Universities and other higher education institutions across Uganda are rapidly adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and diverse e-learning tools, a shift officials say is reshaping the learning environment and redefining the country’s educational future.
While experts welcome the growing integration of digital systems in teaching, research, and student support, they warn that deliberate implementation is essential to safeguard the quality of graduates entering the workforce.
Dr Fred Muhumuza, an economist, policy analyst, and lecturer at Makerere University Business School, believes universities should embrace AI, but with a thoughtful approach.
‘Students must learn to customise AI-generated insights, ask tailored questions, and interact with the technology in ways that strengthen independent thinking,’ he says.
He notes that digital learning is no longer new territory for universities, pointing to the experience gained during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when institutions were forced to experiment with online teaching.
Administrators from multiple universities say the pandemic accelerated the digital shift, embedding AI and online learning into long-term academic strategies.
Many now view technology as a permanent fixture and a vital component of education delivery.
At Victoria University (VU), this transition has been formally anchored in a bold five-year strategic plan running from 2025 to 2030.
According to Vice Chancellor Prof Lawrence Muganga, the plan positions technology, particularly AI, at the heart of the university’s transformation.
Titled ‘Empowering the Future: Collaboration, Innovation and Impact’, the strategy aims to merge classroom instruction with real-world learning, strengthen employability, and cultivate a culture of research and innovation.
Prof Muganga says the plan is driven by a central question: What future should universities create? He argues that institutions must stay ahead of global trends by offering education that is immersive, data-driven, and competence-based.
‘We are preparing graduates who solve real problems rather than memorising theories. Technology enhances human expertise; it does not replace it. Our goal is to ensure students use digital tools responsibly, ethically, and creatively,’ he adds.
Victoria University Secretary Katusabe-Ssemwezi describes the plan as a blueprint for building one of East Africa’s most modern universities.
She notes that although institutions apply technology differently, they share common goals: increasing access, improving flexibility, supporting research, and strengthening academic integrity. At the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), similar transformations are underway.
Dr Ahmed Kasule Twaha, the director of IUIU’s Kampala Campus, says the virtual systems developed during the pandemic proved so effective that they have become a permanent part of teaching.
‘Almost every class at IUIU can now run both physically and online. When a lecturer is unavailable, they simply teach remotely, even if it is late in the evening. Students appreciate that learning continues uninterrupted,’ he says.
IUIU has also expanded access to digital research materials, offering online journals, e-books, and data repositories. Dr Kasule highlights the university’s internally developed Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which securely manages coursework submission, marking, and student-lecturer interactions.
‘With the ERP, no student can claim their script got lost. Everything is uploaded, archived, and accessible,’ he says. Makerere University is also advancing rapidly in this direction.
Dr Sarah Ssali, the deputy vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, notes that technology is helping African institutions overcome traditional barriers linked to the production and importation of textbooks.
‘Textbooks remain important, but the high costs of printing and distribution have long limited access for poor learners,’ she says. Digital resources, ranging from e-books and open-access journals to podcasts and short videos, are widening how knowledge is produced and consumed.
‘A concept that once required two days of reading can now be explained in a five-minute video. Technology simplifies and democratises learning without lowering standards,’ Dr Ssali adds.
In March, Makerere launched its Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Lab, which focuses on developing AI-based solutions to challenges in health, environment, and food security.
The university is also using virtual smart rooms, remote teaching, and multimedia tools that allow scholars to communicate their research more effectively.
‘A professor can teach from anywhere in the world, yet students still benefit. Technology has made geography irrelevant,’ Dr Ssali says.