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
Makerere University has officially launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030, marking a major milestone in its commitment to strengthening research, innovation, and human capital development in line with Uganda’s national development priorities.
The launch brought together senior government officials, university leadership, and development planners, including the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, and a representative from the National Planning Authority (NPA), alongside the University Vice Chancellor.
A Vision Anchored in National Transformation
Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor underscored the University’s ambition to significantly expand graduate training and strengthen its contribution to national development. He noted that the institution is targeting a return to pre-COVID enrolment levels and a substantial increase in postgraduate numbers by 2030, with a focus on producing highly skilled graduates, innovators, and researchers.
He emphasized that the Strategic Plan positions the University as a key driver of Uganda’s transformation through knowledge generation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligned with national priorities.
“The staffing distribution is shown here. Under the approved establishment, we intended to have 419 Professors, but we currently have only 75. We planned for 473 Associate Professors, but currently have only 144. This clearly demonstrates that we still have considerable room for growth in strengthening our academic staff profile,” the VC said.
The VC appreciated researchers and research centres, that continue to attract substantial research funding. He highlighted the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and the Makerere University Walter Reed Project which attracted approximately US$70 million in international research funding into Uganda.
“When you combine the grants won by all our researchers through competitive international funding, the total exceeds US$200 million,” he said.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Lorna Magara, described the Strategic Plan as more than an institutional roadmap, calling it “a public covenant with the people of Uganda.”
She noted that the Plan marks “the launch of Makerere University’s next chapter,” adding that decisions taken over the next five years will shape not only the future of the institution, but also Uganda’s development trajectory through graduates, research, innovations, and leadership.
Dr. Magara emphasized Makerere’s unique national role as Uganda’s premier public university, entrusted with public resources and public confidence.
“Every investment made in Makerere must produce measurable value for the people of Uganda,” she said, underscoring the need for accountability, integrity, and impact.
Ambitious Targets for Transformation
The Council Chairperson and the Vice chancellor outlined bold performance targets under the Strategic Plan, including doubling postgraduate enrolment, increasing STEM enrolment from 30% to 55%, improving PhD completion rates from 10% to 35%, and more than doubling peer-reviewed research output, alongside a significant rise in patents and innovations.
Dr. Magara stressed that these targets are not aspirations alone but binding commitments against which institutional performance will be measured.
“Ambition is precisely what this moment demands. A strategic plan is not measured by the elegance of its language, but by the lives it transforms,” she said.
Call for Stronger Governance and Legal Reform
Dr. Magara also highlighted the need for reform of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap. 262, noting that the current legal framework has not kept pace with the evolving realities of university governance and innovation.
She called on Government and Parliament to support a timely review of the Act to enable universities to better optimise knowledge systems, productive assets, and innovation capacity in support of national development.
Government Endorsement and Strategic Alignment
Hon. Henry Musasizi commended the University for developing a forward-looking Strategic Plan aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which serves as the foundation for the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
He explained that Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about USD 50 billion to USD 500 billion requires accelerated growth driven by productivity gains, innovation, and strong human capital development.
“Universities are central actors in national transformation. They are engines of knowledge creation, innovation, and human capital development,” he said.
The Minister stressed that government priorities include strengthening research, promoting industrialization, and ensuring that knowledge generated in universities is translated into practical solutions that support economic growth. He further highlighted the importance of accountability, efficiency, and value for money in public investments in higher education.
Universities as Drivers of the Tenfold Growth Strategy
In his presentation, the Senior Planner at the National Planning Authority, Samuel Kasule, emphasized that the Strategic Plan is firmly anchored in Uganda’s comprehensive development framework under Vision 2040 and NDP IV.
He noted that the Tenfold Growth Strategy seeks to accelerate Uganda’s economic growth into double-digit territory, enabling the country to achieve structural transformation and reach upper middle-income status.
Kasule underscored that universities play a critical role in this transformation through labour productivity, research, and innovation. He pointed out that priority sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals, oil and gas, and ICT depend heavily on skilled graduates and strong research ecosystems.
He also highlighted the importance of competency-based education, alignment of academic programmes with national human resource needs, and strengthening postgraduate training and research outputs.
A Shared Commitment to Transformation
Across all speeches, a strong message emerged: universities are central to Uganda’s development agenda and must evolve into research-intensive institutions that directly contribute to economic transformation.
The Strategic Plan 2025-2030 was widely commended for its focus on innovation, industry collaboration, digital transformation, and the commercialization of research outputs.
Government leaders reaffirmed continued support for higher education institutions through research funding, innovation ecosystems, and strengthened university–industry partnerships.
Conclusion
The launch of the Strategic Plan 2030 signals a renewed commitment to positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda’s development journey. With strong alignment to national priorities, the Plan is expected to accelerate research, innovation, and skills development necessary for achieving Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions. The Strategic Plan may be accessed at: https://mak.ac.ug/about/strategic-plan
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