General
Former Malaysian Prime Minister tips Makerere on the Oil Blessing
“The growth in wealth has been quite fast, but we have also managed to wipe out poverty in Malaysia,” said His Excellency Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia.
On Wednesday 30th October 2012, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, members of management, staff and student representatives assembled in the Main Building Council room to welcome and listen to the words of wisdom from the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, H.E Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. The former Prime Minister is credited with providing the critical leadership that accelerated Malaysia’s transformation from a predominantly agrarian economy into an industrial powerhouse.
“Oil exploration is a venture that brings a lot of added advantage. Because our oil reserves were small, we decided that we must participate and learn every aspect of oil exploration and production. When we started, our oil price was only 20 dollars per barrel. But today, our oil price is 100 dollars per barrel,”said His Excellency Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad who served for 22 years as Prime Minister of Malaysia.
The former Prime Minister also stressed the need to focus on education and better infrastructure to spur the development of any country. “We believe in education. The Government of Malaysia commits 25% of the national budget on education. We need knowledge and people skills to develop the country. “I am happy that the desire to acquire knowledge is great among Malaysians,” he said.
Al-Haji Habib Kagimu, the Chairman of Habib Investments (Habib Oil) and also a Trustee of the Makerere University Private Sector Forum described H.E Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as a transformational leader who stood up to challenge the World Bank model, and instead developed a model to transform a least developed country to one of the best success stories in the world.
At this historic visit to Makerere University, H.E. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad accompanied by his wife, Mama Siti Hasmah, and Chancellor of Multi-Media University of Malaysia led a high powered business delegation from Malaysia’s energy, manufacturing, telecommunication and oil sectors.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor John Ddumba-Ssentamu welcomed the former Prime Minister and his delegation to Makerere University. He informed the distinguished guests that at the time of their visit, Makerere University was marking 90 years of existence, and has therefore significantly contributed to human resource development at the national and international levels. Professor Dddumba-Ssentamu thanked the Government of Uganda for supporting the promotion of science and technology in Makerere University. He informed the delegation that Makerere faces a number of challenges.
“Makerere University, however, faces a number of challenges such as inadequate funding and limited resources for research. I am quite positive that these challenges can be overcome especially when we partner with institutions in Malaysia. We are hopeful that the business community in Malaysia can collaborate with Makerere University to overcome some of these challenges,” remarked the Vice Chancellor.
Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu, Minister of Water and Environment and an alumnus of Makerere University noted that at the time of
His Excellency, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad expressed his joy at finally being able to personally visit Makerere University, having previously only read about the 90 year old institution. He was therefore happy to make his maiden trip and address the Management, academia and staff on Wednesday 31st October 2012. independence in 1962, Uganda was at the same level of development with Malaysia. Hon. Kamuntu said that as Uganda celebrates her golden jubilee of independence, the visit of to Uganda very important because Ugandans aspire to move from least developed to first world status. In the same spirit, Hon. Kamuntu also commended H.E Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s visit to Makerere University. “If any transformation is to happen in Uganda, it must be hatched at Makerere University. This is the cradle of the transformation of ideas,” he stressed.
His Excellency, further stressed the significance of his visit to Makerere University as testament of the Government and the people of Malaysia’s belief in education, and their focus on initiating partnerships between Uganda and Makerere University on one hand and the business community in Malaysia on the other.
He then embarked on sharing the success story that saw Malaysia grow into an industrial power base:
“The first objective was to create jobs for Malaysians. When people are jobless, they think about how unfortunate they are, and they become anti-government. In order to create jobs, the Government of Malaysia provided land for farming to the people who were unemployed,” he said.
In addition, the Government of Malaysia embarked on industrialization focusing on labour- intensive industries. The Government also provided subsidies to rice growing in order to reduce the cost of living.
“We need a strong government to develop the country. Stability contributes to development. Attending to the problem of unemployment in Malaysia is responsible for our stability,” he said.
The Government of Malaysia also invited foreign investors to set up industries which would provide jobs to Malaysians. We prioritized the issue of local content and the Malaysians were able to acquire the required skills and knowledge in different sectors.
He was proud to mention that today, Malaysians are not only investing in the country, but also outside the country.
“With our small oil reserves, we decided that we must participate and learn every aspect of oil exploration and production. With the knowledge and skills acquired, the Malaysians decided to take on the oil business. I am pleased to mention that Malaysian oil companies are conducting businesses in other countries.
![[L-R] Mama Siti Hasmah, H.E. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Professor John Ddumba-Ssentamu in the Council Room, Main Building on 30th September 2012.](https://news.mak.ac.ug/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Makererere-Fmr-Malaysian-PM-HE-Tun-Dr-Mahathir-Mohamad-Visit-30thOct2012-Group.jpg)
The Government of Malaysia also focused on increasing wealth through prioritising the education sector and entered into partnership with the private sector to provide state-of-the art infrastructure. The Government owns a part of the privatized telecommunication companies, and a lot of infrastructure is privatized.
