Tayebwa advocates for more research in areas of economic growth
KAMPALA, March 17, 2025 –– The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, is calling for more research in key areas of Uganda’s ten-fold development strategy, stating that this would significantly support the country’s path to becoming a middle-income economy.
Tayebwa made the call last Friday while officiating at the 22nd graduation ceremony of the Uganda Management Institute [UMI] in Kampala, where he highlighted that Uganda’s economy is projected to grow from US$ 55 billion to US$ 500bln by 2040.
“Our strategy is based on agro-industrialisation, tourism, mineral development, science, technology, and innovation. If you require our support in research, it must align with national interests and the future plans of this country. I urge UMI to take the lead in this,” said Tayebwa.
He also urged UMI and other public institutions to ensure the career growth of their employees, noting that the government plans to prioritise promotional development in the next financial year.
“It is a shame when you have an institution or a university where academic professionals are not promoted. Our focus now is to fund our universities so that they can promote their staff who meet the required qualifications. I urge you to share your promotion plan with us [Parliament] so that we can provide the necessary funding,” Tayebwa added.
On the quality of courses offered at the institute, Tayebwa commended the leadership for strengthening UMI’s pedagogical approach by addressing the duplication of courses, which he said has produced valuable members of society and upheld the academic integrity of the institution.
He also noted that UMI has contributed significantly to shaping Uganda’s public service and civil society, urging the graduates to strive to be problem-solvers.
“UMI has shaped our research agenda as well as the future of this country by training credible managers who have helped develop a resilient economy and contribute to its transformation,” Tayebwa remarked.
For his part, the UMI Chancellor, Justice Bart Katureebe, urged Parliament to consider formalising the application of alternative justice systems, which he described as efficient, community-driven, and culturally relevant.
“The formal judicial system plays a pivotal role in dispensing justice, but it is often overburdened, slow, and sometimes inaccessible to marginalised communities. Alternative justice systems like mediation, arbitration, and traditional dispute resolution mechanisms can offer complementary solutions,” Katureebe said.
He also urged the graduates to pursue research, which he said would be crucial and a reflection of the training they had received from the institution.
A total of 3,294 graduates were awarded degrees and diplomas. Among them, six students received doctorates [PhDs], 867 earned master’s degrees, 2,411 received postgraduate diplomas, and 10 were awarded ordinary diplomas.
UMI is a government-owned national center for training, research, and consultancy in the field of management and administration in Uganda. It is one of the nine public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country outside the military.
According to Wikipedia, UMI began training operations in 1968 under the name Uganda Institute of Public Administration. The official opening of UMI was held on October 7, 1969. In the initial years, UMI was mandated to conduct intensive in-service training to quickly develop a cadre of Africans to assume higher responsibilities upon the attainment of independence in 1962.
In the early 1970s, UMI became affiliated with Makerere University, offering postgraduate diplomas in public administration and business management. The postgraduate diploma in human resource management was introduced in the mid 1980s.
Before 1992, the Institute of Public Administration operated as a department of the Ministry of Public Service. This status changed with the enactment of the Uganda Management Institute Statute of 1992. The statute conferred an agency status to UMI with a great degree of autonomy under a governing board. The programme s of UMI were expanded and student intake increased. By 1999, UMI was offering a master’s degree in management studies besides six postgraduate diplomas, certificate courses, and short courses.
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