A meeting was held with Dr. Owen Kembabazi, a lecturer of International Business at Makerere University Business School. Dr. Kembabazi previously travelled to the Iran to attend a women’s congress organized by Alzahra University.

During the discussion, Dr. Kembabazi shared her experience about visiting Iran. She noted that, like many Ugandans, she initially had misconceptions and misinformation about the country. However, after visiting Iran and interacting with its people, institutions, and academic environment, she realized that much of the negative perception was based on propaganda that discourages Africans from exploring opportunities in Iran.

She emphasized the importance of strengthening academic and cultural cooperation between Ugandan and Iranian universities through exchange programs, research collaboration, and educational partnerships.

Key areas of cooperation discussed included:

Strengthening cooperation in women’s conferences and academic engagements to promote skills development and knowledge sharing.

Organizing cultural programs aimed at introducing the achievements and potentials of Iran in various fields of interest, including education, science, technology, and culture.

Promoting collaboration between universities in Uganda and Iran through academic exchange programs and joint initiatives.

Establishing women-focused programs between Iran and Uganda through webinars and virtual conferences to facilitate the sharing of expertise and experiences.

Developing influencer and cultural exchange programs to strengthen understanding and relations between Iranians and Ugandans.

Mr. Rezaei D. Ali Asghar, the Cultural Counsellor also pledged support in providing scholarship opportunities for outstanding Ugandan students to pursue Master’s and PhD programs in Iranian universities. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to enhancing educational, cultural, and people-to-people relations between Uganda and Iran.