“Many people think that privatization is a capitalist evil, but we turned to privatization because nationalization had been repeatedly proven to be a socialist mistake. The big privatization project, however, is not for everybody-it must go to people who have the capacity and proven record of success,” states a powerful quote extracted from his Memoirs, page 500-504.
Concluding his message on economic development, wealth and oil exploration, His Excellency, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad informed the congregation in Council Room that everyone has a role to play in building the Uganda they would like to be associated with. He advised that the academia and every Ugandan should ask the question- What do we want to do for our country?
His Excellency then presented to a book titled “A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE: The Memoirs of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.” The book has 843 pages, and the preface states, “This is the story of Malaysia as I see it. This is also my story.” 
In the same book, from page 500-504, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia provides a working formula for nationalization and privatization highlighting where each model works best.
Also impressed by the Vehicle design Project –Kiira Electric Vehicle by the students from Makerere University‘s College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), His Excellency pledged to initiate strong linkages between the Makerere University students and their counterparts in Malaysia working on similar projects.
The former Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Professor Livingstone Luboobi and the Chairperson of Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), Dr. Tanga Odoi , Principals and Deans were part of the congregation that listened to the message on development, wealth, oil exploration and a good will invitation for partnership with Malaysian institutions and business community.
In moving a vote of thanks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Professor Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza expressed Makerere‘s gratitude to H.E. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s for presenting the institution with a golden opportunity link up with the Malaysian universities and business community.
Article by
Ritah Namisango
Senior Public Relations Officer.
The Director of Makerere University Jinja Campus, Associate Professor Ronald Kakungulu-Mayambala, has urged students to familiarise themselves with the Safeguarding policy aimed at creating a safer and more inclusive learning environment.
Speaking during the safeguarding policy sensitization meeting held today Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at the Civil Service College, Jinja, Prof. Kakungulu-Mayambala, emphasized the importance of awareness and adherence to the policy, which seeks to protect students, staff, and other stakeholders from all forms of abuse, harassment, exploitation, and discrimination.
“As Management we want every student to enjoy their stay at the University without being tormented and that can only happen, if students know their rights by reading about different policies on our website. You are meant to be living in a safe environment. We do not want anybody’s dream to be shattered or somebody to drop out from University,” Prof. Kakungulu-Mayambala, said.
In his speech, Prof. Kakungulu-Mayambala, also called upon students who have complaints but do not know the reporting lines, to approach staff safeguarding champions to make sure that they live in a safe environment.
Addressing guests, Emmanuel Muchake, the Guild Administrator at Jinja Campus, pointed out that the launch of the safeguarding policy is timely because as a University, without creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning, they will not have students graduate.
On Friday, April 4,2025, the Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio, Right Honourable Lukia Isanga Nakadama, officially launched the Safeguarding Policy and commended Makerere University for crafting a policy that lays out the University’s framework for embedding viable safeguarding measures into its ethos and all institutional activities and processes to: Identify, detect, and act swiftly on safeguarding risks.
The Safeguarding Policy was developed in response to the growing need for institutions of higher learning to implement proactive measures that address concerns related to student welfare, mental health, gender-based violence, and power imbalances in academic settings.
Some of potential safeguarding risks in Institutions of higher learning include emotional distress, Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH); material loss, financial exploitation, discrimination and neglect, unfair and illegitimate response to civic engagements, cyber security/threats, psychological and emotional harm, substance abuse and physical assault. Discrimination and neglect which are often high risks for students with disabilities and international students.
The safeguarding policy sensitization meeting in Jinja Campus brought together students and staff in a meaningful dialogue on safeguarding issues affecting learning.
The event was graced by Dr. Rodney Rugyema, from the Dean of Students Office, who emphasized the University’s commitment to the well-being of all its members. In his remarks, he highlighted the importance of safeguarding policies in preventing abuse, harassment, exploitation, and other forms of misconduct within the Jinja Campus community.
“Safeguarding is not a one-time action, but a continuous culture of care and accountability. We all have a role to play in ensuring a safe and respectful space for learning and growth,” Dr Rugyema, said.
The sensitization session covered key topics including; recognizing signs of abuse, understanding reporting procedures on the MakSafeSpace and fostering mutual respect among peers.
Participants were encouraged to actively engage and reflect on their roles in upholding safety standards both on and off campus.
Students who attended the sensitization welcomed the initiative, with many expressing optimism that the policy would improve campus safety and encourage victims to come forward without fear of retaliation.
“We have seen issues go unreported in the past because students didn’t know where to turn. This policy provides clarity and assurance that the university is taking these matters seriously,” noted, a third-year student.
The University plans to conduct a series of sensitization workshops and distribute printed copies of the policy to ensure that every member of the campus community is well-informed. This initiative is part of Makerere University‘s broader strategy to reinforce its values of integrity, respect, and protection for all.
The Safeguarding Sensitization Meeting concluded with a collective pledge to uphold safety, dignity, and mutual respect within the University community.
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