National Defence College–Uganda commanders benchmark in Algeria and Nigeria

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The National Defence College–Uganda (NDC-U) has concluded a high-level foreign study tour that took course members to Algeria and Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen strategic learning through direct regional engagement.

The delegation to Algeria was led by the NDC-U Commandant, Brigadier General Alex Opolot Olupot, while Brigadier General Kefa Nangeso headed the team that visited Nigeria.

The tour, according to the June 6 media release from the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs, covered key institutions in Northern and Western Africa, with separate delegations conducting field-based research at selected security and academic facilities.

The NDC-U administrators reported that the study tour forms part of its broader mandate to develop senior leaders capable of responding to complex global security challenges. It added that such engagements are essential in preparing officers and civilian participants to contribute to regional stability and national development from an informed global perspective.

Brig. Gen. Kefa Nangeso Head of Delegation of intake 04 team to Nigeria Presents a gift to the Commandant NSWC while at the NSWC HQs in Abuja, Nigeria. (Courtesy)

NDC-U commandant, Brigadier General Alex Opolot Olupot, meeting one Ugandan course member on a senior command course. (Courtesy)

A group photo during the visit to the Senior Command School Algeria. (Courtesy)

At one of the engagements during the tour, Brig. Gen. Olupot revealed that the programme was designed to move participants beyond classroom-based learning and expose them to real-world security environments.

He also stated that direct engagement with host institutions enables officers to better understand the dynamics of stability, governance, and regional development.

“It is one thing to read a security report on Algeria or Nigeria; it is entirely another to walk the ground and engage with the architects of their national stability.

“We want our members to develop an intuitive grasp of how these countries are striving for security and how they envision their future prosperity. You cannot draft high-level strategic policy if you have not experienced the geopolitical context of the nations you are analysing." Brig. Gen. Olupot said, according to the MoDVA release.

He also expressed appreciation to the President and Commander-in-Chief, Gen. (Rtd) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, for prioritising strategic military education, and to the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for continued institutional guidance.