Government praises IUEA for AI, innovation leadership

The Government has praised International University of East Africa (IUEA) for redefining higher education in Uganda through groundbreaking work in Artificial Intelligence (AI), innovation, and entrepreneurship.

This recognition came during the university’s 12th graduation ceremony yesterday, where officials said IUEA’s model represents the future of learning and economic transformation.

While presiding as the guest of honour at the ceremony held at IUEA’s main campus in Kampala, state minister for higher education, John Chrysestom Muyingo, commended the university for building a culture where innovation thrives every day, rather than merely existing as a project.

“Here, students are not simply graduates. They are builders of technology, creators of solutions, and the entrepreneurs and change-makers of tomorrow,” the minister said.

He noted that IUEA has distinguished itself as one of the few institutions on the continent enabling students and faculty to transform ideas into viable businesses that create jobs and wealth.

Muyingo highlighted the university’s development of AI-driven applications, a robust AI curriculum, and research capacity that few universities in Africa have achieved.

Smart agriculture, Climate innovations, and e-mobility 

Joseph Hirya (left), the director of the Audit Office of the Auditor General and Muyingo listening to Gael Ongor Iko, one of the innovators at IUEA, as he talks about their Intelligent Virtual Reality STEM Lab that won the 2025 Global AI Movement Evolution (GAIME) Startup Battlefield competition at the event. (All Photos by Lawrence Mulondo)

Muyingo lauded IUEA’s contributions to smart agriculture and climate-resilient technologies at a time when food security and environmental challenges remain national priorities.

He cited innovations, such as smart farming systems and green technologies that align closely with Uganda’s development agenda. Muyingo also spotlighted the university’s engineering feats, including the IUEA electric motorcycle, e-mobility farm tractor, and other green mobility prototypes.

“These innovations demonstrate that Ugandan universities can lead in modern engineering, not follow,” he said.

The minister added that IUEA’s integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in teaching is preparing graduates for emerging industries across engineering, tourism, machine learning, agriculture, and beyond.

He described the institution’s achievements as “genuine breakthroughs already shaping the nation’s future.” Muyingo praised IUEA’s multicultural environment, hosting students from 54 countries, as a key contributor to Uganda’s human capital development and international profile.

Asmin Kiza Nakaima, the best student in the IUEA class of 2025. She got two awards; the Vice-Chancellor’s Award and that of best student.

“It brings foreign revenue, builds global networks and positions Uganda as a hub of academic excellence and innovation,” he said, urging graduates to build businesses and livelihoods rooted in the knowledge and values gained at the university.

Muyingo also encouraged graduates to avoid political violence as the country approaches the 2026 general elections, saying their skills should be used to champion peace, protect their achievements, and build a better nation.

642 graduates ushered into global workforce 

A total of 642 students graduated with diplomas, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees across various fields, including law, computer science, software engineering, civil and electrical engineering, architecture, petroleum engineering, business administration, tourism, public administration, procurement, and human resource management.

Vice-chancellor Prof. Emeka Akaezuwa said IUEA remains a national trailblazer in technology-driven education. “We were the first university in Uganda to introduce Artificial Intelligence into the curriculum in 2015,” he said.

Graduands jubilating during the graduation ceremony.

“We also built the first innovation labs, where ideas become real products, including Uganda’s first electric motorcycle, electric tractor, and electric boat.” Akaezuwa announced that the university’s Intelligent Virtual Reality STEM Lab recently won the 2025 Global AI Movement Evolution (GAIME) Startup Battlefield competition.

He emphasised that the day’s theme, Building Businesses and Lives from University Breakthroughs, is a philosophy that guides IUEA’s approach to education.

“A project in a lab should become a start-up. A student’s prototype should become a company. A classroom presentation should grow into a business plan capable of transforming an entire industry,” Akaezuwa said.

University Chancellor Amb. Dr Amina C. Mohamed urged graduates to create solutions for real-world challenges in fields such as health technology, agribusiness, fintech, and the creative economy.

“You are not leaving with just degrees, but with breakthroughs. Build with purpose. Think beyond borders. Africa is rising, but your impact must be global,” she said.

Akaezuwa (left) handing Alwi the Exceptional Leadership Award. On the right is Bhabuu.

Mohamed encouraged the graduates to lead with empathy and integrity, noting that success is measured not only in profit, but also in dignity, inclusion, and the legacies one leaves behind.

“You are the architects of Uganda’s future and the entrepreneurs of East Africa’s renaissance,” she said.

Delivering the keynote address, Dr Cosmas Mwikirize, the Superintendent of Industrialisation at the Science, Technology, and Innovation Secretariat, said that true industrialisation requires ecosystems where ideas progress from research to prototypes, products, and markets.

He said universities must serve as engines of innovation, not ivory towers, and commended IUEA for fully embracing this mission.

“IUEA’s incubation spaces are nurturing startups that address real-world problems, from renewable energy to digital education platforms,” Mwikirize said, urging graduates to become job creators in a continent where millions of youth enter the job market each year.

A cultural troupe entertaining guests during the event.

He encouraged them to be bold, collaborative, and unafraid of failure.

“Your breakthrough is not the degree you hold, but the difference you will make in the world,” Mwikirize added. The best performing graduates received awards amid cheers from parents and faculty.

The ceremony featured cultural performances and a cake-cutting moment, attended by dignitaries, including the Amb. Hassan Alwi, Amb. Moses Kiwe Sebunya, Dr Jacinto Amandua, and guild president Daniel Mayen.