General

First Makerere Workshop on Social Systems & Computation

Published

15 years ago

November 29, 2010

Summary Top researchers from Northwestern University (Chicago), University of British Columbia (Vancouver) and Makerere (Kampala) are teaming up to offer a workshop on cutting-edge methods for computational modeling of social systems, algorithm design, and machine learning. The sessions will take place between December 3rd and 10th, and there is no cost for attendance; however, registration is mandatory.

Summary Top researchers from Northwestern University (Chicago), University of British Columbia (Vancouver) and Makerere (Kampala) are teaming up to offer a workshop on cutting-edge methods for computational modeling of social systems, algorithm design, and machine learning. The sessions will take place between December 3rd and 10th, and there is no cost for attendance; however, registration is mandatory.

Attendance is limited to academic staff working at a Ugandan university; students doing research in related areas may also be given special permission to attend if space permits. Participants will have the opportunity to publish papers in official, reviewed workshop proceedings at a later date. A certificate of completion will be provided to participants who attend at least two thirds of workshop sessions.

Overview Traditionally, computer science has viewed data as coming from either an adversarial source or from nature itself, giving rise to worst-case and average-case design and analysis of optimization algorithms. In recent years with the advent of modern technologies like the Internet, it has become increasingly apparent that neither of these assumptions reflects reality. Data is neither adversarial nor average, but rather inputs to algorithms are constructed by a diverse set of self-interested agents in an economy, all aiming to maximize their own happiness. Thus the raw data is often not available to an algorithm designer, but must be solicited from the agents–that is, the designer faces an economic constraint. The primary goal of this workshop is to explore the implications of this observation. We will study the performance of algorithms in the presence of utility-maximizing agents and ask whether alternate designs might create incentives for agents to act more optimally. Simultaneously, we will look at other more traditional optimization problems such as approximation and learning and techniques to solve them, pointing out that these may often be leveraged to solve issues in the economic setting.

Related Research Areas Computer Science Theory; Artificial Intelligence; Economics; Business

Format The workshop will consist of six 3-hour lectures, plus meal/breakout sessions for informal research discussion. Spaces are strictly limited, and attendees must pre-register. We will aim to select topics and session times that are best for our participants. To register, and to indicate your preferences for topics and dates, please complete the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WWGMKZG.

List of Candidate Topics The workshop will consist of up to six of the following twelve topics.

Introduction to Game Theory
Game theory is the mathematical study of interaction among independent, self-interested agents. It has been applied to disciplines as diverse as economics, political science, biology, psychology, linguistics—and computer science. This tutorial will introduce what has become the dominant branch of game theory, called noncooperative game theory, and will specifically describe normal-form games, a canonical representation in this discipline. The tutorial will be motivated by the question: "In a strategic interaction, what joint outcomes make sense?"

Voting Theory
Voting (or "Social Choice") theory adopts a“designer perspective” to multiagent systems, asking what rules should be put in place by the authority (the “designer”) orchestrating a set of agents. Specifically, how should a central authority pool the preferences of different agents so as to best reflect the wishes of the population as a whole? (Contrast this with Game Theory, whichadopts what might be called the “agent perspective”: its focus is on making statements about how agents should or would act in a given situation.) This tutorial will describe famous voting rules, show problems with them, and explain Arrow's famous impossibility result.

Mechanism Design and Auctions
Social choice theory is nonstrategic: it takes the preferences of agents as given, and investigates ways in which they can be aggregated. But of course those preferences are usually not known. Instead, agents must be asked to declare them, which they may do dishonestly. Since as a designer you wish to find an optimal outcome with respect to the agents’ true preferences (e.g., electing a leader that truly reflects the agents’ preferences), optimizing with respect to the declared preferences will not in general achieve the objective. This tutorial will introduce Mechanism Design, the study of identifying socially desirable protocols for making decisions in such settings. It will describe the core principles behind this theory, and explain the famous "Vickrey-Clarke-Groves" mechanism, an ingenious technique for selecting globally-utility-maximizing outcomes even among selfish agents. It will also describe Auction Theory, the most famous application of mechanism design. Auctions are mechanisms that decide who should receive a scarce resource, and that impose payments upon some or all participants, based on agents' "bids".

