Preparations into the 11th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA11) to climate change are complete. The Conference is being organized by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), Makerere University Centre for Climate Change Research and Innovations (MUCCRI) and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD).
The conference which started with field visits on 22nd -25th June 2017 will be officially opened on 26th June 2017 at the Royal Suites Hotel Bugolobi Kampala under the theme, “Harnessing natural resources and ecosystems for adaptation”.
The conference is expected to attract about 200 International participants and 100 Local participants focusing on empowering communities to use their own knowledge and decision making processes to take action on climate change.
As part of the conference, a parallel Youth Conference is scheduled to take place on 28th – 29th June 2017 at Hotel Africana in Kampala. The theme of the Youth conference is, ” Enhancing the ability of youth to build ecosystem resilence”.
The aim of the CBA conference is to: Share and consolidate the latest developments in CBA best practices, policy and theory across different sectors and countries; Strengthen existing networks of practitioners, policymakers, planners and donors working on CBA at all levels and; Enhance the capacity of practitioners, governments and donors to help those most vulnerable to climate change.
The overall events will take 7 days. The main conference is preceded by field visits to local organizations working with vulnerable communities in various parts of the country from 22 – 25 June, 2017. The field visits will take place in projects that are helping local communities to adapt to Climate Change. The visits will showcase projects in a variety of ecosystems across Uganda, ranging from drought and flood-prone areas, through to forest locations.
A total of (4) organizations have offered to host groups of 15- 20 delegates each for a period of 2 days. 75 participants registered and they will visiting 4 field sites. 2 of them from NGOs (Kikandwa Environmental Association Mityana) and 2 from government (Rakai Masaka area & Mubende Nakasongola).
The formal conference will start with opening session on day one (26th June, 2017), to be officiated by high level representatives from government (Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, Hon. Minister for Water and Environment, Hon. Minister of State for Environment, Vice Chancellor Makerere University etc), Development Partners and Civil Society Organizations.
On the first day of the conference, Government will host a dinner for high level dignitaries to interact with the international participants. Although government will be the official host, IIED will finance the cost of the dinner.
Conference organisation and management Following a briefing meeting between Makerere University (ERICCA/MUCCRI),IIED and Ministry of Water and Environment on 31st August, 2016 that was Chaired by the PS/MWE, it was agreed that Mr.Charles Esimu Okuraja (Under Secretary) and Mr. Joseph Epitu (Assistant Commissioner Sector Capacity Development) are the CBA11 link persons at MWE, while Prof. Bernard Bashaasha (Principal College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences) and Dr. Revocatus Twinomuhangi (MUCCRI Coordinator) are the link persons for Makerere University.
The National Organising Committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Mr. Charles Esimu Okuraja (Undersecretary – MWE), and Prof. Bernard Bashaasha (Principal College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences) as the Co-Chairperson. The NoC has been meeting regularly (twice every month) since 28th February 2017. Relevant Sub committees were constituted to support the process.
To complement the work of the NoC, IIED has engaged a small team of event managers to coordinate the process at the international level, including day to day engagements with the NoC.
The NoC has undertaken the overall liaison and coordination within Uganda and provided support to the IIED Secretariat in the overall organization and management of the conference. The Ugandan NoC has been responsible for the management of all assignments in Uganda in terms of preparation or realization of the conference and of all issues of representation of Uganda within the conference.
The conference is largely financed by IIED. However, the hosting institutions (MAK and MWE) were required to meet the cost of local organizing preparations, such as allowances for the National Organizing Committee (NoC) and locally invited high level dignitaries, conference fees for the local delegates, transport expenses for the high level local dignitaries and delegates, hosting of the youth conference that is to be held on the sidelines of the CBA.
About the CBA The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and partners created the International Community Based Adaptation (CBA) conferences to highlight that effective adaptation to climate change takes place at community level. A bottom-up approach to adaptation enables local knowledge and practices to be shared among communities, academics and project managers so that those most exposed to the impacts of climate change are better able to adapt.
Since 2005, nine (9) International CBA conferences have been held in different countries including Bangladesh, Kenya Nepal, Tanzania and Vietnam. Past CBA conferences have focused on scaling up best practice, ensuring a scientific basis to action, communicating and mainstreaming CBA, and ensuring adaptation funding reaches community level.
