Management Training and Advisory Center (MTAC) on 14th January held their 8th graduation ceremony at the MTAC main campus in Nakawa, Kampala.

916 graduands were awarded diplomas and certificates in the different fields at the memorable Graduation Ceremony and out of these, 674 (73%) are female while 269 (27%) are male.

Addressing the congregation, MTAC Acting Executive Director Soteri Karanzi Nabeeta lauded the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon. Francis Mwebesa, his colleague Ministers (State for Industry, Hon David Bahati; State for Trade, Hon Ntabazi Harriet; State for Cooperatives, Hon Gume Fredrick Ngobi) for effectively playing the oversight role in superintending over MTAC to implement its mandate.

He also lauded the predecessor Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Hon Amelia Kyambadde and her colleagues for effectively playing the oversight role and laying a firm foundation upon which we are celebrating today’s success.

In his appeal to the government through the Chief Guest, the Executive Director asked for an increase in wage subvention from the current UGX 100m per year to at least UGX 1.5bns per year.He says this would enable the Centre to even pay the outstanding arrears, particularly the Part Time Staff. He also hinted on funding for acquisition of a permanent home for MTAC Mbale and MTAC Ntungamo among others.

In his remarks, the chief guest Hon. Francis Mwebesa, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives applauded the management of MTAC for continuing to offer free vocational training to street vendors. This programme, which started in 2017, was borne out of the resolve to help the youths and women who are economically disadvantaged and according to the Tracer Study conducted in 2019, some of the beneficiaries of this programme have since left the streets and are involved in more gainful employment.

Minister Mwebesa also thanked the MTAC Management for extending this opportunity to its outreach centers in Mbale, Pader and Ntungamo and for partnering with other stakeholders to equip women and youth with vocational skills that have enabled the beneficiaries to compete in the market economy.

Minister Mwebesa noted that the Government is undertaking strategic interventions to promote production and productivity, and export including infrastructure development, implementation of the National Exports Promotion Strategy (NEDS);Implementation of Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU)Promotion of science and technology among others.

In his message to the graduands, Minister Mwebesa reminded them that action without knowledge is void while knowledge without action is madness and meaningless urging them to approach any task or job with determination, tenacity and enthusiasm.

Management Training and Advisory Centre was inaugurated on 14th July 1964 as a project of the Government of Uganda (GOU) that was funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the executing agency was the International Labour Organisation (ILO). MTAC offers a range of different Diploma and Certificate programmes. They are instrumental in the industry and other economic sectors in improving management practices and, more critically, assisting Ugandans become entrepreneurs and job creators.