General
EAIHESD holds first UNESCO-IIEP graduation
The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) was created by UNESCO in 1963 in Paris, France, with a Mission-To strengthen the capacity of countries to plan and manage their education systems. It is supported by grants from UNESCO and by voluntary contributions from Member States and others.
The International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) was created by UNESCO in 1963 in Paris, France, with a Mission-To strengthen the capacity of countries to plan and manage their education systems. It is supported by grants from UNESCO and by voluntary contributions from Member States and others.
It also aims to meet the needs of countries in the development of their education systems by:
- Training planners and managers in skills to analyze and plan, manage and implement, monitor and evaluate.
- Supporting institutions and improving administrative routines, organization, leadership skills.
- Fostering an enabling environment through policy forums, international co-operation and networking.
To date, more than 5000 experts and education officers have been trained by IIEP and the first batch of ten graduates from the Makerere chapter were hosted to a certificate award ceremony at the Makerere University Guest House yesterday evening.
On behalf of his fellow graduands, Mr. Cuthbert Mulyalya appreciated the Ministry of Education & Sports and the Assistant Commissioner, Education Planning, Mr. Godfrey Dhatemwa in particular for selecting their lot to be the pioneers of the course. He also thanked Mr. John Wabwire , Director, Planning & Development Department (PDD), Makerere University and IIEP Country coordinator for facilitating excellently during the 9months course. He acknowledged that after receiving this training, the participants were better equipped so solve Education Planning tasks in the Ministry hence less funds would be spent on hiring consultants.
Mr. John Wabwire, The National Coordinator IIEP and Director PDD thanked participants for staying the 9months course, which started in October last year. He appreciated their diligence throughout the course, despite the busy working schedules.
He noted that the African Chapter consists of six countries namely Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana and Malawi and the focus of this chapter is to provide the tools to improve planning, policy analysis and management processes in Africa. The training programme explores fields such as statistical tools for educational planning, the educational planning cycle, strategies and policy options, projects, budgets, and monitoring and evaluating educational quality and access. The course’s simulation & choices module was undertaken in Ethiopia, where a regional workshop to share participants’ experiences was also held.
Despite the challenges of time constraints on the parts of the participants, Mr. Wabwire commended them for coming second overall in Africa, where they were beaten to the first place by Malawi by a 0.5point difference. He thanked the sponsors for funding the course and choosing Makerere University through the East African Institute of Higher Education Studies and Development (EAIHESD) as hosts for the training programme.
Dr. David Onen, who spoke on behalf of the Institute’s Acting Director, noted that the programme was received with open arms at the Institute and appreciated the vote of confidence in Makerere University and EAIHESD in particular by choosing it to host the programme. He noted that the course provided an avenue for capacity building for the staff of EAIHESD as it lent a hands-on approach to the training programmes already being offered at the Institute. He then thanked Mr. Wabwire for ably facilitating at EAIHESD and the Ministry of Education and Sports for opening the door to the programme to be held at Makerere. He echoed that Uganda as s whole stood to benefit immensely from this programme and requested the Country coordinator to enable the pioneers complete further training, beyond the Certificate level. He then introduced Dr. Augustine Ezenne from the University of West Indies, Jamaica, who was visiting EAIHESD.
Mr. Godfrey Dhatemwa, Assistant Commissioner, Education Planning in the Ministry of Education and Sports , who represented his Permanent Secretary thanked the National Coordinator and participants for attending the training programme. He acknowledged that as an Assistant Commissioner for Education Planning, his Department stood to benefit the most as a good number of his staff had attended the inaugural training.
He opined that the programme will continue to build a skilled stock of Education Planners in Uganda and as such, Makerere University should be encouraged to partner more with IIEP to offer custom training programmes that are fit for policy makers. The custom programmes should be shorter and more intensive, seeing as we are dealing with employed participants. Mr. Dhatemwa challenged the National Coordinator and all stakeholders present to lobby for Makerere University to host the Regional Training Center (RTC) as India does for the Asian region. He challenged the participants to apply their newly acquired knowledge to improve the Education Planning sector and expressed his gratitude to UNESCO and IIEP in particular, whose impact has been greatly felt in the Ministry of Education and Sports. Mr. Dhatemwa then proceeded to hand over certificates of participation to successful graduands.
