Kampala, Uganda – September 5, 2025: In a landmark event blending academia and government innovation, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, celebrated the launch of the Area Based Commodity Development (ABCD) Portal, heralding it as a revolutionary tool for transforming Uganda’s agriculture sector.
The portal, developed by Makerere’s Innovation and Incubation Centre in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, promises to overhaul data management and drive evidence-based economic growth across the nation.
The launch, presided over by Hon. Raphael Magyezi, Minister for Local Government, took place on September 4, 2025, and was attended by key stakeholders from government, academia, and the private sector. Prof Nawangwe, in his remarks shared via X, congratulated the project’s principal investigator, Ms. Diana Nannono, Head of the Private Sector Development Unit at the Ministry of Finance.
“The portal will revolutionise data management in the agriculture sector,” he stated, emphasizing Makerere’s robust IT capabilities to meet Uganda’s digitalization demands.
The ABCD Portal serves as a centralized digital hub, providing real-time insights into commodity value chains at sub-regional levels. It tracks performance across 18 priority commodities under the Parish Development Model (PDM), including coffee, cassava, and fisheries, enabling farmers, policymakers, and investors to access location-specific data on markets, production, and value addition.
This aligns with the National Development Plan IV’s goals to enhance regional economic planning and private sector competitiveness. Launched in 2022, the PDM is Uganda’s ambitious strategy to transition 39% of households—about 16 million—from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, boosting incomes and reducing poverty.
With agriculture employing over 70% of Uganda’s workforce, according to World Bank data, the model organizes interventions at the parish level for wealth creation and employment. The ABCD Portal builds on this by offering visualized data to inform decisions, potentially addressing longstanding challenges like market access and supply chain inefficiencies.
Ms. Nannono, a Makerere University alumna with a Bachelor of Laws degree, highlighted the portal’s role in equitable development during her speech. “This marks a milestone in Uganda’s journey toward regional and sustainable growth,” she said, as captured in event coverage.
The initiative, a joint venture, exemplifies rare synergy between bureaucracy and academic expertise, challenging perceptions of inefficiency in public projects. However, experts note potential hurdles: sustained funding, rural internet access, and training for users remain critical for success. Past programs have faltered due to these issues, but Prof Nawangwe’s optimism positions Makerere as a digital hub for national needs.
As Uganda pushes toward middle-income status, the ABCD Portal could empower farmers with actionable insights, fostering inclusive prosperity. With early adoption, it may redefine agricultural policy, proving that homegrown tech solutions can propel rural economies forward.
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