General
Why Not Uganda? Asks Amb Haskel on Farewell Visit to Mak
The Israel Ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Seychelles H.E. Gil Haskel paid a farewell visit to Makerere University as part of his end of duty visit to Uganda from 13th to 15th July 2014. Accompanied by his wife Mrs. Dalit Dassa Haskel, the Ambassador Haskel paid a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu in his office on 14th July 2014, where he also met with the Chancellor, Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera, the Chairperson Council, Eng. Dr. Charles Wana Etyem, Representative to the Minister of Education and Sports and the Principal, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) Prof. John David Kabasa.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Ddumba-Ssentamu thanked the Ambassador for including Makerere University on his farewell visit to Uganda noting that this was a true testament to the to the value the Government and people of Israel attach to academia and indeed to Makerere University.
”We sincerely thank H.E. Ambassador Gil Haskel for his personal contribution to the success of the Agrostudies Internship at Makerere University and the Nation. This internship has not only grown but also flourished under your term of office,” said the Vice Chancellor in reference to the Agrostudies International Internship program increasing Uganda’s internship slots from 41 to 192.
Speaking on behalf of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) which was the flagship college for the Agrostudies Internship, Prof. John Muyonga-Dean, School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengineering on behalf of the Principal Prof. Bernard Bashaasha reiterated the Vice Chancellor’s statement, “We are happy Your Excellency that in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, where we only had two programmes participating last year, we are going to have a total of five programmes participating this year.”
Prof. Muyonga also expressed pleasure that more Colleges like CoVAB as well as other Institutions were also participating in the programme. “This is indeed the way to make the programme actually deliver for the country,” he added. He further appreciated the value that the Internship added to all the theory the students learnt, noting that the College looked forward to interacting with even more institutions to mainstream skilling of its students.
As an outcome of the Makerere University Job Evaluation Task Force’s benchmarking visit to Israel from 17th to 20th July 2012, the University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bar-llan University, Israel on 5th April 2013. The Principal, College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) Prof. JYT Mugisha appreciated Bar-Ilan University’s advancement in nano technology, computational sciences, astrophysics, biotechnology and bioengineering and hoped that the partnership would help broaden research cooperation in those disciplines.
“The College of Natural Sciences has written a project through which we can holistically partner with Bar-Ilan University. The project is aimed at bridging the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) gap in the rural and urban High Schools, also incorporating gender aspects,” said Prof. Mugisha. “We hope that this project can be taken up under the Presidential initiative so that together with Bar Ilan University, we can popularize sciences in Uganda with the anticipation of a big boost to the number of science students in the next eight years,” added the Principal CoNAS.
On behalf of the Makerere University Job Evaluation Task Force, Mr. George Piwang Jalobo who served as the Research Fellow on the same body borrowed a leaf from his theological background to illustrate how Israel’s use of modern technology to turn desert and wilderness into Eden was prophesied by Isaiah 51:1-3.
“If Israel could turn desert and wilderness into lush agricultural land, what could their skills and competence do to the fertile well-fed soils that we have in Uganda?” he pondered. “The trick and the key is in the hands of you the students that are going as agricultural evangelists to Israel to be trained to transform Agriculture in Uganda,” Mr. Piwang encouraged, further adding “That is the vision of His Excellency the President to transform agriculture in Uganda as embodied in Vision 2040 and you are the change agents. You are the cadres of agricultural modernization and transformation in Uganda. Don’t waste that opportunity.”
Speaking on behalf of CoVAB, the latest college to join the Agrostudies programme, The Principal Prof. John David Kabasa appreciated the timeliness of the Internship, noting that by 2040, it was envisaged that about 1billion people would be living in Cities of this region and would require safe and healthy animal products.
“Foot and mouth disease is one of those that can paralyze animal production. When this initiative came up, there was an opportunity to write a joint framework with partners from Ben-Gurion University of Negev-Israel, the US and Uganda Virus Research Institute to identify strains of the virus and come up with a vaccine to cordon it off. If we are able to do that, trading with Israel and other countries will be okay, and we hope, Your Excellency, that this programme will help to catalyse this initiative beyond other diseases which are also affecting the business,” stated Prof. Kabasa.
Mr. Agaba Issa Mugabo the Agrostudies Coordinator for East and Southern Africa thanked the Ambassador for his support to the Agrostudies Internship programme at Makerere University and always making personal follow-ups on the Students’ progress. He also prayed that the Ambassador would through his new office consider rounding off the Ugandan Internship slots to 200.