Constraint Satisfaction Problem Solving
This hands-on tutorial will teach participants about solving Constraint Satisfaction Problems using search and constraint propagation techniques. This is a representation language from artificial intelligence, used to describe problems in scheduling, circuit verification, DNA structure prediction, vehicle routing, and many other practical problems. The tutorial will consider the problem of solving Sudoku puzzles as a running example. By the end of the session, participants will have written software (in Python) capable of solving any Sudoku puzzle in less than a second.

Bayesian methods and Probabilisitic Inference
Bayesian methods are commonly used for recognising patterns and making predictions in the fields of medicine, economics, finance and engineering, powering all manner of applications from fingerprint recognition to spam filters to robotic self-driving cars. This session will show how principles of probability can be used when making inferences from large datasets, covering issues such as prior knowledge and hyperpriors, the construction of "belief networks", and nonparametric methods such as Gaussian processes. Several applications will be demonstrated.

Computer Vision

It is useful to be able to automatically answer questions about an image, such as "is this the face of person X?", "how many cars are there on this street?" or "is there anything unusual about this x-ray?". This session will look at some of the current state of the art in computer vision techniques, including methods for representing the information in an image (feature extraction), and to recognise objects in an image given such a representation. We will particularly spend some time looking at approaches which have been found to work well empirically on object recognition, such as generalised Hough transforms, boosted cascades of Haar wavelet classifiers, and visual bag-of-words methods. Locally relevant applications in crop disease diagnosis, parasite detection in blood samples and traffic monitoring will be demonstrated as illustrating examples.

Learning Causal Structure from Data
Until a few decades ago, it was thought to be impossible to learn causes and effects from purely observational data without doing experiments. Sometimes, however, it is impossible to do experiments (e.g. in some branches of genetics), or experiments may be costly or unethical (e.g. situations in climate change or medicine), so the emergence of computational methods for distinguishing causes, effects and confounding variables is likely to have wide implications. Some principles are now understood for learning the causal structure between different variables, and this session will explain the most successful current approaches, their possibilities and their limitations.

Internet Search and Monetization
The internet is one of the most fundamental and important applications of computer science. Central to its existence are search engines which enable us to find content on the web. This module focuses on the algorithms like PageRank that these search engines use to help us find webpages. It also studies how these engines make money through advertising.

Social Networks
Social networks describe the structure of interpersonal relationships and have many alarmingly predictable properties. While most people have just a few friends, most social networks have at least a few very popular people. Furthermore, most people are closely linked to every other person so that a message (or an idea or a disease) can spread rapidly throughout the network. Finally, social networks tend to be fairly clustered — i.e., if two people share a common friend it is quite likely that they are also friends. This module will discuss the typical structures of social networks, models that explain these structures, and the impact of these structures on activities in the social network such as message routing or the adoption of new technologies.

Two-Sided Matching Markets
Many markets involve two “sides'' that wish to be matched to one another. For example, a marriage market matches women to men; a job market matches workers to employers. In such settings, people on each side have strict preferences over the options on the other side of the market. Hence, a woman Julie may like David best, John second best, and Christopher third. David on the other hand may prefer Mary to Julie. In such settings, what matches might we expect to form? Can these matches be computed by a centralized algorithm, a match-maker for example, and what are the corresponding incentives of the participants? These questions are of fundamental importance as such centralized algorithms are in use in many important markets. In many countries, medical students are matched to hospitals using such algorithms, or school children to schools.

