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Diss. Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2007.

M.Comm. / For twenty years Uganda suffered the disastrous consequences of a system of rule in which there were no limits to the exercise of power. During this period the country went through no less than seven different regimes, all of which ignored the rule of law and left people without a sense of personal security or power. Many Ugandans were forced into exile and those staying on withdrew from politics, leaving politicians to conduct their business without any accountability. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Government, led by President Y oweri Museveni, came to power in early 1986. This brought an end to the political instability and economic decline, which had plagued the country hitherto. Under his leadership, the nation embarked on an ambitious economic recovery program, supported by the IMF, the World Bank, and other donors. The key elements of this successful program have been the restoration of fiscal and monetary discipline; the improvement of the incentive structure and investment climate for exports and other production activities; the rehabilitation of the country's social, economic and institutional infrastructure; and the promotion of increased savings and investment. The economic reforms implemented by the present government in Uganda since 1986, coupled with political stability, have contributed to economic growth rates averaging 6% per annum in the last decade. This has made Uganda one of the fastest growing countries in Africa. Inflation is under control and has been maintained below 10% per annum for the last four years. Most economic activities are fully liberalized and open to foreign investment. There are no restrictions to 100% foreign ownership of investments and no barriers to remittance of dividends. Uganda's shilling is fully convertible and has remained stable over the last years. The foreign exchange market is now wholly liberalized following a move by government, effective July 1997 to liberalize capital account transactions. Uganda is now one of about only five countries in the whole of Africa that have no restrictions on capital amount transfers. Within Africa and the emerging markets, Uganda enjoys a high status with donors and lenders. For the future, it is important to ensure that economic policy does not ignore social expenditure or the poverty dimension. In addition, President Museveni himself has repeatedly stressed the importance of attracting more private investment to Uganda in order to replace the foreign aid which can only be regarded as temporary. Other sectors needing attention are industrialization and privatization. As a landlocked country, Uganda needs to look to markets among its immediate neighbours. The new strategy should further include development of more linkages between agriculture and industry. It also needs to respond to people's basic needs and small-scale industries must be developed further. Only thus can industrialization contribute to economic welfare and sustainable development in Uganda. Privatization also needs to be reconsidered. It has contributed to the country's record rate of economic growth of 7-8 per cent, but so far it has not increased employment opportunities at all significantly. Nor has it enlarged the number of Ugandan entrepreneurs. Poverty, too, has not been reduced so far by privatization. There remams substantial room for development in most sectors of the Ugandan economy, creating opportunities for further and increased foreign investment. These sectors include food processmg and packing, construction equipment and electrical power systems, telecommunications equipment and services, travel and tourism services, light manufacturing, household consumer goods, footwear, furniture and textile fabrics, mining, mining industry equipment, non-ferrous metals, marine fisheries products and agriculture, including traditional crops such as coffee, cotton, tea and tobacco, fruit and vegetable processing, edible oil production, staple food crops processing, flowers and livestock. The vehicles for the facilitation of foreign investment are in place, the investment climate is open and friendly towards foreign investors, with an established investment code and incentive regime, offering generous capital recovery terms, particularly for investors whose projects entail significant investment in plant and machinery and whose investments are medium to long term. Uganda offers a predictable environment having achieved macro-economic stability at a time when clouds of uncertainty rock many regions in the world.

This study argues that much of early post colonial Uganda's political developments, had its roots in the colonial patterns of governance. It was, however, the imperative of Uganda's early post colonial rulers to have formulated and maintained conditions for legitimate and orderly governance. Largely, this required a coherent political class with a mass based and mobilising political movement, that moreover had a political programme that catered for the interests of its support base. Indeed, their opting to negate these very prerequisite conditions, contributed greatly to Uganda's subsequent political disorder, and it's further marginalisation in the International Political Economy. This study suggests that since the impact of colonialism in Uganda, its governance policies have closely been linked to the broader dictates of the International Political Economy. A reality that the policy makers in post colonial Uganda should have realised, and in the process attempted to advantageously adapt to the Ugandan situation. Their was a qualitative improvement in Uganda's governance from 1986. This study illustrates that this was a result of the emerging into power of a political class, whose policies deliberately and strenuously attempted to fulfil the above mentioned criteria. Their