The Ambassador of Sweden to Uganda, H.E Urban Andersson has opened the 2014 Mak-Sida Annual Review Meeting, which brings together Ugandan and Swedish partners to assess the achievements in research and to work towards strengthening synergies in the higher education sector.
Addressing the participants at the Annual Planning Meeting, which started on Monday 6th October 2014 in the CEDAT Conference Hall, the Ambassador was glad to note that the outcome of the review meeting would enrich the upcoming Research Dissemination Conference.
“This Annual Review will surely feed into the announced International Science Conference in April 2015, in which the results from the last five years of Swedish research collaboration will then be discussed with higher education stakeholders from Uganda and abroad,” said the Ambassador.
His Excellency Andersson also acknowledged the long term friendship between Makerere University and the Royal Government of Sweden and urged both partners to maintain the mutual relationship and collaboration in order to achieve the set goals of the programme.
“The long term goal of this program- improved intellectual capacity -is imperative to determine strategies and solutions for everyday problems affecting the globe. Therefore our concern should focus on how to achieve this goal in an interconnected globalized world,” the Ambassador remarked.
The Vice chancellor of Makerere University Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu, appreciated the significance of the continued support from the Royal Government of Sweden to the realization of the Makerere University Research agenda, improvement of the teaching, learning and research infrastructure, advancement of ICT and library services as well as human resource capacity building.
“This support has been monumental and critical to the realization of our core functions of teaching and learning, research and innovations, and partnership and networking. I am happy to report that since 2000 when our cooperation began, over 150 academic staff have completed their PHD studies and over 30 have completed their Master’s degrees through Sida funding,” the Vice Chancellor reported.
“There has been three consecutive agreement periods, which have amounted to SEK 495 million (USD71million) these funds have significantly contributed to capacity development through skills acquisition and nurturing of new breed of scientists that hold the candle for Uganda’s development, thereby improving Uganda’s research culture,” Prof. Buyinza remarked.
Prof. Buyinza also highlighted some of the challenges the university was facing in the process of developing research and capacity building.
“The University still faces a number of challenges including inadequate research infrastructure, inadequate research funding and low level of support for basic research, leading to the obstruction of the research-industrial-economic growth nexus,” he added.
The opening ceremony saw H.E Urban Andersson launch a tool developed by the Directorate of ICT Support. The web-based tool will be used to monitor the progress of research of graduate students and monitoring their supervisors.
After the Opening ceremony, the Annual Review Meeting continued with the Mak-Sida Science Day with scientific presentations focusing on the theme, Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development. Staff and students in the College of Natural Sciences whose research is funded under the Mak-Sida Research Cooperation programme, shared with the audience the relevance of their PHD work and research to the respective communities.
Some of the projects shared included:
Dietary lipid oxidation in fish feeds: effects and use of alternative raw material
The Pesticides project that investigates the emerging persistent organic pollutants in air and precipitation samples taken in the Ugandan part of the Lake Victoria watershed
Integration of Nutri-Medicinal Plants as Therapeutics in Health Care Delivery in Uganda
Phytochemistry and Bioactivity of selected plant species used by Rukararwe and Prometra herbalists in treatment of Malaria in Uganda
The Green Chemistry Project focusing on coordination chemistry research involving usage of reactants and the products of their reactions, which are as far as possible environmental friendly
The Environmental Monitoring project aimed at developing and trying out new technologies to restore vegetation in the polluted pyrite soil
Mathematical modeling Project focused on studying the hydrodynamics of Lake Victoria because of its importance to Uganda and the region
Makerere University School of Public Health, through the Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management, is accepting applications for a two-week online short course on Introduction to Decision Modelling for Economic Evaluation.
The course will introduce participants to the principles and practical application of decision modelling in economic evaluation, covering Markov modelling, evidence synthesis, model development, validation, sensitivity analysis and interpretation of results to inform policy and resource allocation.
Convened by Dr. Elizabeth Ekirapa, Associate Professor of Health Economics at MakSPH, the course will feature Dr. Joseph Babigumira, Managing Consultant at GHE Consulting, as Guest Lecturer.