Approximation Algorithms
In the field of algorithms, many tasks turn out to be computationally difficult. That is, the time to complete the task is fundamentally large compared to the size of the problem. For example, consider the problem of finding the optimal way to visit 10 cities, visiting each exactly once. To minimize travel time, one could test all possible travel schedules, but for 10 cities there are already 3.5M of them! Unfortunately, there is not a significantly quicker way to find the optimal solution. However, one can find an approximately optimal solution quickly. That is, with just a few things to check, one can design a schedule that takes at most 50% more time than the optimal one. In this module we showcase a few general techniques for computing approximate solutions to hard problems, including the use of randomization and linear programming.

Graph Theory
A graph is a combinatorial object consisting of nodes and edges, and is a extremely valuable abstraction of many practical problems. For example, nodes might represent jobs and edges might connect pairs of jobs that can not be performed simultaneously. Alternatively, nodes might represent electronic components on a circuit board and edges the wiring that connects them. Many questions that arise in such domains can be cast as an optimization question in the corresponding graph. The number of workers required to complete all jobs in fixed time frame in the first example is at its heart a graph coloring problem. Asking whether one can lay out the circuit board so no two wires cross becomes the problem of determining which graphs have planar representations. This course defines graphs, shows how to solve a few fundamental graph problems, and applies them to practical settings.

Speaker Bios

Nicole Immorlica is an assistant professor in the Economics Group of Northwestern University's EECS department in Chicago, IL, USA. She joined Northwestern in Fall 2008 after postdoctoral positions at Microsoft Research in Seattle, Washington, USA and Centruum voor Wiskunde en Informatica (CWI) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She received her Ph.D. from MIT in Boston, MA, USA, in 2005 under the joint supervision of Erik Demaine and David Karger. Her main research area is algorithmic game theory where she investigates economic and social implications of modern technologies including social networks, advertising auctions, and online auction design.

Kevin Leyton-Brown is an associate professor in computer science at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He received a B.Sc. from McMaster University (1998), and an M.Sc. and PhD from Stanford University (2001; 2003). Much of his work is at the intersection of computer science and microeconomics, addressing computational problems in economic contexts and incentive issues in multiagent systems. He also studies the application of machine learning to the automated design and analysis of algorithms for solving hard computational problems.

John Quinn is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at Makerere University. He received a BA in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge (2000) and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (2007). He coordinates the Machine Learning Group at Makerere, and his research interests are in pattern recognition and computer vision particularly applied to developing world problems.

General

Meet Sedrick Nuwagaba, a Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni Contributing to Uganda’s Oil & Gas Industry

Published

1 day ago

November 5, 2025

Bernard Buteera

Sedrik at his workstation at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda. Impact Stories: Sedrick Nuwagaba, a 35-year-old petroleum engineer and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus actively contributing his expertise to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, November 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Sedrick Nuwagaba, a 35-year-old petroleum engineer, is actively contributing his expertise to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, which regulates the oil and gas sector. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Geoscience and Production from Makerere University in 2021, an opportunity he accessed through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. Sedrick’s educational qualifications and professional responsibilities exemplify his commitment to advancing Uganda’s oil and gas sector.

Who is Sedrick Nuwagaba?

Sedrick was born on February 1, 1990, in Kashari, located within the Mbarara district of Western Uganda. He spent his early childhood in a large family, where he faced many challenges that shaped his resilient character. By the age of 14, Sedrick had become the primary breadwinner for his immediate family, comprising his mother and two sisters. His unwavering commitment to their well-being remains evident to this day.

To support his family during these formative years, Sedrick took on a variety of jobs in his community. These early experiences cultivated in him resilience and tenacity, qualities that have significantly contributed to his success as a petroleum engineer.

Following these family challenges, Sedrick and his immediate family relocated from Kashari to a new area in what is now Lyantonde district, where they continue to reside. His journey not only reflects personal growth but also underscores a steadfast commitment to uplifting those around him.

