General

Stellenbosch University Strengthens Ties with Makerere University

Published

9 years ago

September 12, 2017

[R-L] Vice Chancelllor Prof Nawangwe, Mr. Nico Elema - Manager Centre for Collaboration in Africa (CCA) at Stellenbosch University and Martha L.Muwanguzi, international Office

A delegation of postgraduate students and their lecturers led by Mr. Nico Elema, Manager Centre for Collaboration in Africa (CCA) at Stellenbosch University visited Makerere University from Tuesday 5th – Friday 8th September 2017. Over the a number of years, fruitful and well established relations has existed between Stellenbosch University and Makerere University with various activates emanating from this relationship.

To further nurture this relationship, young academics that comprised of Masters and PhD students and members of staff planned an outreach to Makerere University to focus on the existing collaboration initiatives between the two institutions, and further enhance the cultural appreciation of the region.

The delegation paid a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe on Thursday morning in the Council Room. The delegation was introduced by Ms Martha Muwanguzi, Head of the International Relations Office who gave a brief about collaborations with Stellenbosch University over the years. Mr Nico Elema said, it was the first time to have such a big delegation from Stellenbosch visiting at ago. The selection of the team was aimed at bringing young academics on board so as to take the collaboration further when the senior professors and researchers finally retire from service and for sustainability of the collaboration.

The Dean, School of Liberal and Performing Arts, Professor Patrick Mangheni from CHUSS said his School had benefited from the PANGeA (Partnership of Africa’s Next Generation of Academics) a network where members of staff had done their doctoral studies at the African Doctoral Academy at Stellenbosch University. The Principal College of Business and Management Sciences, Professor Eriya Hisali said their relationship with Stellenbosch was relatively new. The College sends two PhD students every year to Stellenbosch and so far three cohorts have been completed. The College has also received Refresher trainings by way of short courses and they also do joint publications and research with Stellenbosch University.

Dr Julius Kikooma, Dean School of Psychology’s interest was in initiating a relationship with Stellenbosch University staff working on “Stress Disorders”. Dr Ruth Nalumaga said that the University Library had cordial relations with the Graduate School at Stellenbosch University.

The Vice Chancellor said, “We very much value our collaboration although Stellenbosch University always beats us in rankings. Makerere University is working hard to get into the first position and most of the academic staff have had interactions with Stellenbosch University in one way or another and congratulated Stellenbosch University for being in the second position on the continent. He was impressed with the programme in Space Exploration where a satellite was sent into space.

Makerere University is also dealing with the same issues that affect the continent such as climate change, poverty, tropical diseases research, alternative seeds research to ensure food security. Later, the Vice Chancellor gave Mr. Elema, souvenirs of Makerere University to remind him of his visit to the great institution, Makerere University.

The team visited the College of Health Sciences and held discussions with the Principal Professor Charles Ibingira and respective deans. Professor Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean School of Public Health elaborated on the different interventions they have engaged to solve public health issues such as establishing surveillance sites in Eastern Uganda to demographic characteristics of the population, the teaching and learning activities while engaging in interdisciplinary research. She welcomed the idea of incorporating music in public health issues as it sends a direct message to the public. The University has good internet connectivity to sustain distance learning education through Video conferencing where students at both institutions can interact in real time. The School of Public Health is ready to engage in research that benefits both institutions as well as writing proposals together to be able to win research grants.

At the School of Food Technology, Nutrition and BioEngineering, the visitors were received by the Dean Professor John Muyonga who talked about the mission and mandate of the School and the various undertakings there. Professor Muyonga said, their mandate is to share their research by turning into products. They train job creators instead of job seekers who after graduating, go and set up their own industries. The School has State-of-the-Art processing lines and the products they make compete with those on the market. The equipments were received through a grant from the Presidential Initiative in Science and Technology for institutions engaging in research. Through the Telematic service technology, Stellenbosch lecturers teach students at the School although our students can only interact through emails. We need to improve on this technology or get an alternative that will allow students to respond and ask questions as the lecture is being delivered. There is need to train our lecturers in the use of this technology and increase on the number of lectures delivered through this service and also encourage staff exchanges between the two institutions.

In the Afternoon, the team had an interactive session with the Deputy Director Research and Graduate Training – Professor David Owiny, the Director Quality Assurance – Dr Vincent Ssembatya and postgraduate students from various colleges. Professor Owiny, an alumnus of Stellenbosch University said that Makerere University and Stellenbosch University are two great universities in Africa and therefore right for them to collaborate. He explained how graduate training is conducted through masters and PhD training by coursework and research. PhD by research is run in all the colleges and students are encouraged to do cross cutting courses to get skills required in analyzing their research data. Makerere University is strong in publications and throughput for PhD studies has been increasing every year with 77 PhDs in the last graduation of 2017 and 54 PhDs in 2016.

