General
CEES Empowers USE Students with Business Skills to Tackle Poverty
In an effort to combat rising poverty and unemployment among youth, at least 400 students from four Universal Secondary Education (USE) schools have been equipped with entrepreneurial skills aimed at transforming their lives through income-generating projects. The initiative, led by a group of scholars from the College of Education and External Studies (CEES), seeks to provide practical solutions to poverty by fostering self-reliance among young people.
The training targets students, many of whom may not advance beyond senior four. “A majority of these students come from underprivileged backgrounds, making them an ideal group for this intervention,” explained Dr. Badru Musisi, the project’s lead investigator. Research informed this approach, highlighting that students from USE schools often face socioeconomic challenges that limit their educational and employment prospects.
The participating students, from Mityana SS, Nakanyonyi SS, Lweru SS, and Bombo Secondary School, underwent a 12-week intensive training program that was designed not only to teach them how to start a business but also how to sustain it. The first cohort, trained in 2021/2022, came from Mityana SS and Nakanyonyi SS, while Lweru SS and Bombo Secondary School followed in 2023/2024.
The project, dubbed “Imparting Entrepreneurship Skills in Universal Secondary Education Schools through Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion,” was spearheaded by Dr. Musisi and Dr. Rebecca Nambi, lecturers at Makerere University. It is funded by the Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF).
Bridging the Skills Gap
Unlike traditional government skilling programs that primarily focus on hard skills such as tailoring and plumbing, this project emphasizes soft skills, psychological preparedness, and business management techniques. Dr. Musisi stressed the importance of preparing young people mentally for the challenges of entrepreneurship, explaining, “Many youths are trained and given tools, but they end up selling them because they aren’t psychologically prepared for business.”
The project provides a holistic approach by combining psychology, entrepreneurship, and business administration. Students learn how to manage failure, identify viable business opportunities, and navigate the ups and downs of running a business. Those who lose their capital are guided to reflect on their mistakes and find ways to avoid them in the future.
Real-life Business Ventures
One key aspect of the training was providing students with startup capital—each group of five students received UGX 300,000. These groups were tasked with identifying and starting micro-businesses within their local communities. The results were promising: even those who initially struggled managed to recover. Dr. Musisi recounted the story of a group that, after losing much of their capital, pivoted to selling jackfruits in their community and soon turned a profit of UGX 400,000.
For many of the participants, the training has had a lasting impact. Senior three student Faizo Jjingo from Bombo SS used the marketing skills he learned to start his own juice business, which now helps him meet his basic needs. Another student, Christine Nayiga from Lweru SS, ventured into poultry farming and is now committed to expanding her business to serve her local community.
A Model for Wider Implementation
The project, which has so far received UGX 300 million in funding, is currently limited to the central region of Uganda. However, the scholars hope that with more government support, it can be scaled to other parts of the country. The success of the initiative has led students, such as Issa Nsubuga from Lweru SS, to advocate for its expansion to reach local communities and skill up school dropouts.
Ms. Juliet Nabirye, representing MakRIF, expressed the fund’s commitment to supporting young people with innovative ideas. She encouraged students to apply their skills and brand their products to stand out in the competitive market. “Identify challenges in your community and create solutions for them,” she advised.
Challenges and Future Prospects
Despite the program’s success, challenges remain. Some schools have expressed concerns about students’ businesses interfering with their studies, fearing that too much focus on entrepreneurship could detract from academic performance. “It can disrupt school programs if students shift their focus entirely to their businesses,” warned a school official.
However, educators like Mr. Hamza Ssebunya, head teacher of Lweru SS, believe that the initiative is vital in shaping a more self-reliant generation. He emphasized that students now understand how to start small businesses like chapati making and vegetable growing, empowering them to earn money even while in school.
As Uganda faces an ongoing youth unemployment crisis—with an estimated 64% of young people out of work—initiatives like the Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion (STEP) project offer a glimmer of hope. Dr. David Kabugo, Deputy Director of Makerere University Institute of Teacher Education and Research (MITER), believes that projects like this are essential in addressing unemployment by giving youth the tools to create their own opportunities.
In the words of retired head teacher Mr. Muhammad Bisaso Ntamu, “Real education should encompass knowledge, skills, and values. This project has achieved 70% of what real education should provide.”
By Gerald Ochwo
On 25th March 2025, a delegation of Registrars from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) undertook a benchmarking exercise at Makerere University, with a specific focus on the latter’s pioneering efforts in academic records digitalization. The delegation, led by Dr. Dickson Kalungi, Ag. Deputy Academic Registrar was received by Mr. Charles Ssentongo, Deputy Academic Registrar in charge of Admissions and Records Division, who represented the Academic Registrar (AR), Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi.
The visit was prompted by Makerere University‘s trailblazing achievements in digitalizing academic records, as exemplified by the Digitalization of Academic Records Project (DARP). This initiative has been instrumental in creating a centralized, digital one stop repository of all University’s academic records, thereby enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and security of academic records management.
In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Ssentongo conveyed the Academic Registrar’s message and highlighted Makerere University‘s efforts to digitalize all its processes and records. He further noted that the university is intentional about creating a digital ecosystem that makes academic records retrieval easy and efficient.
“As a university, we are now intentional with the digitalization of all our processes including, digitization of our manual records that date as way back as the inception of Makerere University. Currently, the DARP project as gone as far as creating a one stop center for both Academic document verification and certification, whereby our former graduates, will only need to access the online verification and certification portal and submit their documents without necessarily having to travel many physical distances to Makerere University” Mr. Ssentongo remarked.
In his appreciation remarks, the MUST head of delegation, Dr. Dickson Kalungi, thanked the Academic Registrar for honoring their request to come and learn from the best practices that exist at Makerere University and particularly commended the Department for the great steps and strides made in pioneering modern Academic records storage management systems.
“I want to sincerely thank the Office of the Academic Registrar for sparing time and organizing this meeting. As a University, we have embarked on a transformative change drive whereby we intend to automate all our registry processes including, the management of Academic Records. The DARP project at Makerere University, has been one project where we draw a number of lessons and we are eager to go and implement some of the best practices we have observed here today”
Conclusion
The benchmarking exercise undertaken by Mbarara University of Science and Technology demonstrates the significance of Makerere University and particularly, the Office of the Academic Registrar’s achievements in academic records digitalization. The DARP project serves as a model for other institutions to follow, highlighting the importance of investing in digital solutions to enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and security of academic records management. It further demonstrates the university’s commitment to sharing knowledge and best practices with other institutions. Makerere University‘s efforts in digitalizing academic records have set a high standard for other universities to emulate, and the DARP project is a shining example of innovation and excellence in academic records management.
Gerald Ochwo is the Liaison Officer, Office of the Academic Registrar
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