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Cowpea Growth Improvement Elevates Rural Livelihood

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Makerere University College of Agricultural And Environmental Sciences has embraced the move to advance cowpea growth development through training, knowledge generation and service delivery in Uganda.

The college has embarked on a five year project to develop high-yielding and pest-resistant Cowpea varieties for Ugandan conditions.

Through increased production of the quality and quantity of cowpea, there has been an increase in profits made from cowpea sales. “Through Serere research station, an increase in participation and training of students on better methods of cowpea growth has led to an income boost in cowpea production”, said Dr Jenifer Bisikwa, Principal investigator Department of Agricultural production.

“The project was founded with the goal to increase cowpea nutrition and production, by poor farmers in Uganda through participatory development of improved high yielding, pest and disease resistant cowpea varieties”, added Prof. Samuel Kyamanywa, the Principal for the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences.

This Project has also strengthened the capacity for research and training in Uganda and so far three students at Masters and PhD levels have graduated under it. . This has enhanced PhD extension development through the college strategies to design, strengthen, develop highly trained staff and promote advocacy.

The project has identified five promising cowpea varieties that are preferred by farming communities in Eastern and Northern Uganda. The promising varieties that have been assembled and tested for Ugandan conditions are ACCWC28, ACCWC35B, ACCWC35, ACCWC39 and ACCNE44 but more work is being done to establish their resistance to major pests and diseases before they can be disseminated back to the farmers for adoption.

Compared to other grain legumes and vegetable crops, cowpea possesses multiple advantages for farmers including high yields on poor sandy soils unsuitable for other crops, high rate of nitrogen fixation, lower fertilizer requirement, drought resistant and high temperature tolerance.

Whereas preliminary research on cowpea in Uganda was initiated in the 1990s, there is currently no active national programme dedicated to this valuable crop due to lack of funding. Thus, low national research priority in Cowpea makes it one of the orphan crops. Due to crop pests and diseases, poor cowpea varieties farming methods, and market access, farmers’ yields have been below 500kg per hectare, though cowpea yields have potential of about 1500 to 3000 kg per hectare in Uganda.

Article by Nakandi Peninah, Intern, Public Relations Office, Makerere University 

Makerere University College of Agricultural And Environmental Sciences has embraced the move to advance cowpea growth development through training, knowledge generation and service delivery in Uganda.

The college has embarked on a five year project to develop high-yielding and pest-resistant Cowpea varieties for Ugandan conditions.

Through increased production of the quality and quantity of cowpea, there has been an increase in profits made from cowpea sales. “Through Serere research station, an increase in participation and training of students on better methods of cowpea growth has led to an income boost in cowpea production”, said Dr Jenifer Bisikwa, Principal investigator Department of Agricultural production.

“The project was founded with the goal to increase cowpea nutrition and production, by poor farmers in Uganda through participatory development of improved high yielding, pest and disease resistant cowpea varieties”, added Prof. Samuel Kyamanywa, the Principal for the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences.

This Project has also strengthened the capacity for research and training in Uganda and so far three students at Masters and PhD levels have graduated under it. . This has enhanced PhD extension development through the college strategies to design, strengthen, develop highly trained staff and promote advocacy.

The project has identified five promising cowpea varieties that are preferred by farming communities in Eastern and Northern Uganda. The promising varieties that have been assembled and tested for Ugandan conditions are ACCWC28, ACCWC35B, ACCWC35, ACCWC39 and ACCNE44 but more work is being done to establish their resistance to major pests and diseases before they can be disseminated back to the farmers for adoption.

Compared to other grain legumes and vegetable crops, cowpea possesses multiple advantages for farmers including high yields on poor sandy soils unsuitable for other crops, high rate of nitrogen fixation, lower fertilizer requirement, drought resistant and high temperature tolerance.

Whereas preliminary research on cowpea in Uganda was initiated in the 1990s, there is currently no active national programme dedicated to this valuable crop due to lack of funding. Thus, low national research priority in Cowpea makes it one of the orphan crops. Due to crop pests and diseases, poor cowpea varieties farming methods, and market access, farmers’ yields have been below 500kg per hectare, though cowpea yields have potential of about 1500 to 3000 kg per hectare in Uganda.

