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Mak Sida Annual Review Meeting Reveals Good Progress
Over the last 15 years of collaboration, the Swedish Government has invested US$ 73.3 million in Graduate Training and the scientific environments of five public Universities in Uganda, with the main recipient being Makerere University (Mak). The latest phase of collaboration (2015-2020) will contribute US$ 32million to training over 240 students over the five year period.
These figures formed a good basis for this year’s Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) Annual Review Meeting’s theme “Investing in Research and Innovating for Society”. Launched on 10th October 2016 in the Main Hall, the meeting also marked the first official visit to Makerere University by the new Swedish Ambassador to Uganda H.E. Per Lindgärde.
Ambassador Lindgärde who arrived in the country only a week prior to the Annual Review Meeting thanked Makerere University for the warm reception accorded to him.
“The Annual Review Meeting brings together Ugandan and Swedish partners to assess the past year. I understand that some of you are new to the program, while others have much experience from previous collaboration phases. But what you all have in common is that you have been successful in the competition to get a project approved for this collaboration,” commended Ambassador Lindgärde.
He further drew attention to the uniqueness of the Swedish funding to research collaboration, noting that “The Swedish strategy is based on funding institution building, post-graduate education, and research in one single effort. No part can function without the others. It is a holistic approach” shared the Ambassador.
The Director, Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) and Head of the Mak-Sida Intuitional Collaboration Programme, Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza thanked the Swedish Government for the dedicated support to Mak which has led to the training of 325 academics since 2000. Prof. Buyinza took note of two shifts that have since taken place in the new collaboration period.
“Firstly, whilst the program previously was only based on sandwich students, 105 PhD students are now locally trained. Only 20 PhDs are going to be on sandwich, based on capacity need.” He observed that this was indeed a great testimony of the strengthened research capacity achieved by Mak over the 15 years of collaboration.
“Secondly, local training will take place in multidisciplinary teams, based on multidisciplinary themes. The previous model of primarily singular PhD projects has thus been shifted, as per Mak’s research policy,” shared Prof. Buyinza. He however noted that translating scientific findings into the language that policy makers can easily understand remains a challenge, which the new collaboration period will seek to address.
In his welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor Prof. John Ddumba Ssentamu thanked the H.E. Amb. Per Lindgärde, the First Secretary and Senior Research Advisor, Dr. Gity Behravan as well as Swedish and Ugandan partners for taking time off their schedules to attend the meeting.
“This Annual Review Meeting symbolises the nature and character of the relationship between Makerere University and the Royal Government and People of Sweden. It is an opportunity to take stock of our performance within our agreement for joint research cooperation,” remarked the Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Ddumba-Ssentamu appreciated the fundamental role played by Swedish Government support in strengthening the University’s capacity to deliver her core functions. “This support has indeed greatly contributed to our visibility and status. I wish therefore, on behalf of Makerere University, to extend our sincere gratitude to the Royal Government of Sweden for this continued support,” underscored the Vice Chancellor.
In her remarks, Dr. Gity Behravan stressed that support to Mak is in line with the institutional Research Agenda which is also generated from Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDP). This, she said, will strengthen all efforts of knowledge production and use. She therefore called upon all presenters at the Annual Review Meeting to take note of the importance of highlighting the research results that can be used in knowledge generation to improve focus areas as outlined in the 2014-2018 Sida bilateral cooperation strategy for Uganda. These include; strengthening of democracy and human rights, better maternal and child health, increased employment and reduced violence against women.
Emphasizing the need to communicate research findings, Dr. Behravan noted that “today’s research is tomorrow’s welfare and this needs to be better known and seen and felt.” She restated the Swedish Government’s appreciation of the link between research and development and expressed hope that the Ugandan Government commitment to University research and research training would be demonstrated by an increased share of the national budget.
The Government of Uganda under the new cabinet has introduced a Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Representing the line Minister Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye at the Annual Review Meeting, the Executive Director, Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI), Prof. Charles Kwesiga reassured all gathered of the Government’s full support through the new fully fledged ministry.
A Science Day is one of the activities that traditionally constitute the Sida Annual Review Meeting. This year’s presentations included: Could secondary metabolites from cruciferous vegetables serve as a source of industrial chemicals in Uganda? by Assoc. Prof. Steven Nyanzi; Using Mathematical Models for Policy Making by Dr. Betty Nanyonga Kivumbi; and Nutri-medicinal plants used in the management of HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections by Dr. Savina Asimwe.
Other presentations were: What is the place for transdisciplinary Research in our University Setting by Dr. Kenneth Arinaitwe; Mathematical Modeling for Infectious and Non-infectious Diseases by Dr. John Kitayimbwa; and Bioactivity, Toxicity and Phytochemistry of selected plant species by Ms. Adia Mohammed Madina. Two other presentations were delivered by Mr. Alex Tumwesigye on One-Dimensional Dynamical Systems and Commutativity Commuting Elements in Non-Commutative Algebras, and Dr. Jamil Ssenku on Potential for phtoremediation of acid mine waste degraded sites by selected tree species in Kasese District.
The Annual Review Meeting was attended by the Leadership, Staff and Students of; Busitema University, Gulu University, Kyambogo University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST).
Article by Public Relations Office
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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