Uganda

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Uganda is a country of about 47 million people in East Africa (World Bank, 2022). The country’s higher education system is one of the oldest in the region. Makerere University was a pioneer in formal open and distance learning (ODL) in higher education.

COL’s current work in Uganda is primarily in the areas of higher education, Lifelong Learning for Farmers (L3F), gender equality and women’s empowerment through skills development and technology-enabled learning (TEL). Learners from Uganda are also participating in COL’s free online courses and benefitting from other openly resources available.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
14.3%		18.9%
Female (2017)		Male (2017)

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
33.9%		38.7%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for the school year ending in 2016¹
4.3%		5.8%
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Highlights

More than 6,000 leaners have completed skills courses for livelihoods, of which over 4,500 are girls and women.
147 Government staff/officials/policymakers have been trained/sensitised on gender equality.
Support provided to Digital Woman Uganda (DWU), Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture
(RUFORUM) and Makerere University for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (MUCAES) to improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in Uganda include:

Ministry of Education and Sports
African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS)
Agricultural Innovation System Brokerage Association (AGINSBA)
Batwas
Busitema University
Digital Woman Uganda (DWU)
Gulu University
KampaBits
Kyambogo University
Makerere University
Makerere University for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (MUCAES)
Plavio Uganda (PLAVIO)
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
Siaya SEED Savings and Credit Cooperative
Uganda Management Institute

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Mr Timothy Ssejjoba
Acting Commissioner for University Education and Training
Ministry of Education and Sports

Literacy rate (2022)¹
76.5%		84.9%
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2021)¹
76%		85.4%
Female, 15-64		Male, 15-64

Political Decision Making (2021)¹
33.8%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
70.1		63.2
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

10	66
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

0.084	52
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Uganda

Highlights

Partners

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Notable Mention

More Information

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Reports

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Country Data Sources