NFSU opens first overseas campus in Uganda, Jaishankar calls it significant

The first overseas campus of India's National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) was on Wednesday opened in Uganda's Jinja, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar describing it as a "significant milestone" in bilateral ties.

"We have assembled here to mark a significant milestone in our bilateral cooperation. India's National Forensic Sciences University is opening its campus in Uganda, partnering with the Ugandan people's defence forces," he said while speaking at the inauguration of the campus.

Addressing the event attended by Uganda's Deputy Prime Minister, ministers and top officials, Jaishankar said today is a proud day for both India and Uganda.

The minister noted that it is actually the first government university of India opening a campus anywhere abroad and added that as a Member of Parliament from the state of Gujarat, where the NFSU is located, it is a particular pleasure for him to see this university take the lead.

"And by doing so, they are realising a project. That is the personal vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he added.

The NFSU is an institution of national importance and it's world's first university dedicated exclusively to forensic sciences, he said.

"For the past few years, we have seen the courses and forensic sciences were in very high demand from students in Africa on the various scholarships provided by the government of India. One of the reasons why the stakeholders thought about a campus in Uganda was in fact the high acceptance of this university among students from Africa," he said.

The inauguration of the campus is reflective of the vision and the relationship of the highest leadership of both countries.

"Our two countries have robust defence relations. India has been regularly training and exchanging with UPDF under its economic and technical cooperation program. About 50 UPDF officers travel to India every year to take defence courses, ranging from short term ones to up to one year," Jaishankar said.

"I'm happy to note that our discussions have raised the possibility of further expansion of defence cooperation in the last few months and years. Cooperation between the National Defence College and the newly constituted NDC of Uganda is also under consideration," he added.

Jaishankar is here as part of a two-nation visit to Uganda and Mozambique from April 10-15 to bolster India's robust bilateral relations with the two African countries.