Youthful Sedrik during his university days at Makerere. Impact Stories: Sedrick Nuwagaba, a 35-year-old petroleum engineer and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus actively contributing his expertise to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, November 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Youthful Sedrik during his university days at Makerere.***

Early Education

The implementation of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in Uganda in 1997 was a pivotal development for Sedrick, facilitating his enrollment at St. Martin Lyantonde Primary School at the age of seven, which was conveniently located near his residence. Sedrick expresses deep appreciation for this initiative, commenting, “Without UPE, I might not have had the opportunity to pursue my education. It truly opened the door for me to attend school and engage in learning.” Despite confronting considerable challenges, including a lack of necessities such as food, Sedrick distinguished himself academically. He achieved top candidate status among UPE schools in his district, earning an impressive seven aggregates in the Primary Leaving Examinations—a remarkable accomplishment given the adversities he faced.

Pursuing Secondary Education

Sedrick faced significant challenges after earning 7 points in the Primary Leaving Examinations, as he was unable to secure a bursary. At that time, alternative arrangements for Universal Secondary Education were limited, which made it difficult for him to continue his education. However, demonstrating remarkable resilience, Sedrick sought work at 14 to fund his secondary education. Through his determination and resourcefulness, he enrolled at Victoria Western College, a small private school in his area, where he attended for three years, reaching Form 3.

Sedrik having the interview with Mr. Bernard Buteera, the Principal Communication Officer for the Scholars Program at Makerere. Impact Stories: Sedrick Nuwagaba, a 35-year-old petroleum engineer and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus actively contributing his expertise to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, November 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Sedrik having the interview with Mr. Bernard Buteera, the Principal Communication Officer for the Scholars Program at Makerere.***

Although financial barriers hindered his progress to Form 4, Sedrick’s journey shows his dedication to education and his ability to overcome adversity. Fortunately, his elder half-brother, a businessman in the neighbouring town of Mbarara, reached out and helped him enrol in Form 4 at Kashari Secondary School in Mbarara in 2007.

Embarking on a Journey to Iraq in Search of Opportunity

In 2008, facing difficulties in pursuing his education, Sedrick made the brave decision to take up a security job during the conflict in Iraq between 2003 and 2011. At that time, many young Ugandans were recruited to provide buffer security support to the U.S. military in Iraq. During his time in Iraq, Sedrick not only earned a stable income to support his family but also cared for his mother and funded his two sisters’ education, ultimately improving their lives. Unfortunately, his contract ended in 2010, and he had to return to Uganda to write the next chapter of his life.

Joining the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University

Upon returning to Uganda after his experience in the Iraq War, Sedrick recognised that education was the key to transforming his life. With a determined mindset, he committed himself to his studies, understanding the long-lasting impact they could have on his future. Thanks to his perseverance and the relationships he had built, Sedrick obtained a bursary from a religious organisation, enabling him to resume his high school education six years after his last time in school.

In 2015, he completed his high school education at Namirembe Hillside, where he studied Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry. With 15 points in his final exams, he was admitted to the Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Geoscience and Production program, supported by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University.

Sedrik on his graduation day at Makerere University in 2021. Impact Stories: Sedrick Nuwagaba, a 35-year-old petroleum engineer and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus actively contributing his expertise to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, November 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Sedrik on his graduation day at Makerere University in 2021.***

“Participating in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University significantly changed my life. For the first time, I was free from the constant worries about necessities like food and shelter. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program provided me with a supportive environment that allowed me to focus on my education and personal growth,” Sedrick shared.

Life After Makerere University

In 2020, after graduating, Sedrick had the opportunity to intern at the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) in the Reservoir Engineering section. During his internship, he demonstrated exceptional dedication and expertise in the oil and gas sector. His performance led to his promotion to a Graduate Trainee, which provided him with valuable experiential learning and expanded his exposure within the industry. This experience ultimately paved the way for his recruitment as a Petroleum Engineer at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, where he now contributes to the regulation of petroleum exploration activities in the country.