“Your Excellency, out of the 192 slots, we have interviewed close to 300 students from the five Institutions; Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Bishop Stuart University-Mbarara, Busoga University and Bukalasa Agricultural College, and we have shortlisted about 230 with only 8 slots for girls. Uganda is a gender-sensitive country and our prayer is that in your new capacity as Head of MASHAV, you will not only increase our total slots to 200 but also increase the slots for females,” advocated Mr. Mugabo.
Out of the 192 slots confirmed by Agrostudies, 25 have gone to CAES, 40 to CoVAB, 20 to Kyambogo University, 32 to Busoga University, 15 to Bishop Stuart University and 60 to Bukalasa Agricultural College.
In his remarks, the Chairperson University Council, Eng. Dr. Charles Wana Etyem commended Ambassador Haskel for his keen interest in Makerere as demonstrated by his record-holding visits. “In the long and distinguished history of Makerere University, H.E. Gil Haskel indeed holds his own record not only as the first Israeli Ambassador but also the first foreign envoy ever to have visited Makerere University three times within a space of less than one and a half years. We pray that you may continue to break many more records here at Makerere University, especially as you take on your new assignment back home in Israel,” said the Chairperson Council.
Eng. Dr. Wana Etyem further appreciated the Agrostudies Programme, as an opportunity for Ugandans to not only receive practical skills in the sciences but also change the mindset and attitude of students towards agricultural work and productivity. He prayed that any issues emanating from the programme which was approved by the Senate and endorsed by the Council would be appropriately handled without creating any anxiety on the part of any party.
In Reading the Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Jessica Alupo’s remarks, the Minister’s representative expressed her appreciation to Ambassador Haskel on the progress of the partnership thus far “Your Excellency, the Government of Uganda is pleased that the Memorandum of Understanding between Makerere University and Bar Ilan University and the Agrostudies Agricultural Internship towards modernization of agriculture in Uganda and future collaborations with other Israeli Universities and Institutions are all geared towards promoting and scaling up the Presidential Initiative for Science, Technology and Innovations,” read the representative.
“The Honourable Minster of Education and Sports also recommended to the Chancellor Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera to inaugurate H.E. President Yoweri Museveni as the Patron of the Presidential Initiative for Science, Technology and Innovation in Makerere University, as a Ugandan homegrown centre of excellence in Science Technology and Innovation in Africa,” he added. This has been proposed to take place in October 2014, as part of Uganda’s 52nd Independence Celebrations, in recognition of President Museveni being the first African Head of State to set up the Presidential Initiative in 2010/11 as a National Science, Technology and Innovation fund at Makerere in the context of the African Science, Technology and Innovations Consolidated Action Plan as approved by the African Union Heads of State in 2006.
In appreciation of the warm welcome that had been extended to His Embassy and all Israeli Nationals that had visited Makerere University, H.E. Ambassador Gil Haskel remarked that it was a huge honour for him to break the record by being the first foreign envoy to visit Makerere University three times in a space of less than one and a half years “But I think in return Uganda also broke a record in being the first Country to elevate the number of students to almost 200 in the second year. So we are now equal in terms of record breaking,” remarked Ambassador Haskel amidst applause from the audience.
The Ambassador expressed his pleasure at being invited to address a distinguished audience which included the largest batch of students ever to be sent on Internship from Uganda to Israel. He however challenged the students to ask themselves one simple question ‘Why Not?’ in reference to why agro-technology and agricultural farming should not elevate itself in Uganda to the exact same level as it is in Israel.
“That question ‘Why not?’ should lead you in your future endeavours after you come back, because the whole idea of this programme is to allow our good friends in Uganda to adopt and adapt the technologies exercised in Israel. We are 66years old while Uganda is 52years old. We are not very much apart in age and so what we achieved in Israel can be achieved in Uganda,” challenged Ambassador Haskel.
Addressing the gathering at the Chief Guest-Executive Director, Uganda Industrial Research Institute and Senior Presidential Advisor on Science and Technology, Prof. Charles Kwesiga noted that Uganda has a lot to learn from Israel which has debunked all theories, notions and even excuses that we give for our own slow pace of development. “Talk about political strife, they are never at peace; Israel is faced with intermittent wars and an implacable enemy that seeks its destruction and the economy is continuously strained by having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other country in the world,” he noted.
