Leaders in the Acholi sub-region have called for development planning that turns the area’s natural resources into tangible economic benefits for households, as the National Planning Authority (NPA) consults stakeholders on a regional development plan.

Lamwo district LC5 chairperson Oyet Sisto Ocen said the region needed to identify and harness its natural resources to stimulate production, create economic opportunities and improve household incomes.

Ocen described Lamwo as one of the resource-rich districts in Acholi but said residents were not fully benefiting from the available opportunities.

He cited the district’s vast land and mineral deposits, including gold mining in Palabek sub-county, as areas that could contribute to economic growth if supported by appropriate planning and interventions.

His remarks come as the NPA gathers views from local governments and other stakeholders to validate and enrich a draft Acholi Regional Development Plan intended to guide interventions across the sub-region.

The consultations, held from October 12 to 16, 2026, brought together district leaders, technical officers, farmers, private sector representatives, civil society organisations and development partners.

Nokrach Chris Otim, the NPA team leader, said the proposed plan would identify priority interventions aligned with the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and the government’s Ten-Point Growth Strategy, which is linked to Uganda Vision 2040.

Otim said the regional development programme was intended to help districts address gaps in socio-economic indicators and work towards national development targets.

For Acholi, the planning process presents an opportunity to bring district priorities into a common framework, particularly where economic opportunities and development challenges extend beyond individual administrative boundaries.

Ocen’s call highlights the importance of ensuring that natural resource potential translates into measurable improvements in people’s livelihoods rather than remaining an unrealised opportunity.

This would require development priorities to be grounded in the economic needs of local communities and supported by practical interventions that can stimulate production and household earnings.

Gold mining in Palabek illustrates one of the resource-related issues that could warrant attention in the regional planning process. However, the extent to which the activity contributes to local incomes, employment and public revenue would need to be established through further assessment.

The region’s land resources could also be considered in identifying opportunities to strengthen agricultural production and other income-generating activities, depending on local priorities and the interventions adopted in the final plan.

Lamwo Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Laguu Samuel Jones, urged local government leaders and other stakeholders to participate actively in the consultations, saying their contributions were important in shaping regional development priorities.

Laguu said “district, town council and sub-county development plans should be aligned with NDP IV, which provides the national framework for Uganda’s development agenda over five years”.

He urged leaders to familiarise themselves with the national planning framework and use their development plans as practical working documents to guide service delivery and interventions.

The proposed Acholi Regional Development Plan is expected to complement existing local government development plans while harmonising priorities and addressing challenges that require coordinated action across the sub-region.

The effectiveness of the process will depend on how stakeholder proposals are reflected in the final plan and translated into implementable priorities.

For communities in resource-rich areas such as Lamwo, the central question is whether regional planning will help bridge the gap between available economic opportunities and the incomes households actually earn.

The NPA has said the consultations are intended to enrich the draft plan and align regional priorities with national development objectives.