Vision Group has donated 18 computers to the Department of Journalism and Communication, Makerere University as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Speaking at the handover ceremony held at the Department premises on 22nd February, 2013, the Group Board Chairman, Mr David Ssebabi, said that the donation is one of the company’s interventions aimed at promoting skills and professionalism among journalism students.

He noted that the Group envisages an all-round journalist, with multi-media skills and appealed to the Department to ensure that journalism training is focused in that direction. “We need to train journalists who are capable of writing news pieces for print and broadcast media and at the same time able to use the cameras,” he said. Mr Ssebabi commended the good relationship between the Department and Vision Group and pledged continued support.

The Vision Group Chief Operations Officer, Mr Gervase Ndyanabo, said Vision Group provides support to the Department partly because his company is one of the employers of Journalism graduates. With this support, Ndyanabo said that the company expects to receive well trained journalists.

The Acting Deputy Principal, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Edward Kirumira, applauded Vision Group for the support to the Department. He said the partnership and subsequent support would go a long way in building the students’ capacity to communicate.  He appealed for strengthened internship collaboration and requested the Group to design internship programmes beneficial to an all-round journalist.

The Acting Head of the Journalism and Communication Department, Dr Aaron Mushengyezi, expressed gratitude for the support rendered to the Department by Vision Group. He said the Group supports the Department by awarding the best photo journalism student every year with the Cranimer Mugerwa award. The award was named after Cranimer Mugerwa, a veteran photo-journalist with the New Vision who passed on in 2001. Dr Mushengyezi noted that the Vision Group also sponsors its staff to give practical training and career guidance to students in the Department and also serializes the best investigative reports of students pursuing the Post Graduate Diploma in Investigative Journalism.

Vision Group are the publishers of New Vision, Etop, Orumuri and Bukedde newspapers. The company also owns Bukedde TV and radio.