Prof. Kwesiga further challenged Africa not to use brain drain as an excuse because Israel, despite having many people of Jewish origin living outside her borders has still managed to produce many award winning innovations including Nobel Laureates “But how do they do it?” pondered The Chief Guest, before hastening to answer, “Israel manages to inspire its citizens and all the people of the Jewish faith to always think about and contribute to the betterment of their homeland.” In the same vein, The Chief Guest decried the mockery made by Ugandans in the Diaspora of their own country, noting that such tendencies would only serve to hold us back.
Turning to the Internship-bound students, Prof. Kwesiga challenged “Israel has the highest ratio of University degrees to the population in the world. Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin. My young students, why not cooperate and collaborate with a success story like Israel? On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups. So as you go for Agrostudies, be on the lookout. You can learn a thing or two,” said Prof. Charles Kwesiga.
The Chief Guest prayed that Ambassador Gil Haskel would continue with the good job of promoting collaboration between Ugandan and Israeli institutions and of enhancing even further the bilateral operations. He also appealed to the audience to take advantage of this goodwill from Israel so that Uganda can leapfrog some of her own problems.
Appreciating the Government of Israel’s contributions to Uganda and Makerere, The Chancellor Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera presented H.E. Ambassador Gil Haskel with a souvenir. “Therefore Your Excellency, in appreciation of your support to the Kiira EV project and furtherance of the Project’s collaboration with the Israel Government, Scholarship and Private Sector, it is our pleasure and privilege to give you this small souvenir so that you can still remember that there is such a thing as the Kiira EV project,” said The Chancellor, thereafter encouraging the audience to visit the Centre for Research in Transportation Technologies (CRTT) Ntinda premises. “We have to learn to love our country especially you the young people. Get genetically engineered so that you can have a change of attitude. Choose to be different,” added the Chancellor.
In moving a vote of thanks to the Chief Guest the Vice Chancellor Bishop Stuart University (BSU) and former Dean, School of Biosciences, CoNAS, Dr. Maud Kamatenesi appreciated Prof. Charles Kwesiga for his stimulating and inspirational address that had rallied students to go out and do their best. She thanked the Makerere University Council and Management for always mentoring and reaching out to BSU; the Agrostudies Internship being one of the avenues. She gave glory to God for the Nation of Israel’s inspirational example to the rest of world in Science, Technology and Innovations.
Article by Public Relations Office
By Moses Lutaaya
Makerere University has challenged newly admitted postgraduate diploma and master’s students to take ownership of their academic journey, produce knowledge that addresses Africa’s challenges and use their training to create opportunities for society.
The call was made on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, during the orientation of postgraduate diploma and master’s students held at the Main Hall, Main Building, Makerere University. The orientation was conducted under the theme “Harnessing the Power of Graduate Training to Transform Africa’s Research Trajectory.”
Addressing the students, Prof. Sarah Ssali, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, said admission to postgraduate education marked an important transition from undergraduate study and should come with greater independence, critical thinking and responsibility.
“Postgraduate study is not just the accumulation of knowledge. You are now active researchers, critical thinkers and creators of your own knowledge,” Prof. Ssali said.
She said postgraduate training should enable students to deepen their expertise, strengthen their analytical abilities and develop solutions to real-world problems.
“Through your projects, dissertations, innovations and professional practice, you have the opportunity to contribute knowledge that can influence policies, improve services and transform lives. Your research matters, and your contribution matters,” she said.
Prof. Ssali urged students to see their studies beyond the pursuit of a degree, encouraging them to ask themselves why they had chosen postgraduate education and what contribution they intended to make to their communities and professions.
“See your coursework as an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that will help you propose new solutions to real-world challenges,” she said.
She also encouraged students to embrace collaboration with communities and non-academic partners, saying many of them were already coming to the University with professional and community experiences that could enrich their research.
“Don’t think that your scholarship is only for those who look academic. Embrace community, embrace networks,” she said.
Prof. Ssali further cautioned the students against wasting time, noting that many postgraduate students have employment, family and other responsibilities alongside their studies.
“Make the most of your time and don’t waste it,” she said, urging students to use available study time productively even when there are changes in their lecture schedules.
She also emphasised the need for students to take responsibility for their progress instead of waiting for lecturers or supervisors to push them.
“Postgraduate education requires independence, independent inquiry, independent research, independent interrogation and also active participation,” Prof. Ssali said.
Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director of Graduate Training, told the students that their admission was a significant achievement given the large number of applicants seeking postgraduate opportunities at Makerere.
“We received over 12,000 applications to our postgraduate programmes, but we are only able to take just a small percentage of that. That means you are just the few people who are able to do this,” Prof. Kikooma said.
