Speaker Oboth Urges Graduands to Prioritise Skills, Integrity and Enterprise

Speaker Oboth Urges Graduands to Prioritise Skills, Integrity and Enterprise

Practical skills, integrity, innovation and enterprise, not academic qualifications alone, are critical to succeeding in today’s job market, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Marksons Oboth has told Ugandan students.

Oboth made the remarks on Friday, August 21, 2026, while addressing the 16th graduation ceremony of Makerere Business Institute (MBI) at its Makerere campus, where 564 students graduated with diplomas and certificates in Journalism, ICT, Business and Finance.

As MBI celebrated 33 years of service, the Speaker highlighted challenges facing Uganda’s education sector, workforce readiness and the growing 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, who was joined by former Makerere University Chancellor Prof. Mondo Kagonyera, said tertiary institutions must equip learners with practical knowledge and skills that go beyond academic credentials and prepare them for an evolving national and global economy.

He also highlighted challenges affecting orphans and vulnerable children, including school dropout, teenage pregnancy and marriage, child labour, drug abuse and mental health challenges.

He reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to advocating for policies that keep vulnerable children in school and create pathways to skills and employment, saying Uganda cannot afford to leave any part of its future workforce behind.

The Speaker further urged the graduands to embrace technology while retaining their humanity, encouraging them to use their skills to solve problems, build enterprises and create jobs.

“Artificial intelligence will transform the workplace, but it will never replace character, judgment, and integrity,” Oboth said.

Responding to concerns from private education institutions over rising operational costs, including taxes, utilities, internet, and infrastructure, Oboth said Parliament would continue to advocate for an enabling policy environment that supports affordable, quality education.

Kawempe Division South MP Madina Ntale echoed the Speaker’s message, urging the graduands to embrace hard work, discipline and self-reliance as they enter the world of work.

MBI was founded in 1993 by Nathan Itungo, former Member of Parliament for Kashari South County.