Experts Call For Collaboration Between Academia And Manufacturers

This article as first published on the New Vision website on April 15, 2023

By Ibrahim Ruweza & Ruth Assimwe

In a public lecture held at Kyambogo University on Friday, experts called for universities and industries to work hand in hand in order to improve the quality of graduates.

The public lecture was under the theme “Strengthening Academia, Industry, and Government Linkages.”

Currently, Uganda has over 40 universities that produce over 400, 000 graduates every year. As of 2021, 87% of these graduates remain unemployed.  

Experts said that the high level of unemployment is caused by the quality of education students get while at universities.

“Most of the graduates are half-baked and do not meet the demand in the job market. They produce good grades but have no innovative skills at all,” said experts.

According to the Executive Director (ED) of Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI), Prof. Charles Kwesiga, the linkage between academia and industry is weak and lacking.

Kwesiga said that the gap between these two can be bridged if the government revitalizes its partnership with universities.

“It should be noted that there is a wide gap between industry and academia because there is no implementation regardless of education,” said Kwesiga.

This, according to him can be narrowed by enhancing the quality of classroom learning.

Dr Catherine Wandera, the team leader in the Import Substitution Bureau, advised universities to focus on developing high-quality resources for the market if the linkage is to be strengthened. This can only be done through curriculum development.

Stanley Ahimbisibwe, from the Ministry of Trade, said that industry and academia are not collaborating.

“We need academia, but we are not collaborating. There is a wide gap between industry and academia.” Ahimbisibwe said. 

The experts believed that collaboration could be achieved if the government created policies and funding mechanisms that supported the industries. 

Prof. Kwesiga advised universities to strengthen their research capabilities and facilities in order to meet industrial demand.

He advised the need for proper resource allocation between academia and industry by the government.