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Makerere’s AFRISA Model Excites 6th FARA Conference Participants

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Academic and curriculum developers attending the on-going FARA conference in Accra, Ghana have expressed interest in the integration of the Makerere University AFRISA-SPEDA educational model in their respective curricula. This follows a presentation by the Principal, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) Prof. John David Kabasa on special and innovative curricula and programs that Makerere University has developed. Prof. Kabasa also won an award from African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE). This was in recognition of curricula reforms that he has spearheaded at the College which support ANAFE’s agenda and service to the African continent.

Prof. Kabasa explained the efforts Makerere has made through partnerships to transform communities in Somaliland and the reforms that are required to establish transformative education in Africa using the AFRISA-SPEDA model.

He said the thrust is to graduate somebody who is a job creator or already has an enterprise, skills and is involved in production. “We normally nurture the student to learn competencies, develop a strategic and business plan. By the time the student graduates, (s)he is a certified producer and entrepreneur. In this, we are solving the problem of job creation and using higher education as a tool for supporting production. We are taking the university to the community and anchoring higher education directly in development,” Prof. Kabasa explained.

The model has been seen as a good example for thematic curricula that are aligned to industrial value chains, which is the current drive for the African Union. This has prompted participants to appreciate the model and extend their invitation to the University.  “We want to request Makerere University to assist us integrate this model in our curriculum,” Prof. Adandedjan Claude from Benin’s University of Abomey-Calavi, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences appealed.

The same invitation was extended by TEAM AFRICA, the network that deals with tertiary education for agricultural modernization. RUFORUM also invited the University to submit the concept for the AFRISA-SPEDA model with regard to the graduate programs that were developed under the vocationalisation of the animal sector education systems (VASES).

“We are particularly interested in learning about the experiences of Makerere’s vocationalisation in tertiary institutions”, said Prof. Igor Besson from Cameroon

Prof. Kabasa also participated in other fora including one on the organization of food systems in Africa. Members expressed the need to develop the African food systems in a balanced way, taking care of not just available food but ensuring that the food is safe and healthy.  Prof. David Kabasa observed that while we have so many people lacking what to eat, we also have many people who have food but are eating it in an unbalanced manner.

“The proportion of people who are malnourished because of unbalanced food intake has increased and the problem of obesity and [being] overweight is as critical in Africa today as it is in the western world. As the African union and its agents are planning to transform the food systems in Africa and agriculture in general, it must be a holistic approach ensuring that these aspects are embedded in the curricula”, he said.

Other issues discussed were on food of animal origin as a key aspect for income and livelihood of the people where more than half of the continent is relying on animal production.

The conference has brought Makerere’s innovations more into the limelight on the African continent and in the international community, complete with some take-home lessons. Indeed, many participants expected Makerere to be present on grounds that it is setting the pace in higher education and research.

“It gave us a big lesson that Makerere should learn to be where it is expected. I think in future, Makerere should be vigilant particularly the communication and Public Relations office should keep everybody informed so that other sections of the university can participate. At the same time, we have picked a lot of knowledge. This is like a shopping place where there is lots of information to inform our curricula development, strategic planning, research agenda and it is a place where we have been able to get partners already”, Prof. Kabasa observed.

Story by Jovia Musubika Kavulu, Jane Anyango and Agaba Issa Mugabo

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Special Exam Results -Diploma in Performing Arts 2025/26

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The results for the 2025/2026 special entry examination for the Diploma in Performing Arts held on Saturday 17th May, 2025. Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the Examination and have been recommended to the university’s Admissions Committee for consideration.

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Mature Age Scheme Exam Results for 2025/2026

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The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released full results for the Mature Age Entry Scheme Examinations for the Academic Year 2025/2026 held on Saturday 14th December, 2024.

The Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the examination and have been recommended by the Pre-Entry & Mature Age Committee to the University’s Admissions Board for Consideration.

The Aptitude Exam  Results for 2025/2026 Academic Year released in February 2025 can be found here.

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Call for Application: 2025 SNRM session 4 Summer School

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Participants in focused group discussions. Leiden-Delft-Erasmus East Africa Research Network (LEARN) in collaboration with the Urban Action Lab at Makerere University a workshop to deliberate strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change in urban centres in the East African Region, Theme: “Resilient Urban Futures: Adapting Livelihoods to Climate Change”, 4th-5th September 2024, School of Public Health Auditorium, Kampala Uganda.

Context:
Natural resources in Africa are being depleted at an alarming rate due to several factors, including unsustainable human activities, climate change, and population growth. A primary condition of sustainable development is to ensure that the pressures do not exceed the environmental limits, and that demand for the resources does not exceed levels that can be sustainably provided by nature. Therefore, there is a pressing need for transformative, systems-thinking approaches and tools that can tackle the diverse challenges facing these systems. In Africa, this need is compounded by a lack of data and monitoring, which significantly hinders sustainable decision-making.

