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LIS Academic Debate underlines importance of information

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“The problem is not Museveni. People have misconstrued the problems of Uganda to a mere individual. This is due to lack of information.” Kahinda Otafiire expressed.

“The problem is not Museveni. People have misconstrued the problems of Uganda to a mere individual. This is due to lack of information.” Kahinda Otafiire expressed.

Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire the Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry together with Prof. J.R. Ikoja Odongo the Director Institute of Psychology and Mr. Aaron Mukwaya a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education were the panelists at the Academic Debate on 7th April 2010. The session was chaired by Prof. Kigongo-Bukenya.

The East African School of Library and Information Science (EASLIS), organized the Library and Information Science Education Week, with one of the activities being an Academic Debate with a topic on “Information as a resource for Democracy and good Governance”.

The gathering of students, staff and well wishers in the EASLIS hall could not have had a better way of spending their Wednesday afternoon than listening to the three panelists, who voiced their concerns and ideas on Information – a topic that many easily sweep under the carpet.

Information is of key importance. It is what the businessman in Kikuubo will rely on to make profits. In governance it is what leaders rely on as a strategic resource in making informed decisions. Information cannot be ignored because it is the focal point on which humanity exists and is able to realize development.

Prof. Ikoja Odongo at the LIS Debate Starting off the debate was Prof. Ikoja who passionately highlighted that without information we are bound to backwardness and are prone to make fundamental mistakes. Information is a resource not just for the educated, but also for the uneducated and illiterate.

He applauded the government that has put up various entities to give people information such as public universities, public libraries and also through statutes like the National Records Act, the Information Act and the Electronic Media Act. These have allowed for the public to acquire and disseminate information freely. Government also transfers information through local council representatives and parliamentarians and also available in various ministries.

Prof. Ikoja however expressed concern on government’s inadequacy to provide information countrywide. He highlighted that there were only twenty public libraries countrywide, leaving over seventy districts without public libraries. “The scope of librarianship also needs to change by introducing indigenous knowledge and the internet. Government should avail sub county chiefs ICT services” he added

Dr. Aaron Mukwaya stresses the essence of informationHowever, Dr. Aaron Mukwaya had a different take on the issue. “Information is not a resource, it is the core! It is the theme! Information does not thrive only in the human world, but in the entire world and its existence” emphasized Dr. Mukwaya. He further said that information collected over a period of time turns into knowledge, values, and cultures among other things.

Dr. Mukwaya aired that many a time, westernized information is vigorously fighting the values of our continent Africa. Case in point; issues debated in the Ugandan parliament such as polygamy and homosexuality are destroying African cultures.

As democracy is a process that is continuously giving people the power, there is need for constant supply of information. Government is the custodian of the people so the onus is upon them to provide the public with information.

Hon. Kahinda Otafiire opened his segment by appreciating that there can be information without democracy but there cannot be democracy without information. “Information is a recollection of incidents that determine interpretation of phenomenon.” Otafiire defined. Information therefore is important for organization and interpreting phenomenon.

Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, Minister of Trade and MP Ruhinda CountyHon. Otafiire expressed that democracy in many African countries is a parasitical relationship that people do not challenge because they are uninformed. “We are enslaved in a culture of politicians telling lies. This has led to the people making wrong decisions endangering democracy.” Otafiire explained. Therefore, there cannot be democracy without information because it is from informed decisions that democracy is achieved.

As a representative of the government at the gathering, Hon. Otafiire was glad to say that the government has played a significant role in availing information to the public for it has seconded electronic media hence the many radio stations in the country, it has given freedom of expression to the citizenry and promoted press. However, he pointed out that as a government, it has the right to regulate how information is processed and in cases where mismanagement of information has been cited, the government has taken it upon itself to put in place measures to keep peace in the country, for example the closing of CBS FM.

To manage and lead people, one must be informed. It is through information that political prejudices are broken hence improving the quality of politics in a country that is thirsty for democracy to prevail. Citing examples from his Ruhinda County constituency, the charismatic Member of Parliament enthused that it was through telling his electorates the truth that he empowered them “So good leaders tell their people the truth!”

 

Panelists pause for a group photo after the debate

The Library and Information Science (LIS) Education Career Week continues with the LIS Symposium on 9th April 2010 from 9:00 to 5:00pm. The theme for the symposium is R-alignment of LIS Education to meet the emerging information management challenges in the Knowledge Society.

Powerpoint presentation of the day. 

Denis Wamala

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Special Exam Results -Diploma in Performing Arts 2025/26

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The results for the 2025/2026 special entry examination for the Diploma in Performing Arts held on Saturday 17th May, 2025. Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the Examination and have been recommended to the university’s Admissions Committee for consideration.

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Mature Age Scheme Exam Results for 2025/2026

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The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released full results for the Mature Age Entry Scheme Examinations for the Academic Year 2025/2026 held on Saturday 14th December, 2024.

The Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the examination and have been recommended by the Pre-Entry & Mature Age Committee to the University’s Admissions Board for Consideration.

The Aptitude Exam  Results for 2025/2026 Academic Year released in February 2025 can be found here.

