Frequently asked questions

PLEDGE stands for Proliferation of Local Expertise in the Development of a Green Growth Economy. It is a four year project funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme.

It helps Ugandan higher education institutions move from theory based teaching to Competence Based Education and Training (CBET), with a focus on green skills and sustainable value chains.

PLEDGE is funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education action (Strand 3). Strand 3 supports reform of higher education at the national level, not just within individual institutions.

Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) in Fort Portal coordinates the project. It leads a consortium of twelve partners from Uganda and Europe.

PLEDGE was officially launched at the offices of the National Council for Higher Education in Kyambogo, Kampala, during a project launch and stakeholders conference on CBET held from 25th to 28th May 2026.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Dr. Kedrace Turyagyenda, performed the launch.

Agriculture employs over 70% of Uganda's population and contributes about a quarter of GDP. Yet productivity is held back by several things:

• poor production techniques
• limited extension services
• low value addition
• weak links between universities and industry

Graduates often lack the practical skills employers need. PLEDGE addresses this by bringing universities, industry and government together to make training more practical and relevant to the world of work.

The project has three objectives:

1. To support the introduction of green sectoral skills, strategies and methodologies in higher education.
2. To create three sectoral councils linking education and industry in coffee, horticulture and tourism, supporting sustainable agri food value chains and green jobs.
3. To develop and promote continuous professional development training for teachers on EntreComp methods, which build entrepreneurial skills in teaching and training.

Agriculture and tourism are two of the main drivers of Uganda's economy. Coffee, horticulture and tourism have strong potential for jobs, value addition and sustainable growth.

The project pilots its work in agriculture and tourism faculties before it is scaled up.

CBET is an approach where students are trained and assessed on what they can actually do, not only on what they know. It combines practical skills, critical thinking, problem solving and applying knowledge to real situations.

The Ministry of Education and Sports has directed all higher education institutions in Uganda to transition to CBET, and PLEDGE supports that transition.

Back to Farmer is the approach on which PLEDGE is built. Academics go back to farmers and industry to consult, learn and get feedback on what works and what does not. Research and training are then shaped around the real needs of farmers and businesses.

It is a long term programme planned over more than 13 years, in phases that build a basic structure, then specialise, then scale up to other regions of Uganda.

The project will establish three National Training Excellence Centres, one each for coffee, horticulture and tourism. They will set the standard for training in each sector and serve as resource centres where industry can also train its workers.

The National Council for Higher Education and the Ministry of Education and Sports will select host institutions through an open call.

Dual education combines classroom learning with structured practical training in a workplace, such as a farm or a tourism business.

PLEDGE is developing standards for dual education courses and aims to update about 40 courses at Ugandan institutions to follow this model.

The main beneficiaries are:

• university and college teaching staff, who gain practical and entrepreneurial teaching skills
• students, who become more employable
• higher education institutions, which become more relevant to industry
• farmers and businesses in the coffee, horticulture and tourism sectors

The project also plans to mentor at least 20 Ugandan institutions outside the consortium.

The consortium brings together four groups:

• Ugandan institutions: Mountains of the Moon University, Uganda Martyrs University, Bukalasa Agricultural College and the Management Institute of Science and Technology
• Government bodies: the National Council for Higher Education, the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries
• European partners: HSWT (Germany), Ghent University (Belgium), the Western Balkans Institute Network and the University of Kragujevac (Serbia)
• Private sector: BIOSYNTEC Uganda

You can follow updates in the News & Updates section of this website. The project will also publish a newsletter once a year and hold a national dissemination conference towards the end of the project to share results.

Host institutions for the National Training Excellence Centres will be selected through an open call, and the project will mentor institutions outside the consortium. To express interest, please get in touch with the project team through our contact page.