The Ugandan government is set to invest UGX 1.4 trillion over the next five financial years to modernise the country’s data infrastructure, put credible statistics at the centre of public spending, and bring back dedicated statisticians across government offices.
The massive funding backs the Fourth Plan for National Statistical Development (PNSD IV), which runs from the 2025/26 to 2029/30 financial years. Its core goal is to boost service delivery and socio-economic growth by ensuring policy decisions are driven by timely, reliable data.
Of the total budget, UGX 470 billion is earmarked specifically for upgrading technical systems and building institutional capacity to generate statistics nationwide, according to the 70-page blueprint.
A centrepiece of the five-year overhaul is fixing staffing gaps at the institutional level. Under the new plan, the government will restore the official position of statistician across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as well as local governments so offices have dedicated experts to collect, analyse, and manage data.
Establish functional statistics units within MDAs and local governments and embed statistics directly into institutional development plans, corporate strategies, and budget framework papers so public funds are guided by hard evidence.
Beyond government offices, the blueprint outlines a broad capacity-building drive across the entire National Statistical System. Staff will be assessed and trained to compile statistics that meet national, regional, and global standards.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) will also be brought into the fold, receiving practical training on how to generate high-quality citizen data. To keep everyone accountable, the government plans to roll out a regular “data maturity assessment framework” to track progress across the sector, alongside awareness campaigns on the laws governing data production and sharing.
The government unveiled the strategy on Friday, November 13, 2026, at Statistics House in Kampala during the joint launch of PNSD IV, the Fourth Uganda Bureau of Statistics Strategic Plan (UBOS SP IV), and the UBOS Service Delivery Standards for 2025/26–2029/30.
Presiding over the event, State Minister for Planning Amos Lugoloobi underscored the urgency of reinstating statisticians across government agencies, noting that reliable data is essential to guide development programmes and improve public service delivery.
UBOS Executive Director Dr Chris Mukiza thanked the government for its technical and logistical backing, adding that the bureau has assembled a strong team of experts ready to drive the five-year rollout. He urged government agencies, development partners, and civil society groups to collaborate closely with UBOS to turn better data into real-world results for Ugandan communities.