The ninth and most recent conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya, 24-30 April 2015, in partnership with the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) and was hosted by the Government of Kenya.
The – CBA10 conference was held in Dhaka, Bangaldesh from 22-28 April 2016 on the theme 'Enhancing Urban Community Resilience'.
Having participated in the ninth International CBA Conference (CBA9) in Nairobi Kenya in April 2015, Makerere University and other Government of Uganda delegates became interested in hosting the eleventh CBA Conference (CBAll) in Uganda. Makerere University offered a proposal to host CBA11 in Kampala – Uganda in June 2017.
Regarding Financing, IIED in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Environment and Makerere University fundraised and managed funding and logistics. The Ministry and the university started local planning for the Conference with support from lIED. Both institutions worked closely with IIED to construct an appropriate Conference programme and identify participants.
The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released admission lists of candidates admitted under the Talented Sports Men & Women, Disability and District Quota Schemes with Government sponsorship 2026/27 Academic Year including appeals and remarked cases.
Other admission lists released include A-Level Applicants with Ugandan and those with Foreign Qualifications, Diploma in Performing Arts, Mature-Age Entry and Bachelor of Education (EXTERNAL Batch 2) for the Academic Year 2026/2027 under self sponsorship.
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.
Hon. Henry Musasizi unveils the Makerere University Strategic Plan (2025-2030).
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.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.
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. Lorna Magara.
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.
Hon. Henry Musasizi (3rd R) and Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (2rd L) display an autographed dummy of the signed Strategic Plan as L-R: Hon. Kadondi Gracious, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, Rt. Hon. Daniel Kidega, Dr. Lorna Magara, H.E. Mubiru John Bosco and Prof. Sarah Ssali witness.
“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.
Hon. Henry Musasizi.
“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.
Mr. Samuel Kasule.
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
Visionary Blueprint to Drive Excellence, Innovation, and National Development.
Kampala, Uganda – July 2, 2026. — Makerere University today officially launched its Strategic Plan 2026–2030, outlining a bold roadmap for academic excellence, research innovation, and transformative impact on Uganda and the region. The high-profile launch event, held at Makerere University Main Campus, brought together government leaders, university stakeholders, development partners, and academia.
The Chief Guest, Hon. Henry Musasizi, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, presided over the official launch. In his presentation, Vice Chancellor Prof. Nawangwe Barnabas highlighted the University’s past achievements and the new Plan’s strategic vision. “This Strategic Plan builds on our rich legacy while positioning Makerere University as a leader in addressing contemporary challenges through cutting-edge research, quality education, and innovation,” he stated.
The Plan was developed through an inclusive process led by the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, with input from across the University community. It aligns closely with national development priorities, as affirmed by Dr. Joseph Muvawala, Executive Director of the National Planning Authority.
University Council Chairperson Dr Lorna Magara emphasised the Council’s oversight role and commitment: “The University Council is fully committed to providing the strategic leadership and oversight necessary for the successful implementation of this Plan. It will strengthen Makerere’s role as a driver of Uganda’s socio-economic transformation and ensure we remain a beacon of excellence in higher education across Africa.”
Development partners, Vice Chancellors from other public universities, college principals, deans, professors, and student representatives attended the event, underscoring broad stakeholder support.
Key Pillars of the Strategic Plan 2026–2030 include enhancing excellence in teaching and learning, advancing research and innovation, strengthening infrastructure and sustainability, promoting inclusivity, and deepening engagement with industry and government. Following the formal proceedings, guests participated in a networking breakfast and media engagement session.
Additional Quotes:
“Makerere University remains Uganda’s flagship institution. This Strategic Plan will further harness our intellectual capital to contribute meaningfully to the National Development Plan and Vision 2040.” — Hon. Henry Musasizi, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
“We are excited to embark on this new strategic journey. With the support of our dedicated staff, students, alumni, and partners, we will achieve even greater heights in the next five years.” — Prof. Nawangwe Barnabas, Vice Chancellor, Makerere University
Makerere University is Uganda’s oldest and largest public university, established in 1922. It is a world-class institution recognised for academic excellence, groundbreaking research, and cross-disciplinary innovation. With over 35,000 students and a strong alumni network, Makerere continues to shape leaders and solutions for Africa and beyond.
For more information, contact:
Ms. Eunice Rukundo, Deputy Chief, Public Relations