Click here to view the full Concept Note of the programme
In a landmark event symbolizing Uganda’s stride towards sustainable transportation, Hon. Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, commissioned the first Electric Fast-Charging Station at Makerere University on Friday 13th March 2026. The ceremony, held at the Senate Building Parking Lot, marks a pivotal moment in the nation’s e-mobility journey, blending academic innovation with industrial application and governmental support.
The station, a DC Fast Charger C6-180 installed in collaboration with Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC), is designed to power electric vehicles efficiently, supporting Uganda’s shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. This setup ensures high-power DC charging ideal for fleet operations.
Hon. Dr. Musenero, in her keynote remarks, highlighted the profound significance of the occasion, tracing its roots back to 2011 when Makerere unveiled the Kiira EV – Uganda’s first electric vehicle prototype. “This infrastructure is the physical manifestation of a journey that began on this very hill nearly two decades ago,” she stated, emphasizing how the university’s initial proof-of-concept challenged skepticism about Africa’s role in automotive technology.
The event, she noted, completes a narrative full circle, with the birthplace of the Kiira EV now hosting the infrastructure to sustain a modern electric fleet. The commissioning aligns seamlessly with Uganda’s National E-Mobility Strategy, which aims to localize 65% of the e-mobility value chain by 2040 and create over 500,000 high-quality green jobs.
Hon. Dr. Musenero underscored the strategy’s focus on reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels while enhancing environmental well-being. “We are transforming Uganda into a net source of e-mobility solutions,” she declared, pointing to the potential for Ugandan intellect to produce vehicle parts and charging systems domestically.
In his remarks at the event, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe described the launch as a “multi-faceted achievement,” not only advancing the institution’s inclusive agenda but also setting an example for public institutions in adopting e-mobility. In so doing, Makerere University has positioned itself at the forefront of this transition.
On September 26, 2025, President Yoweri Museveni commissioned the Kiira Vehicle Plant in Jinja and handed over three Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) buses to Makerere University to enhance staff and student mobility. The fleet included two diesel-powered Kayoola Coaches and one electric Kayoola EVS 8.5m bus donated by KMC specifically to aid the movement of differently-abled staff and students. This move demonstrates academia’s capacity to integrate home-grown solutions into daily operations, impacting the economy through practical science.
The commissioning of the fast-charging station is rooted in a long history of collaboration. The Kiira Electric Vehicle Project, hatched in the former Faculty of Technology, has evolved into a national movement for automotive manufacturing. Hon. Dr. Musenero praised this progression: “We have moved beyond proving that an electric vehicle can be built in Uganda. We are now ensuring our electric vehicles are deployed across the continent, solving Africa’s mobility problems.”
Academia’s role remains central, as Hon. Dr. Musenero elaborated. While government provides policy frameworks and the private sector offers capital, universities supply the essential knowledge. The E-Mobility Skilling Programme at Makerere University‘s Innovation Pod (Mak-UniPod) is training the next generation of electric vehicle engineers, who are tackling “moonshot projects” to redefine urban transport. Research into optimizing local resources, such as Uganda’s lithium and cobalt deposits for battery production, is also underway.
A key environmental highlight of this development is Uganda’s renewable energy advantage. With over 95% of the national grid powered by hydroelectric dams, every charge at this station utilizes clean energy. “We are using our own water to power our own vehicles, keeping our wealth within our economy rather than exporting it to purchase foreign oil,” Hon. Dr. Musenero remarked, framing the launch as Uganda plugging into the global renewable shift. She pledged the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Secretariat’s continued collaboration with Makerere University, KMC, and partners to proliferate such stations across Kampala and beyond.
Addressing Makerere students, Hon. Dr. Musenero issued a challenge: “See this charging station as a symbol of your own potential. The engineers who built the first Kiira EV were once sitting exactly where you are. They did not wait for permission to be great.” She urged them to leverage available resources to innovate, building on a legacy that has shifted national conversations.
The event drew distinguished guests, including Members of Management, Eng. Paul Isaac Musasizi, KMC’s CEO and his management team, private sector partners, development agencies, and university faculty.
Looking ahead, this launch propels Uganda towards a “Qualitative Leap” in its economy, as Hon. Dr. Musenero described. By fostering innovation and investing in young minds, the nation aims to lead in technological advancement. The station not only powers vehicles but ignites progress, ensuring Uganda remains at the forefront of Africa’s e-mobility revolution.
As the ceremony which was intermittently “blessed” by drizzles drew to a close, the feeling of hope for a cleaner, self-reliant future – one charged by Ugandan ingenuity, was unmistakable.