Article by Nakandi Peninah, Intern, Public Relations Office, Makerere University 

Denis Wamala

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Call For Abstracts: National Symposium on Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda

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Call For Abstracts: National Symposium on Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda. Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026

Makerere University, in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Tufts University, and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), invites researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community actors to submit abstracts for the National Symposium on:

Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda: Local Voices for Policy Impact

Date: Wednesday, 12th August 2026
Venue: Makerere University Main Hall

The symposium will examine the drivers, patterns, and impacts of climate-induced youth migration in Uganda, while advancing evidence-based and community-informed policy responses.

Theme: Climate-Induced Youth Migration and Urban Futures in Uganda: Evidence, Voices, and Pathways for Action

Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026

Submit Abstracts To: citiesofyouth@musph.ac.ug

Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to contribute research findings, case studies, policy analyses, and practice-based experiences. Abstracts will be considered for oral and poster presentations.

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Call for Research Support Applications from Master’s Students who have Completed their First Year of Taught Classes at Makerere University

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Call for Research Support Applications from Master’s Students who have Completed their First Year of Taught Classes at Makerere University. Photo: Nano Banan 2

Makerere University, in partnership with Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Independent University of Bangladesh, Eduardo Mondlane University, and Pokhara University, with funding from Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED), is implementing a project: ‘Co-creating Knowledge for Local Adaptation to Climate Change in LDCs (COLOCAL).

The expected outputs of the project include strengthened educational and research capacity, improved knowledge on inclusive Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) and Community Based Adaptation (CBA) including delivering skilled knowledge co-creators, and partnerships to support needs-driven, locally-based and contextually sensitive adaptation. The outputs are anticipated to influence policy, planning and practice around LLA and CBA through collaborative learning and knowledge translation.

In line with targets and activities for 2026/2027, COLOCAL project is offering research support for three (3) Master’s students who have completed their first academic year of taught classes at Makerere University and are interested in undertaking research under one of the following thematic areas. The students MUST have undertaken the course offered under the auspices of the project on Disability, Social Justice and Climate Resilient Development.

Requirements:

  • A first degree from a reputable university in a field related to the focus of the project
  • Ugandan citizen below 35 years
  • Good command of English (spoken and written)
  • Demonstrated interest in inclusive and climate resilient development
  • Evidence of practical experience in conducting relevant research during and after undergraduate level
  • Evidence of full payment of all university fees for the first academic year
  • The Masters programme being undertaken MUST have explicit content on climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • Special consideration will be given to students with disabilities, financial challenges, students from ethnic minority groups, internally displaced students, among others

Scholarship and study/research conditions

Availability to complete all research activities in a maximum of 10 months.

Scope of the scholarship

The project will specifically cover stipends and support for field activities only. Support with tuition fees, for the research year, will be provided for students who will complete and submit the research thesis for examination within 10 months from the date of receiving the scholarship offer letter.

How to apply

Interested and eligible candidates should submit the following documents: Application letter, research concept note of not more than 2 pages, academic transcripts/certificates, an updated CV (including contacts of at least two referees) and two recommendation letters.

Send applications via email to: colocal.caes@mak.ac.ug, not later than 20th May, 2026. This contact can as well be used for inquiries, where necessary.

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Request For Consultancy Services: Training & Digital Solutions Expert

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Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Request For Consultancy Services: Training & Digital Solutions Expert. Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa

The Makerere University Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Limited implemented a Gates Foundation training program dubbed “Principle of Management Excellence for Research training” PRIMER in francophone countries, namely, Mali, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This training was delivered by content experts and experienced practitioners, not professionally trained experts. As such, limiting the quality of slide decks, which were largely fragmented with text rather than graphical and infographic elements that suit a mature audience. To effectively deliver a research training program, advanced, engaging, and efficient tools are critical for fostering audience engagement and participation, and for learning and assessment in research management excellence. To achieve this, IDI seeks to hire an expert to:

  1. design and deliver a set of integrated advanced slide decks combining text, visual learning materials (graphical and infographics) and case scenarios
  2. develop a virtual bilingual community learning platform (VBCLP), i.e. with in-built French and English to engage alumni,
  3. develop and automate a pre-course assessment system that potential trainees fill out, and it automates results that are presented in statistical form for easy interpretation and decision making.

Details: https://shorturl.at/Rzn8d

Apply to: EAkankwasa@idi.co.ug

Deadline: 5 June 2026, 5 PM EAT

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