Ugandans who have benefited from South Korean scholarships and training programmes have been urged to apply the knowledge and skills acquired abroad to practical initiatives that address community needs and support national development.The call was made during the 2026 Annual General Meeting of the KOICA Club of Uganda (KOCU), held last week at Four Points Hotel, where alumni gathered to reflect on their work, reconnect and plan future initiatives.Held under the theme From Learning to Action, the meeting brought together representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, government officials, social entrepreneurs, journalists and development partners.Uganda and South Korea have maintained diplomatic relations for more than six decades, with human resource development among the key areas of cooperation.Through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) and Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), South Korea has supported Ugandans through postgraduate scholarships and professional training programmes.Organisers said nearly 1,500 Ugandans have benefited from these opportunities across various fields. For the first time, alumni from the three programmes attended the same AGM, providing an opportunity to strengthen cross-sectoral networks and explore how their training could contribute to Uganda’s development priorities.Addressing the gathering, Dasom Shin, head of cooperation at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Uganda, emphasised that the partnership between the two countries was built on people.She urged the alumni not to regard themselves merely as former scholarship recipients or beneficiaries, but as important partners in sustaining relations between Uganda and South Korea and advancing national development.KOICA country director Jongsu Yi challenged the alumni to ensure that the training they received in South Korea translated into tangible results back home.He encouraged them to build professional networks across education, health, infrastructure, digital governance and agriculture, saying a strong alumni association could make a meaningful contribution to Uganda’s development.One example of an alumnus applying his training locally is Arnold Ayebazibwe, who received a KOICA scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in Agriculture Production and Food Security at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea.After returning to Uganda, Ayebazibwe was promoted to senior agriculture officer and became involved in community development initiatives.He has applied the knowledge acquired during his studies to mobilise communities to plant high-value and fruit trees, an initiative aimed at improving household livelihoods while promoting environmental conservation.Ayebazibwe is among Ugandan beneficiaries of KOICA’s Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow (CIAT) programme, which provides short-term capacity-building courses and long-term scholarships for master’s and doctoral studies.The establishment of KOCU has provided a platform for alumni to share expertise, undertake community initiatives and strengthen cooperation between Uganda and South Korea.The club’s activities cover knowledge exchange, economic empowerment, environmental protection, energy transition, information and communications technology literacy, and education.Its work also seeks to contribute to Uganda’s National Development Plan IV and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.In 2026, KOCU members conducted community sensitisation activities on sanitation and hygiene, clean cooking and briquette-making. They also supported the planting of high-value and fruit trees in districts including Ntungamo, Kabale, Gomba and Masaka.At the AGM, members reviewed the association’s achievements and discussed resource mobilisation and strategies to ensure its long-term sustainability.KOCU says it intends to remain a platform through which professionals trained in South Korea can contribute to Uganda’s agricultural development, healthcare delivery, energy transition and digital transformation.The post KOICA alumni urged to turn skills acquired in South Korea into community action appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.