The unveiling of a culinary arts academy at the Islamic University in Uganda this week, supported by Turkey’s TIKA, is a refreshing departure from the usual rhetoric of international aid.
Here, in the kitchen of the Females Campus in Kabojja, we see a microcosm of what true developmental partnership looks like.
In the message which was delivered by his vice rector Academics and administration Dr Jamil Sserwanga, the university Rector Prof. Ismail Simbwa Gyagenda captured it best when he described the academy as a “bridge”. Bridges connect, and this one connects the ivory tower of academia to the gritty reality of the job market.
Every investment in education is an investment in peace, prosperity, and sustainable development, he
declared. This is not just diplomacy; this is foresight.
The “Turkish” Model as articulated by Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ak, is predicated on the belief that sustainable development begins with investing in people. TIKA, as demonstrated by Country Director Murat Cetin, is not just writing checks; they are sourcing specialized Gastronomy Equipment and “deep freezers” tools that transform
aspiration into action.
However, the speeches delivered at this ceremony also provided a rare moment of transparency in the aid sector. While celebrating the new kitchen, the Director of the Females Campus, Prof. Madinah Sebcala, candidly laid out a list of unmet needs: dilapidated toilets, crumbling bathrooms, and the lack of proper science labs for
midwifery and environmental science.
This is where the nuance lies. The new academy is a triumph, but it also highlights the vast infrastructure deficit facing African institutions.
It is a reminder to donors that while vocational centers are wonderful, they cannot function in a vacuum.
If we are serious about empowering women in STEM specifically in Nursing and Public Health, we must ensure they have the labs to learn in and the dignified housing to live in.
As Turkey and Uganda build “bridges of friendship”, it is worth noting that a bridge is only as strong as its foundations.
The foundation here is not just Turkish steel, but Ugandan ambition.
If we can retrofit the support for the labs and dorms with the same enthusiasm as the kitchens, we might just build a pathway to genuine prosperity.
