The government of Egypt has reaffirmed its commitment to offering scholarship opportunities to Ugandan students as part of efforts to strengthen the long-standing bilateral cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the education sector.
This assurance was made by Monzer Selim, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Uganda, during a meeting with Juma Bakhit Cucu, the Education Secretary of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, at the Egyptian Embassy in Kampala.
Sheikh Cucu had paid a courtesy visit to the embassy to follow up on scholarship opportunities and refresher training programmes for mosque Imams organised by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, one of the world's most prestigious Islamic institutions based in Cairo.
During the meeting, Sheikh Cucu conveyed appreciation from Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, the Mufti of Uganda, and the Muslim community for Egypt's continued support towards Ugandan Muslims through educational and theological training.
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"We highly appreciate the Egyptian government for the long-standing generosity extended to Ugandan Muslims through the training of Islamic scholars who have greatly contributed to addressing the spiritual needs of our community," Sheikh Cucu said.
He noted that the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council last received scholarship offers in 2019, but recently obtained communication from Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcing another batch of scholarship opportunities for the 2025/2026 academic year.
"UMSC went ahead to announce these educational opportunities, and many of our students promptly applied. However, we are yet to receive feedback, and the applicants are anxiously waiting to hear from the sponsors," Sheikh Cucu added.
He also reminded the ambassador about a pending refresher training programme for Imams, saying UMSC had already submitted a list of selected participants and was still awaiting official feedback.
In response, Ambassador Monzer Selim reiterated Egypt's commitment to strengthening cooperation with Uganda in various development sectors, especially education.
"The scholarship opportunities have officially resumed recently and will continue to be available to Ugandans," Ambassador Selim said.
He emphasized the importance of refresher training for Imams, saying such programmes help equip religious leaders with moderate and effective communication skills when delivering religious teachings within their communities.
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According to the ambassador, the programme also serves as an important tool in combating religious extremism that may arise within some Muslim communities.
The Egyptian envoy pledged to follow up with the relevant authorities in Egypt regarding the concerns raised during the meeting.
Both parties agreed to maintain further engagements to strengthen cooperation in education and religious training programmes.
