The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost cooperation aimed at improving the relevance of higher education to Uganda’s economic needs.
Signed on Tuesday, the agreement is anchored in national priorities outlined in Vision 2040 and the NDPIV, which emphasise the creation of a skilled workforce that can drive economic transformation.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, NCHE executive director, Prof Mary Okwakol, said the partnership formalises a long-standing relationship between the two institutions and will support efforts to align university training to labour market needs.
“This function of signing an agreement of understanding between the National Council for Higher Education and the 12th and 6th Convention of Canada.
“I would like to record our appreciation to PSFU for his commitment to the growth of the private sector in Uganda. We acknowledge that he has done a lot to promote the private sector in Uganda,” she said.
Prof Okwakol explained that NCHE’s strategic plan highlights the importance of strengthening partnerships, improving corporate governance, and deepening engagement with stakeholders. She noted that the MoU gives both institutions a framework to jointly address persistent challenges in producing a job-ready workforce.
“So we have a shared vision. This is a vision to address the critical need for a workforce that is relevant to Uganda's economic development. A vision that is noted in Uganda's Vision 2040 as well as the NDPIV,” she said.
Under the partnership, NCHE will provide the regulatory environment and ensure academic quality, while PSFU will offer industry insights, workplace exposure and private sector expertise.
Prof Okwakol said one of the key areas of cooperation is improving the quality and market relevance of academic programmes.
“We expect that PSFU will provide industry insights on in-demand skills, including dictator literacy, growing technologies, business innovation and soft skills which will inform the curriculum alignment processes. This becomes more critical as higher education institutions gear up to adopt competence-based education,” she noted.
She added that innovation hubs, research commercialisation and entrepreneurship development will be prioritised to ensure that university-generated research and prototypes can be translated into market-ready products.
“It is our belief that the partnership commits to leveraging private sector funding for critical infrastructure, such as labs and digital platforms,” she said, adding that the collaboration will also pursue scholarships, grants and fellowships for deserving students.
Prof Okwakol said a joint oversight committee will guide implementation, produce regular progress reports and ensure that the initiative aligns with both national and regional higher education priorities.
“This Memorandum of Understanding sets the foundation for a collaborative future, ensuring that higher education is inclusive, high quality and truly responsive to the national and regional development priorities,” she said.
On his part, PSFU executive director, Mr Stephen Asiimwe, described the signing as a historic step that will bridge the long-standing gap between academia and the private sector.
Mr Asiimwe noted that while Uganda’s private sector has grown significantly over the last three decades, the disconnect with higher education institutions has slowed progress.
“Unfortunately, both of us are locked. We have all our very good ideas locked in one room and all our money locked in a bank safe somewhere. And there's a very huge schism in the middle,” he said.
He explained that PSFU now brings together 340 member business associations and corporate entities, compared to 11 in 1995, and operates across major sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, oil and gas, and financial services.
Mr Asiimwe emphasised PSFU’s strong focus on human capital development. He said the foundation runs a work readiness programme with Enabel, introducing graduates to practical skills, mindset change and workplace governance.
“They are not ready for work. So therefore we engage them in a work readiness program. It's a six-month program. We pay a stipend anywhere between 600 and 700 thousand shillings and we provide them with what we call SG Plus. Skills, governance and mindset change,” he said.
He added that partnerships remain central to PSFU’s mandate, noting that global foundations and multinational companies are increasingly supporting development initiatives.
“So now we are applying to some of these organisations to see how we collaborate at a strategic level to ensure that we answer some of their core interests in ensuring that they provide CSR activities.” he said.