Practical innovation, integrity and enterprise job creation and not just paper qualifications are critical for the job market, the Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Marksons Oboth, has advised Ugandan students.
The Speaker made the call while addressing attendees at the 16th graduation ceremony of Makerere Business Institute (MBI) at its campus in Makerere on Friday, 21 August 2026 where 564 students graduated with diplomas and certificates in Journalism, ICT, Business and Finance.
As it marked its 33 years of service, the Speaker used the occasion to address key challenges in Uganda’s education sector, workforce readiness, and the growing social vulnerabilities affecting young people.
“Today you receive a certificate; tomorrow the world will ask what you can do with it. Education must, therefore, give us more than documents. It must give us skills, character and the courage to create opportunities,” he told the graduands.
Oboth told the gathering, which was also graced by former Makerere University Chancellor, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera, that the role of tertiary education in an evolving national and global economy is to provide true learning that goes far beyond academic credentials.
The Speaker acknowledged the challenges faced by orphans and vulnerable children, including school dropout, early pregnancy and marriage, child labour, drug abuse, and mental health challenges.
To redress this, he reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to advocating for policies that keep vulnerable children in school and provide them with pathways to skills and opportunities, noting that the country cannot afford to leave any part of its future workforce behind.
He encouraged the graduands to embrace technology while retaining their humanity, urging them to build enterprises, create jobs and use their skills to solve problems in their communities and beyond.
“Artificial intelligence will transform the workplace, but it will never replace character, judgment, and integrity,” Speaker Oboth noted.
In response to concerns raised regarding operational costs for private institutions, including taxation, utilities, internet costs, and infrastructure, the Speaker reassured administrators that Parliament would advocate an enabling policy environment that ensures affordable, high-quality education.
The Member of Parliament for Kawempe Division South, Hon. Madina Ntale, echoed his call and urged the graduands to embrace hard work, discipline, and self-reliance as they transition into the world of work.
MBI was founded in 1993 by Hon. Nathan Itungo, the former Member of Parliament Kashari South County.
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