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.
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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