Researchers want more funding from government

By Ivan Mubiru

Researchers have cried out for more funding from government to enhance training of labour force required in Uganda’s industrial development.

Prof. Charles Kwesiga, Executive Director of Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) this week told MPs sitting on the committee of Science, Technology and Innovation that they are facing a problem of poor facilitation from government, a factor that has disabled them from sustaining the institute in full capacity.

The MPs were conducting a familiarisation tour of the Institute located in Nakawa, Kampala.

Prof. Kwesiga said the effect of failure to train the labour force is exhibited in the number of small-scale enterprises that have collapsed due to lack of personnel to operate the machinery.

He said there was need to equip students with not only theoretical but also practical skills, which are more necessary if Uganda is to move to an industrial era.

“There have been people who have gone through the incubation system at the Institute but after sometime they gave up on production and stopped reporting because they could not manage the machinery used in production,” he said.

He was, however, optimistic that the US$30 million Industrial and Training facility under construction by government through the China Corporation would enhance skills and knowledge in computerised machinery to the labour force.

“The facility that government is constructing in Namanve will have computerised machinery and robotics; students will be able to train in all these aspects to ensure a skilled labour force that can work anywhere in the world,” he said