The Parliament of Uganda will revive the Institute for Parliamentary Studies to enhance training, research, and legislative capacity through technical cooperation with the German Parliament.
Speaker Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth announced the revival on Wednesday during a bilateral meeting with the German Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Sigrid Sommer, at Parliament House in Kampala. The planned collaboration will operate under a formal Memorandum of Understanding between both legislatures.
"We are restarting our Institute for Parliamentary Studies to train, expose, and broaden the minds of our members and staff," Speaker Oboth said. "Through cooperation with the German Parliament, we will learn and unlearn, adopt best practices, and strengthen parliamentary diplomacy."
The proposed framework enables Ugandan lawmakers and technical personnel to undertake exchange programs and study visits to Germany. German facilitators and policy experts will deliver targeted training programs at the institute, which originally launched in 2012 before operations halted in 2021.
Speaker Oboth stated that the initiative also expands parliamentary diplomacy alongside state-led foreign policy to resolve hurdles for foreign investors and advance bilateral trade.
"Parliamentary diplomacy will complement mainstream diplomacy, not compete with it," Speaker Oboth noted. "Through Parliament-to-Parliament cooperation, we can enhance trade, deepen bilateral relations, and help unlock opportunities for our people."
Ambassador Sommer welcomed the partnership, noting that parliamentary exchanges foster mutual understanding and enhance institutional governance. She confirmed that German facilitators will conduct targeted modules at the training center while sustaining scholarship and internship opportunities for Ugandan professionals.
