General
President Museveni advises Great Lakes youth to shun pseudo ideology
The President of the Republic of Uganda, His Excellency, Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has encouraged the youth to fight against pseudo ideology as a way of propelling unity, stability, and prosperity in the country. The President emphasized that the spreading of pseudo ideology has not only led to political insecurities among African countries but also resulted to economic backwardness due its negativities of sectarianism in tribe, religion and gender.
“The biggest problem that African countries are now and have been facing is pseudo ideology. Many African countries have relied on false information for their own interests and selfish motives and this has greatly affected Africa’s economy,” said the President.
Addressing the delegates at the Second Convention of the Great Lakes Students’ Union held on Saturday 7th June 2014, at Makerere University Main Hall under the theme: Towards a bright future: the role of the youth in propelling unity, peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes region, His Excellency, the President encouraged the youth to involve themselves in the struggle to cure Africa from the weakness of pseudo ideology as a way of curbing down other problems affecting Africa. President Museveni also advised the youth to engage and invest more in the agricultural sector because it is the major way of alleviating poverty in Uganda.
“Ugandans are agriculturalists, therefore our economic activity is farming. Let us invest in farming because it is the way we are going to gain and develop our nation. We should consider inter connections as a serious issue to create and widen the market for commodities. That is why more efforts have been made to create regional integrations such as the East African Community,” advised President Museveni to the keenly attentive audience. “My advice to you is to keep this integration of the Great Lakes region moving as the way of uplifting the leadership capabilities of the youth,” added the President.
President Museveni thanked the Patron of the Great Lakes Students Union, Gen. Elly Tumwine for helping the youth to take an upper hand in the matters concerning the region and Africa at large. His Excellency further encouraged the youth to consider symbiosis as a great factor in fighting the problem of parasitism.
The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Professor John Ddumba-Ssentamu, Mrs. Elizabeth K. Gabona, Director Higher Education in the Ministry of Education and Sports, Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura among other dignitaries attended the Second Convention. At the same occasion, the Great Lakes Students’ Union (GLSU) presented the Lake Victoria Award to President Museveni, recognizing him for promoting peace, security and economic development in Africa.
The Chairperson of the Great Lakes Students’ Union, Mr. David Lewis thanked President Museveni, who launched the Union on Friday 12th July 2013 for accepting to officiate at the 2nd Convention on Saturday 7th June 2014. The Great Lakes Students’ Union comprises over 5000 past and present Student leaders from the Great Lakes region, and as such, the Second Convention consisted of participants from Universities in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Kampala International University, Cavendish University, Islamic University in Uganda, and Kampala University were some of the Uganda institutions that sent delegates to the Second GLSU Convention.
Mr. David Lewis emphasized that the Great Lakes Students’ Union was formed to purposely spread the gospel of regional integration, based on the objective of grooming the youth into responsible leaders. He then commended the sister associations namely the Somali Students Association in Uganda and the Nigerian Students Association in Uganda for participating in the Second Convention. He further explained that the choice of the day’s theme was in line with pressing needs of the region such as peace, prosperity and self-reliance. The GLSU Chairperson further expressed concern that the youth had become prey to illegal activities.
“It is lamentable that terrorism acts are on the rise in the region and at the centre of such acts are the youth. It is very easy to find youths active in such acts and yet when put to task, they cannot give the reasons why they are doing so.” Lewis said.
The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Professor John Ddumba-Ssentamu applauded the President for being passionate about empowering the youth and always giving them advice and counsel on issues critical to their social wellbeing as well as to national development. Professor Ddumba-Ssentamu pointed out the Students Loan Scheme launched on 24th April 2014 and the Uganda Youth innovation Centre and Export market launched on 2nd June 2014 as some of the initiatives that showed the President’s commitment to empowering the youth. The Vice Chancellor also thanked the President for supporting Makerere University through the Presidential Science Initiative as well as the assistance for infrastructural development through the African Development Bank.
“Through the Presidential Initiative, we have been able to produce cutting edge innovations in the fields of Technology, Design and Development, Academic Records Management, Low-cost Irrigation, Community Wireless Resource Centre, Internet Laboratories, as well as Food Technology, Nutrition, Animal Resources and Veterinary Medicine. I must point out, Mr. President, that this support is directly benefitting the youth at Makerere University to develop innovative technologies, undertake applied research and create knowledge for the transformation of society in line with the national vision 2040.”
The Patron of the Great Lakes Students’ Union, Gen. Elly Tumwine, said that the issue of the young people of the Great Lakes Region coming together is an energizer for the rest of the regional populations. He therefore called on the delegates to focus on prosperity of Africa. He saluted the President for supporting the youth and the Great Lakes Students’ Union.
Writer: Prossy Nabatte, Student Intern, MAK Public Relations Office
Editor: Ritah Namisango, Head, MAK Public Relations Office
Photos: Joseph Buwule, Associate Photographer, Landmark Media Consultancy
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Museveni warns African Youth against false ideology, New Vision-Taddeo Bwambale
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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