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Call for Application: 2025 SNRM session 4 Summer School

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Participants in focused group discussions. Leiden-Delft-Erasmus East Africa Research Network (LEARN) in collaboration with the Urban Action Lab at Makerere University a workshop to deliberate strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change in urban centres in the East African Region, Theme: “Resilient Urban Futures: Adapting Livelihoods to Climate Change”, 4th-5th September 2024, School of Public Health Auditorium, Kampala Uganda.

Context:
Natural resources in Africa are being depleted at an alarming rate due to several factors, including unsustainable human activities, climate change, and population growth. A primary condition of sustainable development is to ensure that the pressures do not exceed the environmental limits, and that demand for the resources does not exceed levels that can be sustainably provided by nature. Therefore, there is a pressing need for transformative, systems-thinking approaches and tools that can tackle the diverse challenges facing these systems. In Africa, this need is compounded by a lack of data and monitoring, which significantly hinders sustainable decision-making.

Investing in young scientists who are committed to take lead in sustainable management of Africa’s natural resources is very important. Capacity building of young scientists will enhance their knowledge and skill on sustainable natural resources and their involvement for implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDG’s) in Africa. To this effect, SNRM summer schools have been implemented in three sessions in 2019, 2020, and 2022 with support from Volkswagen Foundation; to build a critical mass of skilled and competent young natural resource scientists in Africa through training, capacity building and mentorship. Session 4 (2025) will target competent young scientists (MSc and PhD students) in Africa and Germany to further develop their knowledge and skills in systems thinking, advanced data collection and analysis, and application of emerging digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), internet of things (IoT), and embracing transdisciplinary approaches. In addition, we include an ideation workshop where students can work on real problems to come up with solutions for sustainable transformations in natural resource use.

Organizers: Leibniz Universität – Hannover (Germany), University of Antananarivo, University of Abomey Calavi (Benin), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Ghana (Ghana), University of Parakou (Benin), The Technical University of Kenya, with financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation (Germany).

Venue and dates: Nairobi, Kenya, 16-28 November 2025

Target: MSc and PhD students, early in the program of less than 35 years of age from any university/research institution in either sub-Saharan Africa or Germany with an interest in natural resources management.

Participants and Scholarships: The course is fully funded and open to 20 MSc and PhD students from Africa, and 5 from Germany. Funding will cover the costs of air ticket, accommodation, meals, visa, and transportation. However, participants will cover the cost of their travel health insurance.

Topics

SNRM Summer School Session 4: Transformative pathways in biodiversity management and conservation.
This summer school is designed to deliver four modules over a two-week period. The modules are designed to enable the students to acquire new ways of designing data collection protocols and analysis for transformative sustainable natural resources management.

Module 4.1: Data collection I
Skills in data collection for a transformative and sustainable management of natural resources (water, wildlife, forest, land, livestock, crops) monitoring and data collection techniques; remote monitoring tools, earth observation system data, e.g. satellite data sources, LIDAR, and UAV aerial images. Collect and analyse In-situ data on biotic and abiotic parameters, map and analyse data using R or Google Earth Engine, field data collection and retrieving data from online databases.

Module 4.2 Data management and processing
Introduction to tools and methods of managing large and diverse data sets of natural resources such as time series, spatial, directional, and multivariate data. Practicals will include data storage, organization and conversion into various formats using databases such as PostgreSQL and statistical programming software such as R and Python; scripts.

Module 4.3 Ecological monitoring, modelling and management
This module aims to teach participants how to anticipate and validate trends that can be observed in various ecosystems. Lectures include ecological monitoring and its design; population monitoring studies; metrics in population monitoring; methods for monitoring and assessing marine ecosystems; human ecology to socio-ecological systems; climate change impact of ecosystems; suitability assessments; overview of the principles underlying wildlife monitoring and prediction systems for climate change adaptation. Practicals will include field data collection (individual and group); ecological data analysis using R or PAST; modelling and experiencing the behaviour of complex systems using Vensim.

Module 4.4 Natural habitat restoration ideation lab
This module is designed to spur students’ innovation and creativity, and to help students comprehensively identify interdependencies across the 17 SDG goals. Participants will be trained on ideation processes for solutions and intervention for transformative natural resource management. They will work collaboratively in small groups on case studies and develop pathways of transformative sustainable natural resource management. Examples of projects include forest (mangrove) ecosystem and habitat restoration, improved technologies for agricultural production, nature-based solutions for improving water quality, and reversing land degradation.

Language: The course will be delivered in English. Participants are expected to be fluent in writing and speaking the English language.

How to apply

Applicants are kindly requested to fill in the application form available from https://snrmafrica.com/ and submit the following documents in English through the system.

  • a curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages)
  • a letter of motivation (maximum 1 page)
  • a confirmation of university enrolment
  • a reference letter from the academic supervisor
  • project summary of MSc/ PhD project (1 page including objectives, methodology
    and key findings or expected outcomes).

Important dates
Application deadline: 30th June 2025.
Announcement of accepted applicants: 15th August 2025.
Confirmation of attendance by selected participants: 12th Sept 2025.
Summer school held: 16 – 28 Nov 2025.

Further information is available from

The secretariat info@snrmafrica.com
Dr Lydia Olaka lydiaolaka@tukenya.ac.ke
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Stuetzel stuetzel@gem.uni-hannover.de

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