is need to link Uganda's foreign and governance policies. Consequently a conscious and deliberate effort has to made by its policy makers, to ensure that the two are amicably adapted to each other, so as to derive the best possible benefits. For instance what Uganda needs in the existing New World Order are development, domestic and foreign investments and export markets for its produce. All of which can only be obtained if political order through a legitimate political system and government exists. With a leadership, that moreover, deliberately attracts foreign investments and creates the enabling conditions for competitive economic production. The onus is upon Ugandans to ensure that they institutionalise conditions for their appropriate governance and foreign policies. For this thesis argues that the International Political Economy is dynamic, and Uganda was never predestined to be at its margins.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Today, the issue of poverty reduction is central to the development process. This is particularly so because developing countries and the donors that prop up many of these countries' economies have come to realize that not all impressive economic gains, where they occur in the developing countries, are translated into improvement in the people's welfare. The Bretton Woods institutions have also been under attack from an everincreasing body of research for neoliberal policies that inform their prescriptions to poor clients. It is alleged that the IMFlWorld Bank's conditionalities and austerity measures have exacerbated poverty in developing countries. The main issue in this study is whether the IMFlWorld Bank policy prescriptions to Uganda have led to economic growth and helped to pull the country out of poverty or whether they have impoverished its people even further. The other question for this research to answer is whether poverty in Uganda is on the increase or whether it is just a matter of perception. This study is based on information obtained from various books, academic journals and papers, NGO reports, government publications, electronic media reports, and IMFlWorld Bank working papers and reports. This study has been able to observe that the Bretton Woods institutions have succeeded in revitalizing Uganda's economy, although the country is yet to see sustainable economic growth. Although the privatization process was riddled with corruption, the country benefited from the reforms through efficiency gains. Similarly, people who grow only food crops have not benefited from liberalization, but those who grow cashcrops (except cotton) have generally benefited from it. The study has confirmed that some of the Bretton Woods institutions' conditionalities, e.g. retrenchment, have caused poverty among some Ugandans and cost sharing has increased the severity of poverty among Uganda's poor. The study has also confirmed that the inequality gap has widened. The income poverty that was receding between 1992 and 1997 has since 2000 made a comeback. The study also reveals that other qualitative forms of poverty e.g. powerlessness and social seclusion, are widespread in Uganda. However, the study has not found sufficient evidence to directly link the increasing poverty in Uganda to the Bretton Woods institutions' policies. Finally, it is recommended that to mitigate the effects of poverty, the release of poverty reduction funds should not be pegged on conditionality. However, conditionality should be imposed on non-essential government expenditure. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING Armoedeverligting is vandag 'n kernkwessie in die ontwikkelingsproses. Hierdie waarneming is spesifiek van belang deurdat ontwikkelelende lande, en die skenkers wat sommige van hierdie ekonomieë steun, besef het dat indrukwekkende ekonomiese vooruitgang nie noodwendig tot 'n verbetering in lewens-standaarde lei nie. Die Bretton Woods instellings word al hoe meer gekritiseer oor hulle voorskriftelike neoliberale beleide. Daar word beweer dat die IMFlWêreldbank se voorwaardes en onbuigbaarheid reeds gelei het tot armoede in sommige ontwikkelende lande. Die hoof-ondersoek in hierdie studie handeloor die vraag of die IMF/ Wêreldbank-beleidsvoorskrifte Uganda aangespoor het tot ekonomiese groei en so gehelp het om die land uit armoede to help, en of dit nie dalk die landsburgers verder verarm het nie. Die tweede vraagstuk in hierdie studie is of armoede aan die toeneem is in Uganda en of dit dalk nie net 'n kwessie van persepsie is nie. Die navorsing vir hierdie werkstuk is gebaseer op verskeie boeke, akademiese joernaal-artikels en refererate, verslae van nie-winsjagende organisasie, regeringspublikasies, elektronies media verslae, en IMFlWêreldbank konsepartikels en verslae. Die studie het gevind dat die Bretton Woods instellings wel daarin geslaag het om lewe te blaas in die Ugandese ekonomie, maar dat die land steeds nie volhoubare ekonomiese groei behaal het nie. Hoewel korrupsie in die privatiseringsproses die sukses daarvan beperk het, het die land wel voordeel getrek uit vooruitgang in doeltreffendheid. Boere wat voedselgewasse plant vir plaaslike markte, het nie veel baat gevind by liberalisering nie terwyl diegene wat kontantgewasse (maar nie katoen) aangeplant het, het wel voordeel getrek uit liberalisering. Die studie het bevestig dat sommige van die Bretton Woods instellings se voorwaardes, byvoorbeeld afdankings en koste-deling, armoede veroorsaak het of die graad daarvan vererger het onder Uganda se armes. Die studie staaf ook verder dat die armoede-gaping groter geraak het. Die inkomste-armoede wat gekrimp het tussen 1992 en 1997, het sedert 2000 weer verskyn. Die studie onthulook dat ander kwalitatiewe vorms van armoede, bv. magteloosheid en sosiale uitsluiting, wydverspreid voorkom in Uganda. Die studie het egter nie genoeg bewyse gevind om die groeiende armoede direk te koppel aan die Bretton Woods instellings se beleide nie.