He urged the new students to appreciate the opportunity and understand that graduate education carries responsibilities beyond attending lectures and completing examinations.
According to Prof. Kikooma, Uganda and Africa require highly trained human capital capable of driving national and continental development priorities.
“The country needs more highly trained people if it is going to achieve its aspirations and priorities for national development,” he said.
He challenged the students to consider what Uganda and Africa would look like in the coming decades and to question whether the continent would continue relying on ideas, innovations and creations generated elsewhere.
“Will it still be a country that always depends on ideas, innovations and creations that come from outside?” he asked, before urging the students to become part of the generation that develops home-grown solutions.
Prof. Kikooma said much of what Uganda would need in the future would depend on what the country invests in today, particularly in human capital and research.
He also explained that the Directorate of Graduate Training works with colleges, schools, departments and central University units to strengthen the quality of graduate education.
“We want to make sure that what you are taking away from here is of a certain quality,” he said, adding that the University has established policies, standards and systems intended to create an environment in which postgraduate students can succeed.
However, Prof. Kikooma stressed that the University cannot take responsibility for the entire academic journey on behalf of students.
“We will not replace your programme. We will not replace your lecturers. We will not replace your supervisors. Each of those has a different role to play along your journey,” he said.
He encouraged students to be proactive by understanding their programmes, colleges and the various support services available to them.
“Successful graduates tend to be proactive rather than reactive. So don’t wait until you have a problem, then you start running from it,” Prof. Kikooma said.
He further urged the students to work within the stipulated programme period, noting that most master’s programmes take about two years while postgraduate diploma programmes generally take one year.
Prof. Robert Wamala, Director of Research, Innovations and Partnerships, urged the newly admitted students to use their graduate training to produce knowledge capable of addressing challenges facing their communities, Uganda and Africa.
He challenged them to move beyond consuming knowledge generated elsewhere and instead become producers of knowledge and solutions.
Prof. Wamala emphasised the importance of connecting research to society, innovation and professional practice, encouraging students to identify problems within their workplaces and communities that could become areas for meaningful research.
He said Africa needed researchers capable of generating evidence, innovations and practical solutions to support development rather than simply importing solutions from other parts of the world.
The Director encouraged the students to build collaborative networks during their studies and to regard the University as an ecosystem in which researchers, professionals, communities and other partners can work together.
Dr. Kizito Ongaya, Deputy University Librarian, introduced the students to Makerere’s extensive library and information resources, urging them to make the library a central part of their postgraduate studies.
He said the University Library operates a hybrid system combining physical collections with electronic resources.
“We have over 200,000 types of books in our library, with 45 e-journal databases,” Dr. Ongaya said.
He encouraged students to make use of the University’s electronic databases, noting that substantial resources are invested in providing access to scholarly journals.
“If you don’t use e-journals, you are unacceptable,” he told the students, emphasising that postgraduate research requires extensive engagement with scholarly literature.
Dr. Ongaya also highlighted the University’s archival collections, specialised libraries and information centres located across its colleges.
He said students would be guided on how to access both physical and electronic resources and encouraged them to explore specialised collections that could support their individual research areas.
Dr. Mike Barongo, Team Leader ICT, Department of the Academic Registrar, told the new students that Makerere had increasingly digitised its academic and administrative processes and urged them to complete their online registration as an immediate priority.
He said students could access their provisional admission letters through the online application system and use the student number provided to activate their student portals.
“The student portal is very, very critical,” Dr. Barongo said.
He explained that students must enrol and register in order to access key University services, including institutional email and Wi-Fi.
“Once you enroll, you create an institutional email address. That institutional email address is the gateway for you to access so many things, like Wi-Fi,” he said.
Dr. Barongo also informed students that ICT support centres were available to assist those experiencing challenges with enrolment, registration or access to digital services.
He urged students to ensure they enrol and register every semester so that the University systems can accurately capture their academic and financial information.
Others senior members in attendance include the Deputy University Bursar Mr. George Mugabi Turyamureeba and Mr. Henry Nsubuga, the Manager Makerere University Counselling and Guidance Centre.
By Moses Lutaaya
Makerere University has challenged its newly admitted PhD students to go beyond pursuing academic qualifications and become independent scholars capable of generating knowledge, solving societal problems and contributing to Africa’s transformation.
The call was made by the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Sarah Ssali, during the orientation of the 2026/2027 PhD cohort at Makerere University’s Main Hall in the Main Building on 10th August 2026.
