Business & Management
URA trains Makerere University students to nurture future voluntary compliant tax payers
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has partnered with Makerere University to nurture future voluntary compliant tax payers in a four-day training targeting 600 final year students from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS).
Dr. Ismail Kintu, a lecturer from the Department of Accounting and Finance said the tax training is premised to the fact that many students go to the field without hands-on skills.
“The training is intended to impart practical skills among the students to enable them help their parents, employers and themselves when they become active tax payers in filing returns to URA,” he said.
The training started on Saturday, October 28 and is going to run for four weekends ending on Sunday, November 4 under the theme, “Fostering voluntary tax compliance among Ugandan youths”
Dr. Kintu called for more trainings like this and he believes if these sessions are conducted for young people, sensitizing the citizens to pay taxes will be easy.
He lauded the College Management and special applaud to the principal Prof Eria Hisali for always supporting initiatives of equipping students with skills and noted that the tax training is targeting students doing Business related courses because they study taxation as a course unit in their programs.
URA trains students to register and get Tax Identification Number (TIN), to read and navigate the URA portal and get any tax information they need, filing the returns especially the Value Added Tax (VAT) returns via the Electronic Fiscal Receipt and invoicing System (EFRIS) that are on the monthly basis.
The program started in 2019 with 700 students and this is the third cohort of the training and at the end of it, URA issues students with a certificate upon assessment and attaining a 70% pass rate.
Dr Kintu has encouraged students to always look out for new information especially about tax since all fields have to pay tax once they start earning income and asked this year’s participants to be ambassadors and take on the training to other students who missed the opportunity.
Andrew Kyakonye, the Tax Education Officer at URA who spearheaded the training said this year, URA is looking at how students can be exposed to the job market, taking them through URA processes like registration, and Business Formalization, delving into how they can register their businesses for taxes and taking them through the processes of registering their businesses and the one of their prospective clients when they go out to the field.
On the same note, the program is also looking at returns filing where tax payers are expected to declare how they have performed throughout the year.
“Our target is basically on students in their final year because they are the one who will be required to issue the e-receipts and filling tax returns of their clients.” He explained.
During the same session, the students will learn Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS), an online system that helps in record keeping and issuing of on-time receipts.
“With this new web-based forms, the tax payers will be able to use EFRIS full time and they will not need to file their tax returns because the system keeps on updating the information with just a clique of the button.” He added.
URA has trained over 1,000 students of Makerere University in the past two trainings in 2019 and 2022.
Business & Management
Government Officials Equipped with Critical Skills in Financial Appraisal and Risk Analysis
A two-week intensive training in Financial Appraisal and Risk Analysis for government officers across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) concluded today April 11, 2025 at the Pearl on the Nile Hotel in Jinja. The training, delivered under the Programme on Financial Appraisal and Risk Analysis (PIAR) and spearheaded by the Public Investment Management Centre of Excellence (PIM CoE) at Makerere University, sought to bridge long-standing capacity gaps in the preparation, appraisal, and review of public sector projects.
The event was officially closed by Dr. Hennery Ssebukeera, representing the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED). Dr. Ssebukeera highlighted that the training was designed in response to a comprehensive needs assessment, which revealed persistent gaps in government officers’ abilities to carry out cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses, and to prepare or assess pre-feasibility and feasibility studies.
“Many government projects have not been properly appraised due to limited internal capacity,” Dr. Ssebukeera stated. “Too often, we rely on external consultants to prepare feasibility studies, yet our officers are not adequately equipped to interrogate or validate those studies.” He expressed confidence that participants now possess practical skills to analyze topics such as risk analysis, financial modelling, discount rates, project finance, and consumer surplus. “You are now in a position to not only prepare but also critically evaluate complex project documentation,” he added.
Ms. Esther Ayebare, Acting Assistant Commissioner in the Public Investment Management Department at MoFPED, acknowledged the participants’ dedication and active engagement. “As the unit that hosts the Development Committee, we are pleased that this training has added critical skills to help you prepare and submit viable public projects,” she said, calling on the participants to be part of building a sustainable pipeline of investment-ready projects.
In his remarks, Dr. John Sseruyange, Manager of the PIM CoE, emphasized that this training is only the beginning. “While we’ve now completed the financial appraisal component, the next step is Economic Appraisal and Stakeholder Analysis—where we evaluate a project’s broader impact on society and the economy,” he said. He also extended appreciation to the Government of Uganda, particularly MoFPED, for funding the training, as well as to Ms. Esther Ayebare and other facilitators for their unwavering commitment.
Prof. Eria Hisali, who represented the Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences, praised the participants for navigating what would typically be a semester-long course within just two weeks. “This is a practical, work-oriented training. The knowledge you’ve gained here should be applicable immediately,” he said. He further invited the graduates to attend the upcoming Public Investment Management Conference in August 2025 to share their experiences and provide feedback.
Participants also expressed their gratitude. One quoted the Quran, saying, “Whoever gives you knowledge has given you everything,” in appreciation of the facilitators and the opportunity to learn.
The PIAR program, jointly implemented by Makerere University, MoFPED, the National Planning Authority (NPA), and Cambridge Resources International (CRI), includes two modules: the just-completed Financial Appraisal and Risk Analysis, and the upcoming Economic Appraisal and Stakeholder Analysis. As Uganda continues to push for better value from public investments, trainings like this are building a critical mass of experts who will ensure that every shilling invested delivers real impact.
Business & Management
Makerere and MoFPED Resume Training of Government Officials in Financial Appraisal and Risk Analysis
The Public Investment Management Centre of Excellence (PIM CoE) at Makerere University has resumed its in-depth training program for government officials in Financial Appraisal and Risk Analysis. The two-week training, held in Jinja, brings together public officers from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across Uganda.
The training was officially opened by Ms. Esther Ayebare, who represented the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury (PSST) at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED). She emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening public sector capacity under the Public Investment Management System (PIMS) framework.
Ms. Ayebare underscored the importance of the training in building the technical capacity required for sound investment decision-making. “This training will empower you to make informed decisions, assess financial viability, and identify risks that could impact investment outcomes,” she noted.
Professor Edward Bbaale, Principal Investigator of the PIM CoE, he expressed appreciation to MoFPED for its financial support and strategic collaboration in organizing the training and nominating participants. “Your continued support is instrumental in enhancing the skills and capacity of government workers in Public Investment Management,” he said. He further acknowledged the role of Vice Chancellors, Permanent Secretaries, and CAOs in nominating participants and reaffirmed Makerere’s commitment to delivering transformative learning through a blend of theory and hands-on project appraisal.
Participants in the training will engage with real-world projects in sectors such as roads, health, energy, and education. Upon successful completion, they will receive a prestigious tripartite certificate from Makerere University, MoFPED, and Queen’s University in Canada.
The training features facilitators from Cambridge Resources International, the International Growth Centre, the National Planning Authority, and MoFPED, offering a curriculum rooted in global best practices.
Participants were encouraged to not only apply the knowledge in their respective roles but also to mentor colleagues, thereby broadening the reach and impact of the program.
The PIM CoE continues to play a pivotal role in shaping Uganda’s public investment landscape through research, advisory services, and outreach. Recent milestones include the revision of the Development Committee guidelines and the convening of a national PIM conference in October 2024.
With the resumption of this training, Uganda takes yet another step toward fostering a skilled public sector capable of steering high-impact investments for sustainable national development.
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