Graduates at Makerere University’s 76th graduation ceremony have been urged to embrace entrepreneurship, lifelong learning and integrity as they step into a rapidly changing global economy.
Delivering the commencement address during the third session of the ceremony, Dr Patricia Ojangole, Managing Director of the Uganda Development Bank (UDB), challenged the Class of 2026 to rethink traditional employment paths.
“Graduates, today is filled with pride and joy, but alongside the celebration comes an important question: What next?” Dr Ojangole said. “Will you find your dream job, or will you become part of the unemployment statistics in our country?”
She reassured the graduands that although the employment landscape has evolved, so have opportunities.
“Your generation is different. You have grown up with modern tools and unprecedented access to information and knowledge. You are better equipped to face the world than we were,” she said. “While there may have been more traditional jobs in the past, there are far more diverse opportunities today—if only you know where and how to find them.”
Dr Ojangole encouraged students to consider entrepreneurship as a viable and respectable career path. “You are not unlucky—you are free. Free to innovate. Free to build enterprises headquartered in Kampala and across Uganda, but serving the world,” she said. “You are not just job seekers—you are job creators.”
She emphasised the importance of integrity in business and leadership, warning against shortcuts. “In a world tempted by shortcuts, integrity will distinguish you. Trust is the most valuable currency in business. Never compromise it,” she advised.
Drawing from her own journey as an alumna of Makerere, Dr Ojangole said the institution provides a strong foundation for success. “As an alumnus, I speak with deep conviction when I say that Makerere prepares you well for life. Makerere is both a Ugandan and a global brand,” she said.
Record Graduation Numbers
In his address, Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe congratulated the 9,295 graduands who received degrees and diplomas during the 76th graduation ceremony — the highest number of PhD graduates in the university’s history.
“A total of 213 graduands will graduate with PhDs, the highest number in the history of Makerere University,” Prof. Nawangwe announced. “Thirty-four percent of the graduands will graduate with postgraduate degrees, indicating steady progress on Makerere’s journey to a truly research-led and research-intensive University.”
He also praised the university’s improving global standing. “In the Times Higher Education global ranking, Makerere University made a formidable jump from the 1200–1500 bracket to the 800–1000 bracket. This was no mean achievement,” he said.
Prof. Nawangwe reiterated the call for entrepreneurship among graduates from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) and Makerere University Business School (MUBS).
“Do not despair if you cannot find employment. Instead, reflect on the immense opportunities around you and rise to the occasion as an entrepreneur,” he urged.
He further invited graduands to participate in the upcoming Makerere University Careers Fair scheduled for March 11–13, 2026, aimed at linking students with industry partners and potential employers.
UDB’s Expanding Role
Introducing the commencement speaker, Prof. Nawangwe highlighted UDB’s transformation under Dr Ojangole’s leadership.
“Under her leadership, UDB’s balance sheet grew from UGX 109 billion to UGX 2.2 trillion by 2025,” he noted, adding that the bank now plays a central role in implementing Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and advancing the country’s tenfold growth strategy.
The ceremony, attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, judiciary, religious and cultural leaders, as well as parents and guardians, celebrated academic excellence and institutional milestones.
As the graduates left Freedom Square, Dr Ojangole left them with a final charge: “The future is not something you enter—it is something you create. Today is not the finish line. It is the starting line. Go forth and make Uganda’s future brighter because of you.”
