General
Vice President Commissions Makerere Library Extension
The Vice President of Uganda, H.E Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, commissioned the new library extension at Makerere University on the 29th October 2012, amidst jubilations from the Makerere University staff and well-wishers. The library extension will provide an additional 8,000 sq metres of space and was constructed with internally generated funds. It is fitted with state-of-the-art facilities like research commons and ICT infrastructure. After commissioning the library, the Vice President took a tour around the facility and was quite impressed by what he saw.
“First of all I congratulate the ‘Mugole’ (groom), Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu for having been appointed Vice Chancellor of Makerere University,” said the Vice President amidst shouts and cheers of ‘Ddumba abeewo. Ddumba oyeee’ from the crowd, as the Vice Chancellor smiled.
“Documentation and information retrieval are important elements in academic institutions. I believe Makerere University has gained fame and good rankings partly because of having good repositories like this library, and embracing ICT. I urge you to put emphasis on research, since education is a priority area for government,” added Hon. Ssekandi.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu said, “I congratulate the Makerere University Library team headed by the University Librarian, Professor Maria G. N. Musoke for competing with several University Libraries in East and West Africa for this grant and emerging the best. We thank you and encourage you to write and win more proposals that will benefit this University. I also take this opportunity to thank the Government of Uganda for the conducive environment that has enabled us to carry out academic activities and also set up this facility.”
The Director for Higher Education Elizabeth Gabona who spoke on behalf of the State Minister for Higher Education, Hon. John Chrysostom Muyingo, emphasized the need to instill a reading culture amongst the country’s young generation so that they grow up to appreciate and utilize high standard libraries like the one at Makerere University.
The Chairperson of Makerere University Council, Eng. Charles Wana Etyem, who was represented by Justice Stephen Kavuma (a member of Makerere University Council) had this to say, “I take this opportunity to thank parents and guardians who have faithfully paid both tuition and functional fees to enable their sons and daughters receive quality education at Makerere University. They deserve the credit for facilitating the development of such infrastructure as we see today. I also thank the Ministry of Education & Sports, the Government of Uganda, and the Parliament of Uganda who have supported Makerere University in our continuing struggle for increased funding through Internally Generated Funds, and other sources, towards Infrastructural Developments.”
In her slide presentation, the University Librarian, Prof. Maria G. N. Musoke chronicled the journey of the Main library, explaining that it this 1959 building has been extended thrice, to accommodate the growing academic transformations and increasing student population. She was grateful to the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the US $ 2.5m grant for the ICT infrastructure, new books and capacity building of library staff. She was also grateful to the Norwegian government, Swedish government and other development partners, whose contribution to the Main Library has been crucial.
Carnegie Corporation of New York thanked Makerere University, especially the Library Staff members for adequately utilizing the grant, and looked forward to future collaborations.
Article by Ms Marion Alina
Public Relations Office, Makerere University.
By Gerald Ochwo
On 25th March 2025, a delegation of Registrars from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) undertook a benchmarking exercise at Makerere University, with a specific focus on the latter’s pioneering efforts in academic records digitalization. The delegation, led by Dr. Dickson Kalungi, Ag. Deputy Academic Registrar was received by Mr. Charles Ssentongo, Deputy Academic Registrar in charge of Admissions and Records Division, who represented the Academic Registrar (AR), Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi.
The visit was prompted by Makerere University‘s trailblazing achievements in digitalizing academic records, as exemplified by the Digitalization of Academic Records Project (DARP). This initiative has been instrumental in creating a centralized, digital one stop repository of all University’s academic records, thereby enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and security of academic records management.
In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Ssentongo conveyed the Academic Registrar’s message and highlighted Makerere University‘s efforts to digitalize all its processes and records. He further noted that the university is intentional about creating a digital ecosystem that makes academic records retrieval easy and efficient.
“As a university, we are now intentional with the digitalization of all our processes including, digitization of our manual records that date as way back as the inception of Makerere University. Currently, the DARP project as gone as far as creating a one stop center for both Academic document verification and certification, whereby our former graduates, will only need to access the online verification and certification portal and submit their documents without necessarily having to travel many physical distances to Makerere University” Mr. Ssentongo remarked.
In his appreciation remarks, the MUST head of delegation, Dr. Dickson Kalungi, thanked the Academic Registrar for honoring their request to come and learn from the best practices that exist at Makerere University and particularly commended the Department for the great steps and strides made in pioneering modern Academic records storage management systems.
“I want to sincerely thank the Office of the Academic Registrar for sparing time and organizing this meeting. As a University, we have embarked on a transformative change drive whereby we intend to automate all our registry processes including, the management of Academic Records. The DARP project at Makerere University, has been one project where we draw a number of lessons and we are eager to go and implement some of the best practices we have observed here today”
Conclusion
The benchmarking exercise undertaken by Mbarara University of Science and Technology demonstrates the significance of Makerere University and particularly, the Office of the Academic Registrar’s achievements in academic records digitalization. The DARP project serves as a model for other institutions to follow, highlighting the importance of investing in digital solutions to enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and security of academic records management. It further demonstrates the university’s commitment to sharing knowledge and best practices with other institutions. Makerere University‘s efforts in digitalizing academic records have set a high standard for other universities to emulate, and the DARP project is a shining example of innovation and excellence in academic records management.
Gerald Ochwo is the Liaison Officer, Office of the Academic Registrar
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