General
Second Session of the 67th Mak Graduation Ceremony: Over 4000 students graduate
During the Second Session held on Wednesday 22nd February 2017 in the Freedom Square, a total of 4, 483 graduands were presented to the Chancellor, Prof. Ezra Suruma for conferment of Makerere University and award of diplomas in the respective disciplines.
The 67th Graduation Ceremony of Makerere University kicked off on Tuesday 21st February 2017.The following Colleges presented graduands during the Second Session:
· College of Business and Management Sciences—-2,218 graduands
· College of Computing and Information Sciences—1,368 graduands
· College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security—314 graduands
· College of Health Sciences—583 graduands
After the Anthems, Rev. Fr. Josephat Ddungu, Chaplain − Makerere University St. Augustine Chapel dedicated the graduands, University leadership and the congregation to the Almighty God. The Chaplain glorified God for the gift of life, the gift of graduands, the continuous growth of Makerere University, and the gift of the rain. He appealed to the Almighty God to bless the graduands with employment, wisdom and a fruitful life.
Amidst jubilation, the Chancellor Professor Suruma congratulated the overjoyed graduands upon their academic achievement. He commended the graduands for the spirit of hard work, endurance and self control. He urged the graduands to use the knowledge and skills acquired to contribute to the betterment of society, and in the execution of duty and/or face of challenges and trials, to remain kind and loving.
“Now the hour has come for you to go out to the field, to fight the good fight, to run the race for which you have been preparing. I hope you will remember love in the middle of the tough battles ahead. I hope you will struggle for the possibility of joy in a sad world. Ponder the possibility of godliness and contentment in a broken world. Remember love in a loveless world,” remarked the Chancellor.
Chancellor Suruma congratulated members of staff who rose to the rank of Professor for their tremendous contribution to academia, knowledge discourse, policy formulation, and mentorship of the next generation of academics and leaders.
Addressing the congregation, the Vice Chancellor Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu highlighted a number of institutional achievements at the national and international levels including breakthroughs in research and innovations realized by staff and students in the aforementioned colleges.
The Vice Chancellor urged graduands to use the education skills and experience they received from Makerere University to add value to Uganda’s development process and consolidate the gains that have been scored.
“Go out of the gates of Makerere University with passion, with a determination to use your knowledge to improve yourself, your family and your country. Always remember your alma mater– Makerere University,” Prof. Ddumba-Ssentamu said.
Recognizing academic excellence, the Chancellor Prof. Suruma handed over a plaque, cash prize of one million shillings and an assortment of souvenirs from Makerere University Convocation to the best performing student in the Science based disciplines. Mr. Mukalele Rogers scored a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.91, Bachelor of Information Technology (First Class-Honours) degree. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ddumba-Ssentamu congratulated Mr. Mukalele Rogers as well as the leadership and staff from the College of Computing and Information Sciences upon this academic milestone.
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) recognized the best performing student – Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Option). The Chancellor together with the representative of ACCA, Ms Dorothy Mutabaazi handed over a plaque and an education grant of 2.7million shillings to Mr. Bukenya Eddy who scored a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.45 (First Class Honours) degree.
The Department of Performing Arts and Film led by their Head; Associate Professor Sylvia Antonia Nannyonga-Tamusuza and the Police Band entertained the congregation.
To detailed speeches are provided below:
Speech by the Chancellor, Professor Ezra Suruma
Speech by the Chairperson Makerere University Council Eng. Dr Wana Etyem
Speech by the Vice Chancellor, Professor John Ddumba-Ssentamu
Mak 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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