Ugandan students joined the Indian community in Uganda to celebrate the ITEC day at the Indian High Commission in Kampala. The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme, ITEC for short, is the leading capacity-building platform of the Ministry Of External Affairs, Government of India. Instituted in 1964, ITEC is one of the oldest institutionalized arrangements for international capacity building having trained more than 200,000 officials from 160+ countries in both the civilian and the defence sector.
David Birimumaso an engineer specialising in energy efficiency and conservation at the Ministry of energy and Mineral Development and one of the beneficiary students said the course in India helped him to learn new and efficient ways to do his work, especially with e-mobility. In India, Birimumaso studied Electric vehicles, batteries and charging stations course at the NTPC School of Business.
“I was in India in March 2024 and when we came back from India, we also started writing proposals and this year the government has now set up electric car charging stations in Kampala” he said
Barbra Ritah Nakamwa, a beneficiary of the program who works with the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) said the course helped her dream bigger and pursue further studies.
Since 2014, India has offered close to 100,000 world-class capacity-building training and scholarships at premier institutions in India, along with a chance to experience the culture and hospitality of India. Even during the disruptions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITEC programme continued with its commitment to share India’s development experience with the world, providing online healthcare and governance-related training to nearly 10,000 professionals through digital platforms.
“Apart from our regular calendar-based training programmes, India also responds to country-specific requests for training in specific areas of governance by organizing customised training programmes which are designed and delivered by the leading institutions in India.” said Mr Upender Singh Rawat, the High commissioner of India to Uganda.
Uganda has benefited greatly from the partnership with India, especially in the education sector;
“The Indian community presents the strongest and durable economic links with Uganda and at present there are approximately 35,000 persons of Indian origin in Uganda. Indians living in Uganda play a leading role in the Ugandan economy especially the manufacturing, trade, agro-processing, banking, real estate hotels tourism and ICT. They employ thousands of Ugandans and are amongst the biggest taxpayers in the country.” said John Mulimba, the state minister for Foreign affairs adding that
“Persons of Indian origin are estimated to have invested over 1 Billion US Dollars in Uganda in the last decade while they constitute less than 0.01% of the population of Uganda, they contribute a major part of Uganda’s direct taxes.”
India-Uganda diplomatic ties
India and Uganda established formal diplomatic ties in 1965. This relationship has evolved over the years, influenced by historical connections and mutual interests. Prior to formal diplomatic recognition, interactions between the two nations date back to when Indian traders engaged in commerce in East Africa, particularly during the colonial period.
“India set up the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Jinja and this is the first campus of this University outside India. This speaks to the value of our friendship and partnership between both countries” said the high commissioner
India has been regularly training and exchanging with UPDF, under its Economic and Technical Cooperation programme. About 50 UPDF officers travel to India every year to take defence courses ranging from short-term months to up to one year. Further, a four-member Indian Military Advisory and Training Team is stationed in the Defence Staff College of UPDF since 2010.
