By Musa Mbogo
Over three thousand (3,000) accounting students and faculty across Uganda and Nigeria are set to gain hands-on, career-ready experience thanks to the new DESIRED Project, an initiative funded by the European Union.
Officially launched at MAT-Abacus Business School on Tuesday, the project is part of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) Programme.
Its goal is to bridge the persistent gap between academic learning and practical workplace demands in accounting.
“Graduates often have the theory, but when they step into the workplace, they struggle to apply it,” said Samuel Ssejjaaka, project chair.
“DESIRED ensures that students leave university not only with knowledge but also with the practical skills employers expect.”
The project will introduce Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) into accounting programs across participating universities in Uganda, Nigeria, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
Through internships, case studies, and experiential learning, students will gain firsthand experience in real workplace scenarios, including decision-making, problem-solving, and professional communication.
Ssejjaaka noted the scale of the employability challenge among accounting graduates.
“Right now, about 35% of graduates are not finding employment. That’s because the practical skills required by employers are often missing from traditional coursework,” he said.
Twaha Kawaase, a certified accountant and project partner, emphasized the international collaboration underpinning the initiative.
“We are bringing together universities from Europe and Africa to ensure accountants are not just academically prepared but truly work-ready,” he explained.
Kawaase also highlighted the urgency of adapting education to the evolving workplace.
“In an era of artificial intelligence, machines can handle routine tasks, but human judgment, critical thinking, and soft skills remain irreplaceable. Preparing students for this reality is essential.”
Students at MAT-Abacus, like Ayeza Mutegeki, have welcomed the initiative, seeing it as a direct solution to the job-readiness problem.
“The most common problem for students is not a lack of knowledge—it’s a lack of practical experience,” she said. “DESIRED integrates work with study, giving us a real chance to be ready for the workplace.”
She added, “We’ve studied accounting in classrooms, but the real world is different. This project will change the way accounting students are trained and improve both education and work standards.”
The DESIRED Project, supported by €400,000 in EU funding, is led by MAT-Abacus Business School and involves Makerere University Business School (Uganda), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Nigeria), Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (Nigeria), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands), and the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Industry partners include Sejjaaka, Kaawaase & Co. and the Uganda Chapter for Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives.
By focusing on real-world skills, industry collaboration, and global best practices, DESIRED seeks to transform accounting education and ensure that graduates are not only employable but equipped to thrive in a competitive and rapidly evolving labor market. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
