by Our Reporter

Kampala. To encourage student mobility between Uganda and France, as well as academic excellence, the Embassy of France in Uganda has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TotalEnergies EP Uganda (TEPU), offering more study opportunities to Ugandans under the Quai d’Orsay/Entreprises programme, the Energy firm said in statement.

As part of its policy of attractiveness and promotion of French higher education, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, through the “Quai d’Orsay / Entreprises” programme, signs public-private partnership agreements with major French companies to encourage and develop the reception in France of foreign students, and to give them all the skills to prepare them to be most attractive on the job market when they return to their country.

Thanks to this partnership, three (3) Ugandan students will pursue fully funded two-year Master’s scholarships in France during the 2023/2024 and 2024-2025 academic years, in agriculture-related fields, including agronomy, agricultural engineering and agribusiness, with English as the medium of instruction. The scholarships will cover travel costs, health insurance as well as academic and living expenses. The scholars will get assistance prior to traveling (visas, flights, orientations etc.), on arrival (reception, residence permits etc.) and throughout their stay in France, courtesy of the Embassy of France, TotalEnergies and Campus France.

Within the framework of its national content actions and human resource training for Ugandans, Total Energies has chosen to support this initiative underscoring the prestige of the French university system and its openness to the international arena, as evidenced in particular by the diversity of its 100% English-language Master’s programmes (over 1,600, in a variety of disciplines – https://www.campusfrance.org/en/rendez-vous-en-france-to-study-in-english.

“This programme is important to us because it reinforces our commitment to Youth Inclusion and Education in line with our TotalEnergies Foundation pillars. Through our various education programmes, we would like to play our part in the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in this case Goal 4 on inclusive and equitable quality education.” Philippe GROUEIX, General Manager, TotalEnergies EP Uganda

The Embassy of France is keen on involving both foreign and national companies in Uganda in its cooperation policies, with the common objective of enhancing the employability of young Ugandans upon completion of their studies.

“What brings us together this afternoon is knowledge, higher education, employability, and in areas far from TotalEnergies’ core business,” said Ambassador Xavier Sticker. .

The beneficiaries are selected based on jointly agreed criteria, including academic excellence, motivation and (where relevant) knowledge of French. The selection process is done in full transparency by a committee comprising representatives from Total Energies EP Uganda, Embassy of France and the Ugandan academic community, with support from Campus France-Uganda.