Turkish Ambassador to Uganda Fatih Ak inaugurated a state-of-the-art physics, chemistry and IT laboratories Wednesday that were donated by Turkish state aid agency TİKA in the Ugandan capital.

The laboratories were donated to a newly constructed SENA High School in the Wamala area near Kampala, constructed by the Solidarity and Assistance Foundation Uganda (SENA), a Turkish non-governmental organization, to reinforce the educational needs of Ugandans.

Ak said the school represents more than the completion of a construction project. It is Türkiye’s commitment to supplement and modernize Uganda’s educational infrastructure.

“Today, we are not just opening the doors of a beautiful building -- we are opening a gateway to a brighter future for the youth of Uganda. Education is the most powerful tool to transform societies, and this institution stands as a testament to what we can achieve when we join hands in solidarity, friendship, and shared vision,” he said.

He thanked TİKA for equipping the school with the apparatus, which he described as one of the finest investments made in the region to prepare students for a technology-driven future.

“We are particularly pleased that this project will provide more young Ugandans with access to quality education and a conducive learning environment. We hope that SENA High School will become a center of excellence, nurturing generations of students who will make meaningful contributions to their communities and to Uganda’s continued progress,” he said.

It comes at a time when many Ugandan schools are increasingly competing to digitize their facilities to conform to the digital era.

The inauguration ceremony brought together education administrators and religious leaders including Türkiye's religious attaché to Uganda, Ramazan Pehlevanoglu, Director of the Islamic University In Uganda (IUIU)'s Kampala campus Dr. Twaha Ahmad Kasule, dean faculty of Islamic sciences at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Prof. Dr. Hasan Kamil YILMAZ, Azîz Mahmud Hüdâyî Foundation director general of foreign services Ali Can Tatlı, SENA chairman Caner Akgun among others.

TİKA’s coordinator in Uganda, Murat Cetin, said the laboratories have been equipped with instruments for general science subjects to perform scientific experiments that help students to excel.

“In the information technology lab, they will gain vital digital skills, computer literacy, and access to global knowledge, aligning their education with Uganda's national digitalization and development goals. Our ultimate goal is to inspire the next generation of Ugandan scientists, engineers and technology innovators right from these classrooms,” said Murat.

Mehmet Asim Tuncez, the resident director for SENA High School, said the project is a gift from the Turkish people to strengthen Uganda’s Islamic knowledge, as well as to complement the education sector.

“The school has been constructed with a safe educational environment in which the younger generation learns the virtues of morals to make sound decisions and provides them with research tools to obtain modern knowledge,” he said.

Headteacher Muhamudu Kaizzi said the project is a significant milestone for educational development in Wamala and the country.​​​​​​​ Anadolu Agency