiveness by systematically linking public resources to outcomes, service delivery and results.
As part of the global public finance for children initiative, UNICEF supported EPRC and MoFPED to develop the social equity atlas as one of the tools to monitor effective delivery of national programs affecting children.
Launched at a press conference held in January 16, 2018 at MoFPED offices, the Atlas provides a significant contribution in reshaping the future of equity based financing in Uganda.
Read National Social Service Delivery Equity Atlas Now Digital
The atlas forms a strong, independent oversight for efficient and equitable public funds management in respect to the enactment of the Public Finance Management Act (2015).
According to MoFPED , the initiative is also in unison with FY 2016/17, Government’s transition from Output Oriented Budgeting to Performance Based Budgeting (PBB). Tha latter focuses on outcomes.
This MoFPED says will promote high quality, client-responsive public services and maximize value for money in service delivery.
Some of the participants who attended the disssemination raised concerns that computer illiteracy and inadiquate or lack of internet access in many local government units could jeopardise the utilisation of the online social equity atlas.
The atlas will be disseminated across all major regions of Uganda with Northern Uganda being the next destination.