Impact on the Community

Upon graduating from university, Sedrick took a proactive approach that set him apart from his peers. He launched Kleanerman, a social venture project designed to have a positive impact on his community. This initiative provides valuable short-term, on-demand domestic services—such as home cleaning, laundry, and babysitting—catering to the needs of busy city residents. Through Kleanerman, Sedrick has successfully created employment opportunities for several young men and women in his community of Kanyanya, fostering both economic growth and personal development.

Sedrik with a colleague during their typical working hours at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda. Impact Stories: Sedrick Nuwagaba, a 35-year-old petroleum engineer and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus actively contributing his expertise to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, November 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Sedrik with a colleague during their typical working hours at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda.***

Due to his own challenges during his educational journey, he has developed a deep commitment to helping other young people facing difficulties with school expenses. To date, he has successfully supported seven young individuals in his Lyantonde community, guiding them from primary through secondary education. His long-term goal is to establish a charitable organisation dedicated to providing young people facing barriers to education with the resources they need to access quality education.

Looking into the Future

Sedrick is dedicated to making a meaningful impact in Uganda’s oil and gas sector. He, along with his colleagues, is focused on ensuring that Uganda achieves its inaugural oil production by 2026.

“Each day, our collective efforts are directed toward successfully introducing Uganda’s first oil into the market by the end of 2026, and expanding the country’s petroleum resource base by discovering more oil reserves,” Sedrick states with evident pride. He is also committed to advancing his career in the oil and gas industry. From his earnings, he has enrolled for a Master’s degree in Petroleum Geosciences at Makerere University to deepen his skills and expertise in the sector.

Message to his fellow young people

Sedrick urges the current Mastercard Foundation Scholars enrolled in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University, as well as those at other universities, to make the most of the support provided by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. He emphasises the importance of engaging in capacity-building sessions, skill development programs, mentorship opportunities, and psychosocial support. Sedrick asserts that this comprehensive support framework has been instrumental in transforming his life and shaping who he is today.

He references a quotation that has become a guiding principle in his life: “Until death, all defeat is psychological.” Through this quotation, he seeks to inspire his peers to persevere, emphasising the notion that individuals can always recover and succeed despite the myriad challenges they may encounter in their initial endeavours.

Words of Gratitude

“The impact of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program on my life is profound and transformative. I am sincerely grateful to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University and to the Mastercard Foundation as a whole. It is my hope and prayer that the Foundation continues to make a positive difference in the lives of numerous young individuals, particularly within the African continent.” Sedrick emphasises.

His supervisor speaks out

Sedrick’s immediate supervisor, Mr Derrick Katusiime, the Senior Petroleum Engineer in the Directorate of Exploration at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, was full of praise for him both at work and outside.

Mr. Derrick Katusiime, Sedrik's supervisor at his workstation. Impact Stories: Sedrick Nuwagaba, a 35-year-old petroleum engineer and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus actively contributing his expertise to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, November 2025, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Mr. Derrick Katusiime, Sedrik’s supervisor at his workstation.***

“Sedrick is very sociable and gets along well with everyone here at work, and his technical skills in just two years are impressive,” Mr. Katusiime pointed out.

Mr Katusiime further revealed that Sedrick champions values of integrity, active listening, and being an excellent team player. He goes the extra mile to complete tasks, takes on multiple responsibilities, and demonstrates humility and eagerness to learn.

Bernard Buteera is the Principal Communications Officer, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University.

