Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has challenged graduates to use their skills and knowledge to create jobs rather than wait for formal employment, urging them to embrace innovation and take advantage of government programmes designed to support youth enterprises.
Speaking during Nkumba University’s 27th graduation ceremony held on Saturday, 25 October 2025, Tayebwa said Uganda’s future depends on leaders who can turn ideas into practical solutions for the country’s social and economic challenges.
“What lies ahead is the responsibility to use the knowledge, skills and values you have gained here to transform your lives and those of the people around you,” he told the 2,087 graduates. “In an age of global disruption and innovation, your generation must be agile, creative and proactive.”
Tayebwa commended Nkumba University for its digitally enabled community-centred early childhood project, which aims to help 32 primary schools across Uganda integrate e-learning into their teaching systems. He encouraged graduates to replicate such innovations in their communities.
The Deputy Speaker also praised private universities for expanding access to higher education. “If we had only remained with government institutions, I do not know where all the students from our secondary schools would be admitted,” he said.
Nkumba University Chancellor Emmanuel Katongole urged graduates to embody confidence, competence, creativity and character, saying these values would sustain their success long after graduation. “Degrees may open doors, but it is these virtues that will keep those doors open,” he said.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Jude Lubega thanked the government for a tax waiver of Shs4.4 billion and a capitalization grant of Shs300 million, saying the support had strengthened the institution’s recovery. He appealed for further investment in artificial intelligence and data science laboratories at the university’s new ICT Centre of Excellence.
