Mayiga pushes for agriculture courses

Buganda Kingdom Prime Minister (Katikkiro) Charles Peter Mayiga has rallied universities to promote agriculture related-programmes to boost household incomes.

Agriculture employs more than 70 percent of the population in Uganda.

“Buganda Kingdom has put emphasis on agricultural programmes to empower farmers to embrace modern farming practices. We should transform agriculture through initiating courses tailored at transforming the sector,” he said during the 10th Mutesa I Royal University graduation ceremony held in Masaka District on Saturday.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy. More efforts are needed to help advance better farming practices. We need to embrace career choices that connect with the prevailing circumstances,” he added.

Mr Mayiga, who also inaugurated the 6th council of the Mutesa I Royal University, tasked the top organ to promote agriculture.

“This would help integrate the Buganda Kingdom’s key programme (farming) in the community. Education is a key ingredient of national development. I also encourage our graduates to embrace the zeal of attaining further skills through further studies,” he said.

Uganda is largely an agricultural country, but different farm products require more investment in the value-addition chain for better markets.

The Katikkiro advised the graduates to always remember the kingdom’s culture and strive to uphold community values.

“We are still struggling to overcome the HIV/Aids disease. We don’t want to lose you because the disease can be avoided when you respect the cultural norms and health guidelines,’’ he told the more than 1,000 graduates.

Prof Vincent Kakembo, the vice chancellor of Mutesa I Royal University, said they have been able to deliver blended learning through the adoption of the Open Distance e-Learning Programme accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).

“The Open Distance E-Learning has been adopted to improve cost-effectiveness and help students for the ICT digital-driven world of work,” he said.

 Attaining charter

Justice Julia Ssebutinde, the chancellor of Mutesa I Royal University, said the NCHE visited and inspected the institution last year.

“The process and progress on attaining the University Charter are encouraging,” she said.

A total of 1,162 students of the 10th graduation class were awarded certificates, diplomas and degrees for various disciplines.