General

MLI Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Landmark Expansion Project

Published

1 day ago

November 5, 2025

Mark Wamai

Officials pose for a group photo after the site handover for the MLI Expansion Project (MEP) on 4th November 2025. Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) Expansion Project (MEP) site handover to CK Associates on 4th November 2025, Mulago Hill, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

A few weeks shy of celebrating a decade of advancing lung health for all through research, training and patient care, the Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) on 4^th November 2025 unveiled a landmark expansion project, set to provide world-class care and contribute to global lung health research. The proposed six-level facility will house the Centre for Advanced Pulmonary and Intensive Care (CAPIC), Centre for Clinical Investigation (CCI), and Centre for Capacity Enhancement (CCE). Upon completion these units will deliver advanced respiratory care, cutting-edge research, and specialist training for pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, and respiratory scientists. MLI’s year-long celebrations of a decade of existence will culminate in a grand event to be held on 27^th and 28^th November 2025.

Prof. Nawangwe (2nd Right) and other officials at the site handover of the MLI Expansion Project (MEP) to CK Associates. Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) Expansion Project (MEP) site handover to CK Associates on 4th November 2025, Mulago Hill, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Nawangwe (2nd Right) and other officials at the site handover of the MLI Expansion Project (MEP) to CK Associates.***

Officials laud MLI Milestones

Addressing officials at the site handover ceremony who included the Executive Director, Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH)-Dr. Rosemary Byanyima, Chairperson MLI Board of Directors-Prof. Charles Ibingira, Founder and Director MLI-Prof. Bruce Kirenga among others, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe commended MLI on milestones such as treating 20,000 patients to-date. “Thank you Prof. Kirenga for having the vision to start and grow the Lung Institute, and to hear that you have already raised some of the funds to commence this phase of the project is commendable,” Prof. Nawangwe lauded.

Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe is joined by Prof. Charles Ibingira and other officials to cut the tape, signifying the site handover. Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) Expansion Project (MEP) site handover to CK Associates on 4th November 2025, Mulago Hill, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe is joined by Prof. Charles Ibingira and other officials to cut the tape, signifying the site handover.***

The MLI Expansion Project (MEP) is valued at UGX 66.84Bn (US$18.06M) comprising of construction of a 5,139sqm building valued at US14.04 M, specialist training valued at US$ 1.43M, and equipment valued at US$2.59M. It will be located on Mulago Hill on land allocated by the MNRH Board of Directors, a gesture the Vice Chancellor sincerely appreciated the Executive Director Dr. Byanyima for.

“Thank you for offering this land Dr. Byanyima. Makerere University and Mulago National Referral Hospital as top institutions our country must work together because if Makerere succeeds at conducting research, the hospital benefits” added Prof. Nawangwe.

MLI’s Role in Advancing Lung Health

Dr. Byanyima in her remarks acknowledged that it was during the CoVID-19 pandemic that the importance of lung health and the role played by MLI was brought to the fore. “But I’m glad that (pandemic) made the Lung Institute grow stronger and on the Hill (Mulago) when we have a unit growing stronger, we have an obligation to support it, not that we abdicate our responsibilities, but we know that it is shared responsibility.”

Dr. Rosemary Byanyima. Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) Expansion Project (MEP) site handover to CK Associates on 4th November 2025, Mulago Hill, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Dr. Rosemary Byanyima.***

She therefore thanked Prof. Kirenga for his foresightedness in always thinking of projects that benefit the public. “Mulago Hill does not expand; there are many needs and as MNRH we are looking for land elsewhere. So for the Lung Institute to have been given an opportunity to get a few square metres is because you showed justified cause,” complimented Dr. Byanyima.

The Chairperson MLI Board acknowledged that the Lung Institute has not only received support from MNRH but from its mother Ministry of Health, and other Government entities such as the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, which is supporting MLI’s Clinical Trials Centre and the current expansion project. Prof. Ibigira equally thanked the University for the good policies that facilitate the creation and growth of centres of excellence.

Prof. Charles Ibingira. Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) Expansion Project (MEP) site handover to CK Associates on 4th November 2025, Mulago Hill, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Charles Ibingira.***

“As the board, we pledge to ensure that this expansion project is executed with excellence, transparency and timeliness, and look forward to a facility that will stand as a beacon of hope in innovation and global excellence in lung health” remarked Prof. Ibingira.

