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BoU boss rallies Chevening alumni to change Uganda
Acting BoU Governor Michael Atingi-Ego (centre) with Mr Philip Smith, the Development Director at British High Commission (2nd right); and some of the Chevening Alumni after their annual general meeting in Kampala on Saturday. PHOTO | SYLIVIA KATUSHABE
What you need to know:
- He tasked the alumni to deploy their wide-ranging scholarly and professional expertise and align their goals with people’s needs.
Ugandan alumni of the British government’s prestigious Chevening scholarship should leverage knowledge, skills and networks gained during studies abroad to accelerate the country’s development.
In a keynote address to the Chevening Alumni Association in Uganda (CAAU) general assembly in Kampala on Saturday, the Acting Bank of Uganda Governor, Mr Michael Atingi-Ego, said: “[You] cheveners, having been selected for [your] unique talent, leadership potential, and passion for impact, you are qualified to tackle Uganda’s development challenges.”
He tasked the alumni to deploy their wide-ranging scholarly and professional expertise and align their goals with people’s needs in order to transform Uganda from a peasant to an industrialised, middle-income country envisaged under Vision 2040.
“Your education in the United Kingdom aligns with Uganda’s National Development [Plan] goals, which prioritise human capital development among drivers of change,” Mr Atingi-Ego told the hybrid general assembly.
Chevening is the UK government’s international scholarship and fellowship programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner, enabling thousands of student from across the world to study and gain graduate qualifications at British universities.
Ms Helen Kaweesa, the outgoing CAAU chairperson, reported that about 300 Ugandans have benefitted from the scholarship since its launch three decades ago, gaining a range of expertise in leadership, humanities, sciences and innovations.
Besides organising education webinars, driving public discourse on seminal national issues and guiding prospective applicants on crafting wining applications, the executive she headed mobilised support for the elderly at Mapeera Bakateyamba Home in Kampala as a way of giving back to the community.
Ms Kaweesa said partnerships such as in 2022 with the Young African Refugees and Integral Development (Yarid), a non-governmental organisation, helped skill young refugees in metropolitan Kampala on Uganda’s laws, entrepreneurship/financial literacy, and gender/human rights.
“There is a need for us to participate in the CAAU activities, if we are to grow it,” she said, rallying all Ugandan Chevening beneficiaries to onboard on alumni activities.
Mr Philip Smith, the development director at British High Commission in Uganda, pledged continued support to CAAU, saying the Chevening programme is one of the strongest collaborations and a great British brand.
He encouraged the Chevening Alumni to attract additional partners so that more Ugandans can be selected to study on the prestigious.
In his keynote address, Acting Governor Atingi-Ego exhorted the alumni to spearhead innovations using home-grown solutions the way, for instance, Prof Patrick Ogwang employed indigenous medicinal knowledge to develop Covidex as support treatment for Covid-19 and other viral infections.
“… there are plenty of plants out there, but we are still importing medicine … how do we take advantage of the rich plants in this country … add value to what we are producing for social-economic contribution?” he said.
Mr Atingi-Ego said various government interventions had presently halved poverty prevalence in the country from the 60 percent highs of the 1990s, but challenges remained in financial inclusion and low agricultural productivity due to climate change and limited value addition.
“Effort is needed to ensure equal access of opportunities, services and resources for the marginalised groups including women, youth, people with disabilities and all the communities,” he added.
The BoU chief executive rallied Chevening alumni to fight poverty, corruption and advance accountability and transparency, and environmental sustainability so that all Ugandans can access basic services and do not have to live on the margins of society.
Mr Allan Brian Ssembajwe, whom the general assembly elected the new CAAU chairperson, revealed plans to construct a leadership institute for members to undergo refresher leadership training.
NEW CAAU EXECUTIVE
• Allan Brian Ssembajwe, chairperson
• Nicholas Okot, vice chairperson
• Elvis Mwesigwa, secretary
• Hope Bagota, deputy secretary
• Enid Hilda Mugabi, treasurer
• Chloe Kaburunga, vice treasurer
• Billy Rwothungeyo, communications officer
• Diana Nakaweesa, compliance officer
• Marion Sandra Mbabazi, community liaison officer