General
Makerere University and International Partners Sign MoU for the 9th Kampala Geopolitics Conference
Makerere University, on 10th March, 2026, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Embassy of France in Uganda, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), and Alliance Française de Kampala to organize the 9th edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference (KGC), scheduled to take place on 15–16 April 2026 at Makerere University.
The signing formalizes the continued partnership that has established the Kampala Geopolitics Conference as one of the region’s leading platforms for dialogue on global affairs, bringing together scholars, policymakers, civil society leaders, and students to debate the major geopolitical and socio-economic transformations shaping the world.
The conference, inspired by the Nantes Geopolitics Conference in France, was first launched in Kampala in 2018 and has since grown into a unique intellectual space for cross-continental exchange between Africa and Europe.
A Platform for Ideas, Dialogue, and Youth Engagement
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, emphasized the importance of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference as a platform that connects academic discourse with global policy conversations while empowering students to engage with the complex challenges shaping the international system.
The Vice Chancellor noted that hosting the conference reflects Makerere University’s long-standing commitment to fostering intellectual exchange and positioning the institution as a hub for regional and global dialogue.
“Makerere University is proud to host the Kampala Geopolitics Conference because it creates an important platform for debate and exchange on the global issues shaping our world, while giving our students the opportunity to engage directly with leading thinkers and policymakers,” said Prof. Nawangwe.
Prof. Nawangwe further commended the Embassy of France in Uganda, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Alliance Française de Kampala for their continued collaboration with Makerere University in organizing the conference over the years. He expressed confidence that the 2026 edition will once again provide a dynamic platform for dialogue, bringing together scholars, policymakers, and students to examine the geopolitical trends shaping Africa and the wider world.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, H.E. Virginie Leroy, Ambassador of France to Uganda, highlighted the significance of the conference as a platform that encourages dialogue on global issues while empowering young people to participate in shaping the future.
Since its inception, the Kampala Geopolitics Conference has created opportunities for students, researchers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to engage with some of the most pressing global debates. The Ambassador noted that the curiosity and engagement of Ugandan students have become one of the defining features of the conference.
“This conference has become a unique space where students, researchers, policymakers and civil society exchange ideas on the major transformations shaping our world,” Ambassador Leroy said, adding that the event demonstrates the intellectual vitality of Uganda’s youth and the strength of the partnerships that sustain it.
Strengthening Partnerships for Global Dialogue
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a long-standing partner in the initiative, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting platforms that foster meaningful discussions on international affairs and regional dynamics.
Speaking during the ceremony, Anna Reismann, Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Uganda, emphasized the importance of the conference in connecting local perspectives with global debates.
She noted that Africa has increasingly become a focal point in global geopolitics, attracting engagement from a wide range of international actors through investments, trade, security cooperation, and diplomatic partnerships. While these engagements create new opportunities for economic growth and technological advancement, they also raise important questions about sustainability, governance, and the terms of international cooperation.
According to Reismann, the conference provides an important forum to examine these issues and to encourage dialogue that bridges academic perspectives with practical policy considerations.
The 2026 edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference will focus on key global and regional issues shaping international relations and development.
Among the themes to be explored are the future of development cooperation, particularly as global aid dynamics evolve and countries explore more sustainable and balanced partnerships. Another panel will examine youth and public policy in Africa, recognizing the critical role that young people play in shaping governance, innovation, and development across the continent.
With Africa home to the youngest population in the world, discussions will highlight the importance of ensuring that young people are not only beneficiaries of public policies but also active contributors to their design and implementation.
Makerere University at the Centre of Global Conversations
Hosting the conference reflects Makerere University’s continued commitment to fostering intellectual exchange and positioning the institution as a hub for regional and international dialogue.
Through its partnerships with global institutions such as the Embassy of France, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Alliance Française de Kampala, Makerere continues to create platforms that connect academic knowledge with policy discussions and real-world challenges.
The Kampala Geopolitics Conference is expected to once again bring together leading experts, scholars, and practitioners from across Africa and Europe, while providing students with a rare opportunity to engage directly with global debates.
As preparations for the 2026 edition gather momentum, the partners expressed confidence that the conference will continue to inspire critical thinking, encourage dialogue across disciplines and generations, and strengthen cooperation between Africa and its international partners.
Caroline Kainomugisha is the Communications Officer, Advancement Office, Makerere University.
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