The Ugandan government’s Prosperity for All project is popularly known as Bonna Bagaggawale (BB). Six homes in each parish will be selected to receive the BB package, which provides institutional linkages between a farmer and financial services, agricultural inputs, storage facilities, transport services, markets and technical support/advisory services. It is a program designed to help people work their way out of poverty.
However, many people are finding it difficult to understand the differences between the BB program and cash handouts. Some of the participants a expressing disappointment when they fail to receive instant cash. However, simply giving the participants cash would undermine the progress which the BB program is trying to encourage. The program can only be successful if it results in people engaging in productive activities which cause increased income.
The BB program is based primarily on microfinance, which is regarded as a critical factor in stimulating production, the primary vehicle for wealth creation. Numerous microfinance projects in other countries are regarded as highly successful, incluing the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. It remains to be seen whether the BB program’s foray into microfinance will be equally successful.