KAMPALA .
President Museveni has urged Ugandans to embrace the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) saying it is part of the science and technology that will help the country achieve the much-desired socio-economic transformation.
He explained that Africa was in the past colonized and lagged behind because it lacked science and technology like gunpowder.
“Europe acquired gunpowder when we were still using bows and arrows. Africa must never lag behind again in science and technology.
That’s why we say, yes education is very important, but emphasis must be put on science and technology and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) you are talking about is part of that. It is not magic ,but the use of natural laws to solve problems.
People should not fear AI because it is part of the understanding of nature and using it to solve our problems,” he said.
The President made the remarks Tuesday at the National Celebrations of the International Day of Education (IDE) 2025 at Kololo Independence Grounds, Kampala.
The day was marked under the theme; “AI and Education, preserving Human Agency in a world of automation”
President Museveni also underscored the role of social sciences in development.
“It is not like we don’t need social sciences, if you study economics, you will hear of the four factors of production; land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship can be a humanities subject.
It is not necessarily a science subject. So social science is important, the only difference is that it must have a base of science and technology.”
President Museveni also reiterated his call for the full implementation of free education in government schools.
“Now when we came, and as soon as peace and security were restored, we proposed to you during the elections of 1996, that we should have education for all-Universal Education.
Unfortunately, this has not fully been implemented because of the resistance by some of the head teachers and the PTA,” he noted.
“We must ensure that there are no charges in government schools. Charges are a big bottleneck which must be stopped. You are talking about the skilling hubs and how they are helping young people who were very desperate.
These are children who were locked out of school due to charges in government schools.”
On the other hand, President Museveni also called upon Western countries to be progressive and work with Africa to achieve global affluence.
“Global affluence benefits everybody,” he said.
The First Lady and Minister of Education Ms Janet Museveni
Said they have localized the theme of this year’s celebrations to focus on promoting an employer-Led TVET System which is functional, effective, and efficient to meet the needs of the labour market.
“Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) offers numerous benefits including enhanced employability, increased economic growth and is a pathway to social mobility. TVET Programs equip individuals with critical skills and knowledge making them more attractive to employers and driving economic development,” she said.
Furthermore, Maama Janet noted that TVET fosters a culture of continuous learning by enabling individuals to adapt to changing job market demands in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No.4 which emphasizes lifelong learning.
“Additionally, TVET Training has a potential to foster inclusivity and break down barriers to employment for workers with disabilities. This goes a long way in increasing workforce participation and productivity,” she said.
She further lauded the President for supporting the development and assenting to the TVET Act 2025.
“This long-awaited law will now give strategic direction and guidance for the required reforms in the TVET Sub sector. I am happy to report that the law commenced on 15th March 2025 and the process of establishing the relevant agencies to operationalize it such as the TVET Council and the Assessment Boards is on-going.”