MIKE SSEGAWA: Why Retaining Dr. Ramathan Ggoobi is Museveni’s Masterstroke for Uganda’s Economic Future

What the report says

President Yoweri Museveni’s decision to keep Dr. Ramathan Ggoobi as Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury in the November 2026 reshuffle is the main development highlighted in Watchdog Uganda’s op-ed. The article frames the move as a signal to Uganda’s business community and foreign investors that the finance ministry’s technocratic, disciplined approach will continue under the current economic team.

According to the piece, Ggoobi has overseen tighter control of public spending since taking office in 2021 after leaving Makerere University Business School. The writer credits him with cutting back on non-essential workshops, foreign travel and luxury vehicle purchases, while directing savings toward government priorities such as the Parish Development Model. The article says these reforms helped redirect more than Shs 2 trillion into development and grassroots wealth-creation programs.

The commentary also argues that Uganda has remained economically resilient despite global shocks, citing growth, low inflation and support from international lenders as signs of progress. It says Ggoobi has pushed fiscal discipline, local production and investment in the government’s ATMS agenda — agro-industrialisation, tourism, minerals, and science and technology.

As presented by Watchdog Uganda, the retention is portrayed as important because Uganda is approaching commercial oil production and will need continuity in economic management. The article is opinionated and strongly supportive of Ggoobi, so readers should treat its claims as the author’s argument rather than an independent assessment.