KAMPALA — The Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services (UIBFS) has graduated 423 banking and finance professionals, marking a significant milestone in its efforts to strengthen skills and leadership capacity within Uganda’s financial sector.
The 13th graduation ceremony, held on Friday, June 26, 2026, at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, was conducted alongside the institute’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the financial year ended 2025, where officials highlighted a period of recovery, strategic growth, and improved financial performance.
Held under the theme “Beyond Graduation: Building Bankers for Leadership and Transformation,” the ceremony saw graduands receive professional qualifications and specialised certifications aimed at preparing them for the evolving demands of the financial services industry.
Outgoing UIBFS Board Chairman Michael K. Mugabi, who is also the Managing Director of Housing Finance Bank Uganda, said the institute had remained focused on delivering value to stakeholders despite challenges posed by global economic uncertainties and rapid changes in the financial sector.
Mugabi, whose six-year tenure ends in July 2026, said the institute had achieved major milestones, including reaching financial break-even and expanding its professional training programmes to thousands of industry players.
“During this period, the Institute has remained focused on creating value for stakeholders while operating in a dynamic and rapidly changing environment,” Mugabi said.
He revealed that UIBFS had trained more than 4,445 professionals during his tenure, with over 4,000 financial sector practitioners benefiting from targeted training programmes in the past year alone.
The institute has also embarked on strengthening industry standards through the Industry Competence Framework Project, an initiative aimed at establishing a benchmark for skills and competencies across Uganda’s financial services sector.
Expanding professional skills base
The 423 graduates earned qualifications across various areas of banking, risk management, credit, compliance, microfinance, and sustainable finance.
Among the qualifications awarded were the Certified Professional Banker, Executive Banker, and Certified Credit Management programmes, alongside the Diploma in Microfinance and the Microfinance Apprenticeship Programme.
Other specialised certifications covered areas such as anti-money laundering, sustainable finance, trade finance, SACCO management, risk management, and compliance.
Officials said the broad range of programmes reflects the changing needs of the financial industry, where professionals require specialised knowledge to manage emerging risks, improve customer experience, and support economic transformation.
During the ceremony, UIBFS recognised industry leadership by awarding an Honorary Fellowship to Robin Bairstow, Chief Executive Officer of I&M Bank Uganda.
Bairstow was honoured for his contribution to financial sector transformation and his commitment to advancing professional standards within Uganda’s banking industry.
Receiving the award, Bairstow said the recognition reinforced the shared responsibility of industry players to build a banking sector that is innovative, resilient, and focused on customers.
The graduation and AGM also marked the rollout of UIBFS’s renewed corporate identity, built around the promise “Learn, Transform, Lead,” which the institute said reflects its commitment to developing future-ready financial professionals.
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