In his remarks, Prof. Bruce Kirenga noted that it is critical that centres of excellence such as MLI are located around MNRH so as to synergize general and specialized healthcare services offered to the public. He therefore thanked Dr. Byanyima and the MNRH Board for not only allocating land for MLI’s expansion but also the two buildings within the Hospital complex that have boosted Institute operations since its founding in 2015.

Prof. Nawangwe is received upon arrival on-site by Prof. Charles Ibingira (Left), Prof. Bruce Kirenga (Right) and other officials. Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) Expansion Project (MEP) site handover to CK Associates on 4th November 2025, Mulago Hill, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Nawangwe is received upon arrival on-site by Prof. Charles Ibingira (Left), Prof. Bruce Kirenga (Right) and other officials.***

“These two buildings house the Clinical Trials Ward and the Vaccine House, which is the biggest cold room for vaccines in the country apart from National Medical Stores. This has enhanced our capability in research, storage of vaccines, and most importantly, we can also store a large amount of investigational vaccines, and right now we are being profiled as a centre for stockpiling investigational vaccines on the continent” Prof. Kirenga elaborated, before adding “and we have the largest specialist clinic in the region for treating people with complex lung diseases.”

Scope of works

According to Eng. Ezra Sekadde, Head of the Project Management Team, the construction phase of the MEP has been divided into three stages; 1a to renovate an existing onsite structure for MLI operations, 1b to construct the six-level facility, and 2 to complete internal and external finishes as well as concrete paving and access road works.

Eng. Ezra Sekadde. Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) Expansion Project (MEP) site handover to CK Associates on 4th November 2025, Mulago Hill, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Eng. Ezra Sekadde.***

Construction will be undertaken by CK Associates within a period of seven months. The Fundraising Committee for the MEP will be chaired by Prof. Tonny Oyana, the Principal, College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS).

The Team from CK Associates the contractor. Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) Expansion Project (MEP) site handover to CK Associates on 4th November 2025, Mulago Hill, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***The Team from CK Associates the contractor.***

General

Makerere Reaffirms Leadership in AI Partnerships at the 16th Annual CEO Forum 2025

Published

3 days ago

November 3, 2025

Caroline Kainomugisha

A group photo of the various delegates at the #CEOForumUg2025. “Leveraging AI for Sustainable Transformation: Leading in Uganda’s Transformation in the Age of Disruptive AI,” the 16th Annual CEO Forum 2025, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor Makerere University represented by Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, University Secretary 31st October 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Under the theme, “Leveraging AI for Sustainable Transformation: Leading in Uganda’s Transformation in the Age of Disruptive AI,” the 16^th Annual CEO Forum 2025 brought together government leaders, captains of industry, academia, and development partners to discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can drive Uganda’s transformation agenda.

Representing the Vice Chancellor, Mr Yusuf Kiranda, University Secretary at Makerere University, reaffirmed the University’s pivotal role as a hub for AI research, innovation, and training anchored in strong partnerships across government, academia, and industry.

“Makerere University is responsible for research, innovation and training to ensure transferable knowledge that can be utilised by both the private and public sector,” Mr. Kiranda noted.

He emphasised that Uganda’s sustainable AI transformation will depend on effective policy, governance, and collaboration across sectors.

According to Mr. Kiranda, three key issues must be addressed for AI to realise its potential:

Balancing control and facilitation: Policymakers must not only regulate AI but also actively enable its use to drive innovation and competitiveness.
Sovereignty of AI: Uganda must safeguard its data and resources, especially in sectors like agriculture, where external mapping of local assets threatens national control and export competitiveness.
Regional harmonisation: To ensure fair competition, AI policies must be aligned across East Africa so Ugandan, Kenyan, and Tanzanian businesses operate under a level playing field.

“In the utilisation of AI, if a policy is making Uganda less competitive, we must revise it now to allow private sector players to thrive in this disruptive age,” he added.

