Speaker Oboth to graduands: Embrace innovation and enterprise

What the report says

At Makerere Business Institute’s 16th graduation ceremony in Makerere, Kampala, Uganda’s Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Marksons Oboth, urged graduating students to focus on practical innovation, integrity and enterprise rather than relying only on certificates. Watchdog Uganda reported that the event took place on Friday, 21 August 2026, and that 564 students received diplomas and certificates in journalism, ICT, business and finance.

According to the publisher, Oboth framed the message around the changing job market and said education should equip young people with skills, character and the ability to create opportunities. He encouraged graduands to use technology while maintaining human judgment and ethical standards, and he stressed that they should build businesses, generate jobs and apply their training to community problems.

The Speaker also pointed to wider challenges facing Uganda’s education system and young people, including school dropout, early pregnancy and marriage, child labour, drug abuse and mental health concerns. He said Parliament would continue supporting policies aimed at keeping vulnerable children in school and widening access to skills and opportunities. Makerere Business Institute, which Watchdog Uganda said was founded in 1993, was also celebrating 33 years of service. The article further noted calls for a more supportive policy environment for private institutions dealing with costs such as taxation, utilities and internet services.