Nkozi University takes over Entrepreneural programme

By Mathias Mazinga

Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion programme (STEP), which has been running at Uganda Martyrs’ University, Nkozi was on Thursday handed over to the University.

Nkozi, , for the past three academic years, has been implementing the UNESCO-funded programme in collaboration with Leuphana University, Germany.

The hand over was performed by the Deputy Head of Mission at the Germany Embassy, Petra Kochendorfer and the Germany National Commissioner for UNESCO, Dr. Lutz Moeller.

Some of the guests from the Germany embassy, the ministry of education and Nkozi University that attended the function

The leader of the programme at Nkozi University, Fr. Dr. Edward Ssemwogerere explained that the programme aimed at teaching students the relevant skills of entrepreneurship in a practical way.

“Today we are closing the programme as a mere funded project and we are opening it as a mainstreamed programme into the curriculum of Uganda Martyrs’ University, Nkozi. UNESCO has been helping us to pay the trainers, further to providing our entrepreneurial students with start-up financial capital. But now, Nkozi University has taken over the responsibility, as a strategy for the sustainability of the programme.”

Through the programme, Ssemwogerere further explained, 400 students were empowered to form groups of five people, which were given sh200,000 each as start-up capital to do small businesses like making earrings, fruit juice, sandwiches and pork, clothes, cakes, photography, fruit and salads, loan services, stationery services and candies.

Some of the beneficiaries of the STEP programme pose for a group photo with officials from UNESCO, the Germany enbassy and Nkozi University dons

During the function, the Secretary General of the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO, Augustine Omare Okurut asked University Vice-Chancellors and heads of institutions of learning to integrate practical entrepreneurship into their education curriculum.

The function was also graced by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Fr. Prof. John Chrysostom Maviiri, the representative of Leuphana University, Kim Bischoff and Dr. Abdallah Mutazindwa, who represented the minister for higher education.