Türkiye's Embassy in Uganda hosts iftar dinner for alumni of Turkish universities

By Hamza Kyeyune

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Türkiye's Embassy in Kampala hosted a Ramadan Iftar or fast-breaking dinner for Ugandans who graduated from Turkish universities.

The event, held over the weekend at the embassy compound, was attended by alumni who are now engaged in various spheres including think tanks, businesses, non-profit organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

In his address, the Turkish Ambassador to Uganda, Fatih Ak, said the quality of education at Turkish universities has significantly improved, with some of the universities ranking high globally. He encouraged all Ugandans who studied in Türkiye to register with the Turkish Embassy to ease coordination, strengthen engagement and for sharing opportunities

“We have provided more than 15,000 scholarships for African students so far, of which more than 340 are Ugandans. For the 2023-24 education year, we granted 21 scholarships to Ugandan students for their undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate-level studies in Türkiye. I hope we will be able to increase this number over the years,” he said.

“We are happy and proud of our construction companies’ contribution to Uganda’s infrastructure development, which is the key to prosperity. Several projects have been completed or are ongoing by Turkish companies which include Kolin Insaat, Gulsan, Polatyol Yapi Merkezi and Summa, which is now working on a multipurpose sports arena in Kampala,” he said.

“The Turkish Coordination and Development Agency, TIKA, has been doing a great job concerning development assistance in addition to various Turkish NGOs,” he added.

Hawa Kasule, a lecturer at Makerere University and president of the Türkiye alumni association, thanked the embassy for hosting the event. She thanked Turkish companies, which have earned a reputation for employing those who graduated from Türkiye.

The Turkish Embassy in Uganda has been spearheading a major diplomatic and business drive in the country, and this has contributed to an unprecedented spike in visa applications.

The Turkish Embassy has outsourced visa application services to a private entity, Turkish Route, to offer visa services for Turkish visa applicants.

According to Turkish Route, it provides visa services through a transparent system on a first come, first serve basis.

Huthaifah Busuulwa, an alumnus of Ibn Haldun University and lecturer at Cavendish University, told Anadolu there is a need for opening up more visa application centers to further ease and fast-track the visa process since the flow of students has been mutually beneficial.