Kabale University Launches Postgraduate Training Workshop with Support from Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program

| Kabale, Uganda – July 18, 2025

University has officially launched a capacity-building workshop for PhD and Master’s students, marking a major milestone in its efforts to strengthen postgraduate training and international academic collaboration. The workshop was formally opened by Dr. Mary Bekoreire Baremwire, Coordinator of Higher Degrees Programs, who reaffirmed the university’s commitment to high-quality graduate education.

“This workshop is not just a training session; it is a platform for transformation,” Dr. Baremwire said. “Our postgraduate students deserve the best tools, guidance, and mentorship to succeed, and this initiative is a step in that direction.”

The workshop is spearheaded by Professor Doris Kakuru, a Ugandan-born scholar based at the University of Victoria in Canada, and Associate Professor Mesharch Katusiimeh, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Kabale University. The two academicians jointly won this year’s Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) grant—an honour that highlights their commitment to academic development and cross-continental collaboration.

Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the CADFP supports African-born scholars based in Canada and the USA to partner with institutions in Africa on projects that strengthen higher education.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Doris Kakuru said she was delighted to return home to contribute to the advancement of Kabale University, which she called her academic home. “I am happy to be home and to give back to the university that shaped me,” she said. “I’m even more inspired because Kabale University is under the leadership of Professor Joy Kwesiga, who mentored me and played a critical role in my academic journey.”

The core focus of the workshop is on equipping postgraduate students with skills in research design, academic writing, ethics, time management, and publishing in reputable journals. In his keynote address, Prof. Mesharch Katusiimeh outlined the real struggles faced by many graduate students, including financial burdens, time constraints, low morale, and misuse of AI in academic work.

“Postgraduate training is more than earning a credential,” he noted. “It is about becoming a responsible and productive scholar—someone who contributes meaningfully to knowledge and society. This workshop is a reflection of our determination to build that kind of academic culture.”

Beyond postgraduate training, the Carnegie-funded initiative also aims to foster long-term collaboration between faculty members at Kabale University and the University of Victoria. This component of the grant is expected to lay the foundation for a sustained research partnership, enabling joint publications, grant applications, and academic exchanges.

As Kabale University continues to raise its academic profile, the workshop marks a critical step in positioning the institution as a hub for advanced research, regional development, and global partnerships.