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Hon. Dr. Tumwesigye Tours Presidential Initiative Projects, Pledges Support

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The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation and Sheema County North MP Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye has today 4th April 2017 paid his first courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu. Accompanied by his Permanent Secretary Mr. David O. O. Obong and other Ministry staff, the Minister thanked the Vice Chancellor and his leadership for making the advance preparations to facilitate his visit. Hon. Tumwesigye’s visit is aimed at establishing the status of various projects under the Presidential Initiative on Science and Technology, with a view of determining the resources required implement large-scale production of the various enterprises.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor congratulated Hon. Dr. Tumwesigye upon making history as the first Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation and thanked him for choosing to make Makerere University one of his first stops. Prof. Ddumba-Ssentamu reported that Makerere has been allocated approximately UGX 70bilion since the Presidential Initiative was started, which has greatly facilitated research and innovation.

“The support that we have received from the Presidential Initiative has boosted our research and innovations, which have consequently improved our institutional visibility. Makerere currently ranks third in Africa in terms of research, with the other two institutions coming from South Africa,” he said.
Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye (R) is received upon arrival by the Vice Chancellor-Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu
The Vice Chancellor nevertheless noted that Makerere continues to face a lot of challenges; the biggest being inadequate financing, which affects the implementation various academic and administrative programmes. He was however happy to note that the University has established an Endowment Fund as a strategic avenue to attract funding from her alumni and the general public. This, he said would help Makerere University to reduce her overdependence on Government subvention.

Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye in his response commended Makerere for continuing to play a key role in the country’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem. He thanked the President for creating a separate ministry that supports STI at the national level.

“Several Science, Technology and Innovation branches are currently located under different Ministries such as Education, Agriculture, Gender and so many others. My work is to coordinate the National Innovation system and we exist to use the best available tools to influence solutions to issues that affect society such as Food and Nutrition, Health and Poverty” added the Minister.
Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye (R) and his Permanent Secretary-Mr. David O. O. Obong share a light moment during the courtesy call in the Vice Chancellor's Office, Makerere University
He congratulated Makerere for utilizing the School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengineering to address food and nutrition challenges, as well as the College of Health Sciences to address the health-related ones. The Minister however stated that the task at hand was to implement the President’s instruction to ensure that Uganda’s imports worth approximately USD 7billion are reduced, by promoting local production.

In order to facilitate this, the Minister shared that the Government through the Innovation Fund will firstly identify and support existing prototypes that are ready to be commercialized and secondly facilitate technology transfer that empowers the youth to produce all kinds of items. Hon. Dr. Tumwesigye identified Makerere’s solar irrigation pump projects as likely beneficiaries of the Government’s programme to promote solar powered irrigation. “We need to prioritize our own initiatives and we intend to have inter-ministerial meetings to fast track these projects,” added the Minister.

The honourable Minister is scheduled to visit various projects in the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB), Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) and Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). He will thereafter hold discussions with the leadership of the three Colleges as well as project Principal Investigators.

Article by Public Relations Office

Mark Wamai

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Call For Abstracts: National Symposium on Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda

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Call For Abstracts: National Symposium on Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda. Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026

Makerere University, in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Tufts University, and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), invites researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community actors to submit abstracts for the National Symposium on:

Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda: Local Voices for Policy Impact

Date: Wednesday, 12th August 2026
Venue: Makerere University Main Hall

The symposium will examine the drivers, patterns, and impacts of climate-induced youth migration in Uganda, while advancing evidence-based and community-informed policy responses.

Theme: Climate-Induced Youth Migration and Urban Futures in Uganda: Evidence, Voices, and Pathways for Action

Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026

Submit Abstracts To: citiesofyouth@musph.ac.ug

Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to contribute research findings, case studies, policy analyses, and practice-based experiences. Abstracts will be considered for oral and poster presentations.

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Call for Research Support Applications from Master’s Students who have Completed their First Year of Taught Classes at Makerere University

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Call for Research Support Applications from Master’s Students who have Completed their First Year of Taught Classes at Makerere University. Photo: Nano Banan 2

Makerere University, in partnership with Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Independent University of Bangladesh, Eduardo Mondlane University, and Pokhara University, with funding from Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED), is implementing a project: ‘Co-creating Knowledge for Local Adaptation to Climate Change in LDCs (COLOCAL).

The expected outputs of the project include strengthened educational and research capacity, improved knowledge on inclusive Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) and Community Based Adaptation (CBA) including delivering skilled knowledge co-creators, and partnerships to support needs-driven, locally-based and contextually sensitive adaptation. The outputs are anticipated to influence policy, planning and practice around LLA and CBA through collaborative learning and knowledge translation.

In line with targets and activities for 2026/2027, COLOCAL project is offering research support for three (3) Master’s students who have completed their first academic year of taught classes at Makerere University and are interested in undertaking research under one of the following thematic areas. The students MUST have undertaken the course offered under the auspices of the project on Disability, Social Justice and Climate Resilient Development.

Requirements:

  • A first degree from a reputable university in a field related to the focus of the project
  • Ugandan citizen below 35 years
  • Good command of English (spoken and written)
  • Demonstrated interest in inclusive and climate resilient development
  • Evidence of practical experience in conducting relevant research during and after undergraduate level
  • Evidence of full payment of all university fees for the first academic year
  • The Masters programme being undertaken MUST have explicit content on climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • Special consideration will be given to students with disabilities, financial challenges, students from ethnic minority groups, internally displaced students, among others

Scholarship and study/research conditions

Availability to complete all research activities in a maximum of 10 months.

Scope of the scholarship

The project will specifically cover stipends and support for field activities only. Support with tuition fees, for the research year, will be provided for students who will complete and submit the research thesis for examination within 10 months from the date of receiving the scholarship offer letter.

How to apply

Interested and eligible candidates should submit the following documents: Application letter, research concept note of not more than 2 pages, academic transcripts/certificates, an updated CV (including contacts of at least two referees) and two recommendation letters.

Send applications via email to: colocal.caes@mak.ac.ug, not later than 20th May, 2026. This contact can as well be used for inquiries, where necessary.

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Request For Consultancy Services: Training & Digital Solutions Expert

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Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Request For Consultancy Services: Training & Digital Solutions Expert. Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa

The Makerere University Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Limited implemented a Gates Foundation training program dubbed “Principle of Management Excellence for Research training” PRIMER in francophone countries, namely, Mali, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This training was delivered by content experts and experienced practitioners, not professionally trained experts. As such, limiting the quality of slide decks, which were largely fragmented with text rather than graphical and infographic elements that suit a mature audience. To effectively deliver a research training program, advanced, engaging, and efficient tools are critical for fostering audience engagement and participation, and for learning and assessment in research management excellence. To achieve this, IDI seeks to hire an expert to:

  1. design and deliver a set of integrated advanced slide decks combining text, visual learning materials (graphical and infographics) and case scenarios
  2. develop a virtual bilingual community learning platform (VBCLP), i.e. with in-built French and English to engage alumni,
  3. develop and automate a pre-course assessment system that potential trainees fill out, and it automates results that are presented in statistical form for easy interpretation and decision making.

Details: https://shorturl.at/Rzn8d

Apply to: EAkankwasa@idi.co.ug

Deadline: 5 June 2026, 5 PM EAT

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