Kabale University students and management are seeking stronger partnerships with the United States Embassy in Uganda to turn student innovations into viable products and expand opportunities for scholarships, research, technology, and leadership development.
The appeal was made on Monday when Mikael (Mika) Cleverley, the United States Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in Uganda, held an outreach engagement with students and university management at Kabale University in Kabale District. For students such as Eve Bridget Apoya, a science student at the university, the biggest challenge is not a lack of ideas but the resources needed to turn those ideas into reality.
Apoya said students have developed innovations including anti-inflammatory capsules made from turmeric and booster capsules made from garlic. Still, limited funding and equipment are making it difficult to take the products further. She said the university also lacks adequate technology for quality assurance, testing and processing, forcing students to travel to laboratories outside Kabale at a high cost.
Apoya said support from the United States Embassy could help students access the equipment and technical expertise needed to develop their innovations and eventually turn them into successful products. The University Guild Speaker, Elia Nabasa, also called for increased opportunities for students and university administrators to benchmark with institutions in the United States.
Nabasa said such exchanges would expose students and university leaders to new approaches in leadership, academics and other areas. He also appealed for scholarships for students from financially disadvantaged families. Nabasa said the guild has established a programme known as KAB for KAB, through which students contribute towards tuition support for colleagues who cannot afford their fees, but the initiative is struggling because of inadequate funding.
He further asked the US Embassy to consider supporting the renovation of the university clinic, which he said is in poor condition despite being an important facility for students.
The university management also wants help building links with American institutions that can provide technical expertise, research partnerships and funding. Kabale University Vice Chancellor Professor Jonny Mugisha said the institution has struggled to identify US-based universities and organisations interested in its priority areas and to establish direct links with potential partners.
He said the university is also constrained by limited strategic infrastructure and financial resources. Mugisha said Cleverley’s visit could help Kabale University strengthen its international networks and connect with institutions that can support its development. He also said the university hopes to tap into the skills and resources of Banyakigezi living abroad to contribute to the development of the Kigezi region and Uganda.
Mugisha said Kabale University has already benefited from a number of projects involving US universities and institutions, although on a limited scale. Among them is the Site Selection to Protect Papyrus Endemic Biodiversity in Uganda project, funded by the Biodiversity Foundation and JRS at about 249,324 US dollars for three years.
The university has also been involved in the Microsporidians among Children and Adults with Persistent Diarrhea project, funded by Tufts University with 10,000 US dollars, and research on Non-Falciparum Malaria and Diagnostic Gaps in Children Under Five in Southwestern Uganda, funded by the Thrasher Research Fund with 26,750 US dollars.
Responding to the requests, Cleverley said Ugandan universities need to engage the United States Embassy in Kampala to identify American institutions and opportunities that match their areas of interest. He said the United States is interested in partnerships that expose students to new opportunities and strengthen university programmes in entrepreneurship, innovation, science, technology and leadership.
Cleverley encouraged Ugandans to learn from the United States’ experience over the past 250 years, particularly in areas that have contributed to social and economic development. He said his visit to Kigezi and Kabale University was intended to understand the challenges and opportunities in the region and identify areas where partnerships could support development.
Before visiting Kabale University, Cleverley commissioned a renovated maternity ward at Chahafi Health Centre IV in Kisoro District. The maternity ward was equipped with standard maternity beds, oxygen concentrators and autoclave machines. The renovation was carried out by the Ministry of Health through the Uganda Health Activity, with funding from the United States Government.
For Kabale University students, the engagement has opened a conversation about what they say they need most: the equipment, expertise, funding, and international exposure to move their ideas from university laboratories into solutions that can benefit communities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