The training targets health professionals, researchers, policymakers, students and other individuals interested in applying decision modelling to economic evaluation.
Dates: 9–20 November 2026 Time: 3:00–6:00 PM EAT Mode: Online via Zoom Fees: UGX 800,000 (Ugandans) | USD 270 (non-Ugandans) Application Deadline: 1 November 2026
Makerere University and Xiangtan University are set to update their close to 20-year academic partnership, with a new focus on launching a joint Master’s degree program in Chemical Engineering and expanding student and staff exchange initiatives.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a recent visit by a delegation from Xiangtan University to Makerere University headed by Professor Dingyu Ou, in the company of Mr. Tang Fei and Professor Gilbert Gumshabe, the Chinese and Ugandan Directors of the Confucius Institute at Makerere University respectively.
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify academic offerings and contribute to national development through training in Chemical Engineering. Through this new initiative, the University will better prepare graduates for the petrochemical industry and support the country’s industrial growth.
The meeting in session.
The Vice Chancellor appreciated that the proposed collaboration aims to address Uganda’s growing need for industrial expertise, particularly as the country develops its petroleum sector. The two universities here are working toward a 1+2 training model, which will enable Makerere students to gain practical experience and access advanced laboratory facilities at Xiangtan University.
Professor Nawangwe further reiterated that “our relationship with the people of China, not just for Makerere but also for a big part of Uganda, has been opened wider by the establishment of the Confucius Institute, considering that many other collaborations like one being discussed now have come through this collaboration.”
The head of the Xiangtan delegation, Professor Dingyu Ou, expressed appreciation for the meeting, and acknowledged the history between the institutions. “As mentioned, we have a very long relationship and a very stable friendship between our two universities.”
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (L) presents an assortment of Makerere Souvenirs to Prof. Dingyu Ou (R).
Professor Ou extended appreciation for the support provided to the Confucius Institute at Makerere, the care shown to his colleagues, and looked forward to the successful start of the Chemical Engineering collaboration.
Assuring the delegation of Makerere’s readiness for the collaboration, Ms. Hawa Ndagire Kajumba the Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Makerere University Advancement Office, aligned with the Vice Chancellor’s emphasis of University goal to have both theory and practice imparted to the students.
She said “the curriculum of the university and Uganda as a whole is moving towards competence-based education training to ensure students are equipped to demonstrate those skills in the actual field, particularly regarding petroleum exploration.”
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (L) presents an assortment of Makerere Souvenirs to Prof. Zhuoqiong Xia (R).
Ms. Ndagire Kajumba also emphasised a shift in strategy for the partnership office, saying, “we are moving away from just signing MOUs that collect dust, and moving towards those that are more collaborative to benefit our faculty and students, just like this one.”
Professor Gilbert Kumushabe aligned his remarks with those of the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Ndagire Kajumba, and described the method used at Xiangtan University as “actually competence-based teaching.”
Based on his recent visit, Prof. Gumoshabe shared that students in China are divided into groups with dedicated teachers to perform practical, hands-on work beyond the theoretical lecturers. He expressed gladness that the same was being adopted for the Ugandan context.
Both institutions are now working to finalise the specific agreements for the joint degree and exchange programs. Beyond academic training, the collaboration will advance cultural and professional exchange.
Makerere University School of Public Health invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for three positions under the Wellcome Trust-supported NETOMA study, which examines the coexistence of health worker shortages and unemployment among qualified health professionals in Africa.
Available Positions
Research Officer To coordinate longitudinal research, data management, quality assurance, and statistical analysis across study sites. Full details and application: https://sph.mak.ac.ug/careers/?view_job=21465
Policy Scientist To undertake health workforce policy research, evidence synthesis, qualitative analysis and knowledge translation. Full details and application: https://sph.mak.ac.ug/careers/?view_job=21468
Research Assistants To support participant recruitment, field data collection, research documentation, and analysis. Full details and application: https://sph.mak.ac.ug/careers/?view_job=21470
Application deadline: Friday, 16 October 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EAT .