Mr. Kiranda further reiterated Makerere’s commitment to producing quality, AI-ready graduates and enhancing teaching and learning methods to integrate technology. He also acknowledged the Government’s continued investment in research at Makerere, which has seen a growing number of researchers focus on AI and technological innovations.

Mr. Yusuf Kiranda participating in a panel discussion at the #CEOForumUg2025. “Leveraging AI for Sustainable Transformation: Leading in Uganda’s Transformation in the Age of Disruptive AI,” the 16th Annual CEO Forum 2025, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor Makerere University represented by Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, University Secretary 31st October 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Mr. Yusuf Kiranda participating in a panel discussion at the #CEOForumUg2025.***

“I can attest to Makerere’s existing partnerships with government entities and development partners. These collaborations are making the market ready to deliver solutions through effective academia–industry partnerships,” he said.

Building Africa’s Digital Destiny

The forum opened with a powerful keynote from Dr. Robin Kibuka, Board Director at the CEO Summit Uganda, who spoke on “Building Africa’s Digital Destiny: Kampala Rising, Africa Inventing.”

Dr. Kibuka urged Africans to take ownership of their digital future, stressing that the continent must define how AI transforms its societies.

“Artificial Intelligence can empower Africa or divide it. The choice is ours,” he said.

He highlighted success stories from across Africa, including AI-powered drones delivering medical supplies and smart credit systems supporting small businesses — proof that the continent is already innovating its own digital solutions.

Leveraging AI for Sustainable Transformation

In her keynote address on “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Transformation,” Dr. Preeti Aghalayam, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras – Zanzibar Campus, described AI as “the defining disruptor of the 21^st century.”

She emphasised that both Africa and India share a unique opportunity to collaborate in education, innovation, and human capital development to shape a more inclusive digital future.

“Artificial Intelligence must help us do better and be better,” she said, highlighting the need for responsible innovation that uplifts communities and promotes sustainability.

Dr. Preeti Aghalayam delivering her keynote address. “Leveraging AI for Sustainable Transformation: Leading in Uganda’s Transformation in the Age of Disruptive AI,” the 16th Annual CEO Forum 2025, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor Makerere University represented by Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, University Secretary 31st October 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Dr. Preeti Aghalayam delivering her keynote address.***

Digital Transformation in the Health Sector

Mr. Rashid Khalani, Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan University Hospital, Uganda, presented on “Digital Transformation in the Health Sector,” sharing practical examples of how AI is redefining healthcare delivery.

From AI-powered radiology that detects anomalies faster, to predictive models for early sepsis detection and digital tools supporting mental health care, Mr. Khalani demonstrated how AI is improving patient outcomes and empowering medical professionals.

“AI is not replacing people. It is empowering them to deliver better care, faster,” he emphasised.

He noted that partnerships between hospitals, universities, and technology institutions are crucial in developing localised AI solutions that respond to real health needs.

Mr. Rashid Khalani discussing AI in the health sector. “Leveraging AI for Sustainable Transformation: Leading in Uganda’s Transformation in the Age of Disruptive AI,” the 16th Annual CEO Forum 2025, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor Makerere University represented by Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, University Secretary 31st October 2025, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Mr. Rashid Khalani discussing AI in the health sector.***

Makerere at the Heart of Uganda’s AI Transformation

The discussions throughout the 16^th Annual CEO Forum 2025 reaffirmed the critical importance of collaboration among academia, industry, and government in shaping Uganda’s AI-driven future.

Makerere University continues to play a leading role in this space, providing the research, innovation, and talent that power the country’s transition into a digital economy.

Through strategic partnerships, forward-looking policy engagement, and continuous innovation in research and training, Makerere stands at the forefront of preparing Uganda and the region for a smart, inclusive, and sustainable future powered by AI.

Caroline Kainomugisha is the Communications Officer, Advancement Office, Makerere University.