Investing in young scientists who are committed to take lead in sustainable management of Africa’s natural resources is very important. Capacity building of young scientists will enhance their knowledge and skill on sustainable natural resources and their involvement for implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDG’s) in Africa. To this effect, SNRM summer schools have been implemented in three sessions in 2019, 2020, and 2022 with support from Volkswagen Foundation; to build a critical mass of skilled and competent young natural resource scientists in Africa through training, capacity building and mentorship. Session 4 (2025) will target competent young scientists (MSc and PhD students) in Africa and Germany to further develop their knowledge and skills in systems thinking, advanced data collection and analysis, and application of emerging digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), internet of things (IoT), and embracing transdisciplinary approaches. In addition, we include an ideation workshop where students can work on real problems to come up with solutions for sustainable transformations in natural resource use.

Organizers: Leibniz Universität – Hannover (Germany), University of Antananarivo, University of Abomey Calavi (Benin), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Ghana (Ghana), University of Parakou (Benin), The Technical University of Kenya, with financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation (Germany).

Venue and dates: Nairobi, Kenya, 16-28 November 2025

Target: MSc and PhD students, early in the program of less than 35 years of age from any university/research institution in either sub-Saharan Africa or Germany with an interest in natural resources management.

Participants and Scholarships: The course is fully funded and open to 20 MSc and PhD students from Africa, and 5 from Germany. Funding will cover the costs of air ticket, accommodation, meals, visa, and transportation. However, participants will cover the cost of their travel health insurance.

Topics

SNRM Summer School Session 4: Transformative pathways in biodiversity management and conservation.
This summer school is designed to deliver four modules over a two-week period. The modules are designed to enable the students to acquire new ways of designing data collection protocols and analysis for transformative sustainable natural resources management.

Module 4.1: Data collection I
Skills in data collection for a transformative and sustainable management of natural resources (water, wildlife, forest, land, livestock, crops) monitoring and data collection techniques; remote monitoring tools, earth observation system data, e.g. satellite data sources, LIDAR, and UAV aerial images. Collect and analyse In-situ data on biotic and abiotic parameters, map and analyse data using R or Google Earth Engine, field data collection and retrieving data from online databases.

Module 4.2 Data management and processing
Introduction to tools and methods of managing large and diverse data sets of natural resources such as time series, spatial, directional, and multivariate data. Practicals will include data storage, organization and conversion into various formats using databases such as PostgreSQL and statistical programming software such as R and Python; scripts.

Module 4.3 Ecological monitoring, modelling and management
This module aims to teach participants how to anticipate and validate trends that can be observed in various ecosystems. Lectures include ecological monitoring and its design; population monitoring studies; metrics in population monitoring; methods for monitoring and assessing marine ecosystems; human ecology to socio-ecological systems; climate change impact of ecosystems; suitability assessments; overview of the principles underlying wildlife monitoring and prediction systems for climate change adaptation. Practicals will include field data collection (individual and group); ecological data analysis using R or PAST; modelling and experiencing the behaviour of complex systems using Vensim.

Module 4.4 Natural habitat restoration ideation lab
This module is designed to spur students’ innovation and creativity, and to help students comprehensively identify interdependencies across the 17 SDG goals. Participants will be trained on ideation processes for solutions and intervention for transformative natural resource management. They will work collaboratively in small groups on case studies and develop pathways of transformative sustainable natural resource management. Examples of projects include forest (mangrove) ecosystem and habitat restoration, improved technologies for agricultural production, nature-based solutions for improving water quality, and reversing land degradation.

Language: The course will be delivered in English. Participants are expected to be fluent in writing and speaking the English language.

How to apply

Applicants are kindly requested to fill in the application form available from https://snrmafrica.com/ and submit the following documents in English through the system.

  • a curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages)
  • a letter of motivation (maximum 1 page)
  • a confirmation of university enrolment
  • a reference letter from the academic supervisor
  • project summary of MSc/ PhD project (1 page including objectives, methodology
    and key findings or expected outcomes).

Important dates
Application deadline: 30th June 2025.
Announcement of accepted applicants: 15th August 2025.
Confirmation of attendance by selected participants: 12th Sept 2025.
Summer school held: 16 – 28 Nov 2025.

Further information is available from

The secretariat info@snrmafrica.com
Dr Lydia Olaka lydiaolaka@tukenya.ac.ke
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Stuetzel stuetzel@gem.uni-hannover.de

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