Makerere’s innovative application of technology and ICTs to teaching as well as other systems has been creatively captured by Weaving Success: Voices of Change in African Higher Education, a book published by the Institute for International Education (IIE).
Makerere’s innovative application of technology and ICTs to teaching as well as other systems has been creatively captured by Weaving Success: Voices of Change in African Higher Education, a book published by the Institute for International Education (IIE).
The 239page book released on 2nd November 2011 at the 3rd World Innovation Summit on Education in Doha was written by Megan Lindow, and creatively documents the 10-year history of the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA), a $440 million investment and collaboration by seven major U.S. foundations to strengthen and support universities in nine African countries.
The book cites Makerere’s PhD in Plant Breeding and Technology, which harnesses the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences(CAES)’ high concentration of plant breeding experts to help equip scientists from Eastern and Southern Africa with skills in producing better crop varieties, resistant to drought and plant diseases.
The Bandwidth Consortium; a PHEA supported group of 11 universities and two higher education institution is further hailed for subsidizing the cost of expensive satellite bandwidth, a feat that fostered research collaborations and promoted “sandwich” programmes for PhD students, who divided their time between Makerere and Sweden.
Furthermore, the book examines the impact of the iLabs Shared Architecture programme developed by MIT on training engineering students at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology(CEDAT), through elimination of equipment constraints by use of online laboratories. The college has since then gone on to introduce the project in other Ugandan universities and High Schools.
“The stories in the book include a profile of a Ugandan inventor whose countless innovations have improved the lives of school girls, farmers, refugees and rural health practitioners,” says Megan Lindow the author, in reference to Dr. Moses Musaazi’s makapads project.
The writer goes ahead to highlight a host of other innovations in her book, available under the Downloads section below
Downloads
Weaving Success: Voices of Change in African Higher Education: pdf(9,639KB)
Press Release: New Volume on African Higher Education Partnership Tells of Innovation and Change Across Campuses and National Boundaries: pdf(165KB)
Makerere University School of Public Health, through the Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management, is accepting applications for a two-week online short course on Introduction to Decision Modelling for Economic Evaluation.
The course will introduce participants to the principles and practical application of decision modelling in economic evaluation, covering Markov modelling, evidence synthesis, model development, validation, sensitivity analysis and interpretation of results to inform policy and resource allocation.
Convened by Dr. Elizabeth Ekirapa, Associate Professor of Health Economics at MakSPH, the course will feature Dr. Joseph Babigumira, Managing Consultant at GHE Consulting, as Guest Lecturer.
The training targets health professionals, researchers, policymakers, students and other individuals interested in applying decision modelling to economic evaluation.
Dates: 9–20 November 2026 Time: 3:00–6:00 PM EAT Mode: Online via Zoom Fees: UGX 800,000 (Ugandans) | USD 270 (non-Ugandans) Application Deadline: 1 November 2026
Makerere University and Xiangtan University are set to update their close to 20-year academic partnership, with a new focus on launching a joint Master’s degree program in Chemical Engineering and expanding student and staff exchange initiatives.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a recent visit by a delegation from Xiangtan University to Makerere University headed by Professor Dingyu Ou, in the company of Mr. Tang Fei and Professor Gilbert Gumshabe, the Chinese and Ugandan Directors of the Confucius Institute at Makerere University respectively.
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify academic offerings and contribute to national development through training in Chemical Engineering. Through this new initiative, the University will better prepare graduates for the petrochemical industry and support the country’s industrial growth.
The meeting in session.
The Vice Chancellor appreciated that the proposed collaboration aims to address Uganda’s growing need for industrial expertise, particularly as the country develops its petroleum sector. The two universities here are working toward a 1+2 training model, which will enable Makerere students to gain practical experience and access advanced laboratory facilities at Xiangtan University.
Professor Nawangwe further reiterated that “our relationship with the people of China, not just for Makerere but also for a big part of Uganda, has been opened wider by the establishment of the Confucius Institute, considering that many other collaborations like one being discussed now have come through this collaboration.”
The head of the Xiangtan delegation, Professor Dingyu Ou, expressed appreciation for the meeting, and acknowledged the history between the institutions. “As mentioned, we have a very long relationship and a very stable friendship between our two universities.”
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (L) presents an assortment of Makerere Souvenirs to Prof. Dingyu Ou (R).
Professor Ou extended appreciation for the support provided to the Confucius Institute at Makerere, the care shown to his colleagues, and looked forward to the successful start of the Chemical Engineering collaboration.
Assuring the delegation of Makerere’s readiness for the collaboration, Ms. Hawa Ndagire Kajumba the Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Makerere University Advancement Office, aligned with the Vice Chancellor’s emphasis of University goal to have both theory and practice imparted to the students.
She said “the curriculum of the university and Uganda as a whole is moving towards competence-based education training to ensure students are equipped to demonstrate those skills in the actual field, particularly regarding petroleum exploration.”
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (L) presents an assortment of Makerere Souvenirs to Prof. Zhuoqiong Xia (R).
Ms. Ndagire Kajumba also emphasised a shift in strategy for the partnership office, saying, “we are moving away from just signing MOUs that collect dust, and moving towards those that are more collaborative to benefit our faculty and students, just like this one.”
Professor Gilbert Kumushabe aligned his remarks with those of the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Ndagire Kajumba, and described the method used at Xiangtan University as “actually competence-based teaching.”
Based on his recent visit, Prof. Gumoshabe shared that students in China are divided into groups with dedicated teachers to perform practical, hands-on work beyond the theoretical lecturers. He expressed gladness that the same was being adopted for the Ugandan context.
Both institutions are now working to finalise the specific agreements for the joint degree and exchange programs. Beyond academic training, the collaboration will advance cultural and professional exchange.
Makerere University School of Public Health invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for three positions under the Wellcome Trust-supported NETOMA study, which examines the coexistence of health worker shortages and unemployment among qualified health professionals in Africa.
Available Positions
Research Officer To coordinate longitudinal research, data management, quality assurance, and statistical analysis across study sites. Full details and application: https://sph.mak.ac.ug/careers/?view_job=21465
Policy Scientist To undertake health workforce policy research, evidence synthesis, qualitative analysis and knowledge translation. Full details and application: https://sph.mak.ac.ug/careers/?view_job=21468
Research Assistants To support participant recruitment, field data collection, research documentation, and analysis. Full details and application: https://sph.mak.ac.ug/careers/?view_job=21470
Application deadline: Friday, 16 October 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EAT .