IT project in Uganda: PhD degrees awarded to two Ugandan researchers in May

On Friday 21 May, two Ugandan researchers were awarded PhD degrees by the University of Groningen – Geoffrey Andogah of Gulu University and Julianne Sansa of Makerere University. Gulu University and Makerere University are two of the four public universities in Uganda with which the University of Groningen has been cooperating since 2003 (the other two are Kyambogo University and Mbarara University). The cooperation concerns a major IT project, which the University of Groningen is implementing in close cooperation with Radboud University Nijmegen and Eindhoven University of Technology.

The main aim of this Dutch-Ugandan project is to strengthen the capacity of the four public universities in Uganda, inter alia by training Ugandan staff members at MSc and PhD level. Other goals include developing Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes for the four universities and setting up joint research projects. The project is also involved in minor investments in infrastructural development.

Within the framework of the project, in the past few years six Ugandan staff members have gained an MSc certificate from the University of Groningen. In addition, in the near future at least seven Ugandans will be awarded PhDs by the University of Groningen for theses related to IT.