Prof. Ssali told the new scholars that a PhD marks a fundamental shift from previous levels of education, requiring students to take greater responsibility for their academic progress rather than depending entirely on lecturers and supervisors.
“You will have to push yourself and also push your supervisor to move with you,” Prof. Ssali said, urging the students to take ownership of their doctoral journey.
She acknowledged that many PhD students have to balance their studies with employment, family responsibilities and community leadership, making doctoral training demanding. However, she urged them to remain focused on completing their programmes within the prescribed three, four or five years.
Prof. Ssali said Makerere expects its doctoral training to produce scholars who can create knowledge, challenge existing ideas and develop solutions to societal problems.
She encouraged the students to embrace ambiguity and become comfortable questioning what they already know, noting that doctoral education requires scholars to identify important questions, investigate them and generate answers that advance knowledge.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor also urged the students to develop interdisciplinary collaborations and scholarly networks rather than confining their research to their individual disciplines.
She said the success of doctoral education should not be measured merely by the number of dissertations completed or papers published, but by the extent to which research contributes to society.
With Africa facing complex challenges, including climate change, disease, population growth and development pressures, Prof. Ssali said PhD scholars have a responsibility to generate evidence that can influence policy, strengthen institutions and advance innovation.
She challenged each scholar to continually ask what problem their research addresses, what solution it advances and whether that solution can create sustainable value.
The Director of Graduate Training, Prof. Julius Kikooma, said the new cohort was joining Makerere at a time when the University is implementing reforms aimed at strengthening graduate education and improving completion rates.
Prof. Kikooma revealed that Makerere received close to 12,000 applications across its master’s, postgraduate and PhD programmes but admitted about 6,000 students.
He said graduate education has been placed at the centre of the University’s efforts to strengthen research capacity and prepare scholars to contribute to knowledge production and innovation.
Under the reforms, PhD students will undertake compulsory cross-cutting courses designed to provide foundational knowledge and skills for doctoral research. They will also be required to undertake teaching in either their second or third year under the guidance of their supervisors.
In addition to completing their theses, students will be required to produce at least two publications before graduation, a requirement intended to prepare them to become the next generation of researchers, innovators, inventors and creators.
Makerere has also introduced a digital system to monitor the progress of every PhD student each semester. The system is intended to enable students, supervisors and university officials to identify challenges early and intervene in real time.
Prof. Kikooma urged the scholars to write regularly, think critically, maintain open and constructive relationships with their supervisors and protect their academic integrity and professional reputation.
He also encouraged them to build scholarly networks and remain resilient, noting that rejected papers, disappointing data and unexpected challenges are normal aspects of doctoral training.
The Director of Research, Innovations and Partnerships, Prof. Robert Wamala, challenged the scholars to ensure that the knowledge they produce is trustworthy, responsible and ethically sound.
Prof. Wamala emphasized the importance of respecting the dignity, rights, safety and autonomy of research participants, particularly where studies involve individuals, communities and personal information.
He highlighted informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, justice and accountability as critical principles of ethical research and urged students to maintain transparency throughout the research process, from developing research questions and collecting data to analyzing and reporting findings.
Prof. Wamala also cautioned the students on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in research.
He said although AI can assist researchers with activities such as language improvement, it does not remove the researcher’s responsibility for the final product.
Researchers, he said, must verify AI-generated information and remain accountable for inaccurate statements, misleading interpretations and incorrect references.
He further urged students involved in international and other research collaborations to establish clear agreements on roles, authorship, data ownership, access and intellectual property before commencing their research.
The Deputy University Librarian, Dr. Kizito Ongaya, meanwhile, urged the new scholars to make full use of Makerere’s library and information resources throughout their doctoral journey.
Dr. Ongaya said the University operates a hybrid library system combining physical and electronic resources, with more than 200,000 books, 45 e-journal databases and over 16,000 archival materials available to researchers.
He encouraged the students to participate in library training to learn how to access and effectively use electronic resources and to explore specialized libraries and information centers across the University’s colleges.
These include resources covering natural sciences, agriculture, veterinary medicine, health sciences, education and humanities, as well as museums, botanical gardens, specialized collections and other research facilities.
The newly admitted doctoral students were also addressed by Mr. Henry Nsubuga, the Manager Makerere University Counselling and Guidance Centre, Mr. George Mugabi Turyamureeba, the Deputy University Bursar and members of Makerere University Convocation.
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