General
MAKAIR: A Students’ dream comes true
“I would like to welcome you to this milestone occasion where we are launching the Makerere University wireless hotspots. We are formally launching and publicising the various internet access sites installed by DICTS over a wireless local area network – MAKAIR” remarked Dr. Nora Mulira, Director – Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS) as she welcomed guest to the launch.
“I would like to welcome you to this milestone occasion where we are launching the Makerere University wireless hotspots. We are formally launching and publicising the various internet access sites installed by DICTS over a wireless local area network – MAKAIR” remarked Dr. Nora Mulira, Director – Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS) as she welcomed guest to the launch.
Presided over by the Swedish Ambassador to Uganda H.E. Anders Johnson, the launch held in the Africa Hall Dining on 30th March 2010 was a demonstration of a long mutual collaboration with the 
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida and its recognition of the importance of ICT as an integral facilitator for research, learning and instruction in higher institutions of learning. “Sida‘s support to Makerere University has therefore focused on the development of ICT and the library with resulting funding of about 80% of the University ICT infrastructure” added Dr. Mulira.
Owing to the limited number of ICT facilities within the Faculties available for student access, location of the hotspots has been designed such that students can comfortably work at any time of the day, particularly in the night when resources like Internet bandwidth are abundant. The Director therefore thanked the Government and people of Sweden for their generous support through Sida, and the DICTS implementation team for the achievement of this suitable solution.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba lauded Sida for their generous funding of ICT projects, which has seen the comprehensive and cohesive strategy adopted by the University during 2001 come to fruition. Reflecting on the over USD50m Sida support to Makerere thus far, Prof. Baryamureeba further extolled the Government and people of Sweden for helping Makerere increase the efficiency and effectiveness of research linkages, and provide a modern learning environment with easy access to local International online resources “Currently, you can get access to the latest journals published, courtesy of the over 12,000 online publications subscribed to by the University Library ”
The Makerere University ICT Policy and Master plan has also greatly benefited through generous support to components like Teaching and Learning, Staff Development especially in the Service Units and Acquisition of Information Systems (IS) to support the daily administrative operations “So once again I would really like to thank Sida and our Development partners, who as we’ve been looking at 
Institutional Development, have greatly supported our ICT Policy and Master plan” he added.
In his address, the Guest of Honor H.E. Ambassador Anders Johnson emphasized the importance of Information networks in helping people discover new facts and making their governments more accountable “Access to information helps citizens hold their governments accountable, generates new ideas, encourages creativity and entrepreneurship.”
Taking the example of Universities, which by their very nature are not only communities of teachers and scholars but above all centers of learning, excellence, innovative ideas and agents of change – “hotspots”, Ambassador Johnson justified Sida support to Makerere’s ICT project thus far “Talent may be distributed universally, but opportunity is not. It is therefore very natural that Swedish support to building research capacity in Uganda mainly through collaboration with Makerere University also includes support to the ICT project.” He then proceeded to officially launch the wireless while expressing his confidence “I am sure they will all come to good use.”
Prof. Eli Katunguka Rwakishaya, Director, School of Graduate Studies (SGS) proceeded to move a vote of thanks to the Government and people of Sweden noting that “When the programme started in 2000, it had two aims: To support research and to support the environment that supports research, hence the creation of DICTS.” He was however glad that this support had extended e-resources in the library, Gender mainstreaming and establishment of student labs and internet kiosks. Observing the gains thus far such as improved communication, service delivery and efficiency at the University, Prof. Katunguka once again expressed Makerere’s positive outlook to the successful implementation of Phase III (2000 – 2014)
Click here for the Ambassador's full speech
Director DICTS' full speech here
Organised by the Makerere Debating Union – a student-led initiative, the Inter-college Debate Tournament was held on 11th and 12th April 2025 with a vision to leave no student behind by nurturing a community of confident, articulate, and visionary leaders who will drive positive change in society. The tournament was held in three preliminary rounds, followed by semi-finals and a grand finale.
The first round covered democracy and youth participation in politics, while the second round covered inequality and wealth distribution, and the third, the ban on export of raw materials. The semi-final round debated apprenticeship for blue-collar jobs, while the grand finale debated national budget allocations for healthcare and education. In the spirit of inclusivity, all colleges, including the Jinja Campus participated in the tournament.
Commenting on the choice of topics, the organisers noted Makerere University as a bastion of academic excellence has a profound responsibility to cultivate the next generation of leaders who will shape the future of our nation. These leaders, they added, ought to be equipped with 21st century skills of self-expression, critical thinking, and problem-solving so as to navigate the complexities of an ever-evolving world.
On the whole, Makerere Inter-college Debates were conceived as a strategic initiative to foster a culture of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and innovation. The Debating Union aims to empower the future leaders by providing a platform for students to engage in respectful discourse, articulate their thoughts, as well as develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Furthermore, the Debates serve as a platform for not only honing the intellectual prowess of students but also cultivating leadership skills, teamwork, and communication abilities that are essential for success in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. It is envisaged that this initiative will have a lasting impact on the lives of students, by exposing them to debates on topical issues that can shape the mindsets of transformative leaders our nation needs.
After a thrilling two days of debate, Daphine Kemigisha and Jibril Ssekandi from the School of Law (SoL) emerged as winners of the Makerere University Inter-college Debate Tournament 2025, while Olara Emmanuel George from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) was the Public Speech Champion, and Namujuzi Martha Mociita from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) was the Poetry Champion.
The 2025 Tournament was organized by Mayanja Owen and Nkalubo Oprah – 91st Guild Representative Councils (GRCs) of the Debate Union, Akatwijuka Arthur – Chairperson Debate Union, and Debate Union Representatives from colleges. The Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF) partnered with the Debate Union to deliver the 2025 edition.
Addressing students at the award ceremony, UNNGOF’s Mr. Derrick Baluuku encouraged the youth to step out of their comfort zones and think of solutions to inspire change in their communities.
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