Finance Minister Henry Musasizi has urged government officials to base policy decisions on credible research instead of personal opinions.
Musasizi said Uganda’s economic transformation will depend on how well the country converts knowledge and innovation into higher productivity.
He made the remarks at the 30th Annual International Management Conference at Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe. Makerere University Business School (MUBS) organised the conference under the theme, “The Knowledge Revolution: Driving Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa.”
“Evidence-based decision-making. Don’t bring your opinions that you pick from the streets to the boardroom,” Musasizi said.
He challenged policymakers to support every proposal with reliable evidence.
“Where is the evidence?” Musasizi asked.
He said the Ministry of Finance works with universities and research bodies such as the Economic Policy Research Centre to improve public policy.
Musasizi also advised academics to specialise instead of attempting to research every subject.
He said Uganda’s growing knowledge economy is supporting pharmaceuticals, electric mobility, vaccine production and coffee processing.
According to Musasizi, innovation, access to information and connectivity can help Uganda produce competitive exports. He said research and skills development remain vital to productivity and sustained economic growth.
“Africa must therefore invest in research and development and human capital development to improve productivity, which is critical for sustaining high economic growth and faster transformation,” he said.
Musasizi called for closer cooperation between the government, researchers and the private sector. He said such partnerships could boost industrialisation, agriculture, manufacturing and job creation.
He added that the knowledge and innovation agenda supports Uganda’s 10-fold growth strategy, which lists science, technology and innovation among the country’s key economic sectors.
MUBS principal Moses Muhwezi said the university wants its research to provide solutions beyond academic circles.
“We don’t want to keep knowledge in the university, we want it outside the four walls,” Muhwezi said.
He said the government allocated MUBS Shs3 billion for research this financial year and plans to raise the funding to Shs10 billion.
Muhwezi said university research has produced more than 20 innovations. These cover food supply chains, business recovery and seed capital for small businesses.
Dr Ibrahim Okumu, the dean of the School of Economics at MUBS, said researchers must produce credible work.
“Research must go beyond producing knowledge to producing knowledge that deserves to be believed,” Okumu said.
He urged researchers to ask relevant questions, examine evidence with honesty and draw conclusions that match their findings.
