By Harriet Musinguzi
A delegation from Xintang University visited the College of Engineering, Design, Art andTechnology (CEDAT) at Makerere University on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, to explore opportunities for strengthening academic collaboration, particularly in the area of Materials and Chemical Engineering.
The Principal of CEDAT, Prof. Moses Musinguzi, provided an overview of the college, highlighting its organizational structure, academic units, and the various programs offered across its schools and departments. He emphasized CEDAT’s commitment to producing competent graduates through industry-focused and innovation-driven training.
On behalf of the delegation, Prof. Fang Hao provided a background of Xiantang University, noted that the purpose of the visit was to discuss the proposed dual degreeprogram in Materials and Chemical Engineering, which, he said would further strengthen the existing cooperation between Xintang University and Makerere University which began in 2010 and has yielded fruitful outcomes over the years.
“We attach great importance to the proposed program and have had productive discussions with our counterparts here at CEDAT. Through this visit, we hope to address outstanding issues and finalize the agreement so that implementation can commence in the next academic year,” he said.
He further expressed optimism about the partnership and looked forward to in-depth discussions aimed at expanding areas of collaboration between the two institutions.
During the discussions, possible areas of collaboration were explored. It wasnoted that CEDAT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering had established strengths in Materials Engineering, making the proposed program a natural progression towards deeper cooperation in Chemical Engineering.
The meeting also raised issues on talent development and employability. The CEDAT team sought to learn more about Xintang University’s approaches to nurturing and supporting talent, particularly given CEDAT’s own efforts through its Employability Hub.
Participants discussed the ongoing shift towards Competence-Based Education and Training(CBET), drawing lessons from the CFIT project and experiences in strengthening industry engagement. Discussions highlighted the importance of student internships, faculty attachments, and meaningful collaboration with industry partners. The two sides agreed to continue discussions towards operationalizing the proposed programme in the coming academic year.
Posted by Isemaghendera Alex, IT Officer, CEDAT