Lugoloobi Urges Ugandans to Boost Production and Take Calculated Risks

What the report says

Uganda’s Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Amos Lugoloobi, used the opening of the Uganda Economic Forum 2026 to urge Ugandans to raise production, invest more and take calculated business risks in ways that improve household earnings. The event, hosted at Next Media Park, is focused on how economic growth can translate into better living standards for ordinary people.

According to Nile Post, Lugoloobi said Uganda’s longer-term ambition of building a $500 billion economy by 2040 will depend on stronger productivity, industrial growth, digital transformation, services expansion and better market access. He also pointed to the national budget and the five-year National Development Plans as key tools for supporting that agenda. He further stressed the need for more effective tax collection to help fund government programmes and ease debt pressures.

The forum, running for four days under the theme “Putting Money in People’s Pockets,” brings together government, business and other stakeholders to discuss sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals and services. Next Media Deputy Chief Executive Officer Peter Mungoma also called for closer coordination among public and private actors, while Nile Breweries official Emmanuel Njuki encouraged manufacturers to strengthen ties with local suppliers.

More broadly, the remarks reflect an ongoing policy debate in Uganda about how to convert macroeconomic growth into jobs and higher incomes. The article frames the forum as part of that effort, with attention also on opportunities expected from tourism-linked activity around the Africa Cup of Nations.