Dr Vincent Ssembatya, Director Quality Assurance said, due to the many universities coming up in Uganda, it was necessary to ensure that the right quality of education was delivered by Makerere University. Quality Assurance is about “fitness for purpose”. The products you produce must meet the standards. Standards in higher education within the East African region are monitored by the Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) while standards in higher education in Uganda are monitored by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). He added, the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA) mobilized universities in Africa to share data about graduate training to ensure that universities were moving towards being research-led universities. The project was initiated to explore the link between universities and development on the continent. The study started with the collection of data at both the national and institutional levels at universities in eight African countries. The research in this network is exploring the use of research in policy-making in Africa. Eight flagship universities were chosen to participate namely; Makerere University, University of Nairobi, University of Dar es Salaam, University of Ghana, Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique, University of CapeTown, University of Botswana and University of Mauritius. The eight universities were selected because each had been the most prominent national university in its country since independence, and because each has broad, flagship goals built into its vision and mission statements.

Each of the universities aims to have a high academic rating, which would make it a world-class university or at least a leading or premier university in Africa, being a centre for academic excellence, engages in high quality research and scholarship and delivers products that will enhance both national and regional development. At Makerere University, we do Total Quality Management from the entry point to the exit. The research done here must be relevant and in line with the National Development Agenda. Both Directorates look out for innovations and new knowledge generated that will help solve some of the problems in this Agenda such as Refugees, (Uganda having the highest number of refugees), climate change, Oil and Gas and how it affects human rights of the population, and so on. As a result of this pre-entry examinations were introduced for Law degrees, GMAT for the MBA programme and now planning to introduce the examinations for Medicine and Engineering courses. The idea behind this is not to train them for everything but ensure that students are trainable to fit into the industry after completion.

The completion rates at postgraduate level are not yet commensurate with the intakes but struggling to bring it at par. There was one-to-one session between the visitors and our postgraduate students to make friends and establish networks here.

The Visitors also visited Kabanyoro Agricultural Research Institute and taken round by Mr Chris Tweyambe, the Assistant Farm Manager and other places of interest like the Source of the River Nile at Jinja.

Written by Martha L.Muwanguzi, international Office

General

JICA, Makerere University Explore New Frontiers in AI and Research Collaboration

Published

12 hours ago

September 4, 2026

Mak Editor

Prof. Sarah Ssali presents the Makerere coffee table book to Dr. Okano Takasei as Makerere and JICA Officials witness on 4th September 2026. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) delegation led by Dr. Okano Takasei meets DVCAA Prof. Sarah Ssali, explores new opportunities for strengthening academic, research and innovation collaboration between Uganda, Japan and other African countries, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace engineering, materials and remote sensing, food value chains, energy, water and climate change, 4th September 2026, Main Building, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

_{By Moses Lutaaya}

Kampala, September 4, 2026 — Makerere University and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have explored new opportunities for strengthening academic, research and innovation collaboration between Uganda, Japan and other African countries, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace engineering, materials and remote sensing, food value chains, energy, water and climate change.

The discussions took place on Friday, September 4, 2026, at the Makerere University Main Building in the Vice Chancellor’s Board Room, during a visit by a JICA delegation led by Dr. Okano Takasei, Senior Advisor, Human Development Department of JICA.

Makerere keen to deepen collaboration with JICA

Welcoming the delegation, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Sarah Ssali, highlighted Makerere University’s long-standing tradition of research, international collaboration and contribution to knowledge generation in Uganda and beyond.

Prof. Ssali noted that Makerere has built a strong global research footprint through partnerships with institutions around the world, observing that the University is well positioned to deepen international collaboration as emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, continue to transform research and higher education.

“Uganda has a very long history of doing research, and particularly it has informed research findings in the areas global health research,” Prof. Ssali said, pointing to Uganda’s historical contribution to global scientific knowledge.

She cited the country’s contribution to medical and biological research, including early research on sleeping sickness, noting that Uganda’s unique research environment continues to offer opportunities for scientific discovery.

Prof. Ssali said Makerere’s history of collaboration with Japan is particularly significant, noting that Japanese cooperation has contributed not only to academic and research activities but also to infrastructure development and other sectors in Uganda.

She cited the establishment of the JICA building at Makerere, describing it as one of the visible symbols of Japan’s long-standing partnership with Makerere University.

Prof. Sarah Ssali (R) presents a Makerere necktie to Dr. Okano Takasei (L). Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) delegation led by Dr. Okano Takasei meets DVCAA Prof. Sarah Ssali, explores new opportunities for strengthening academic, research and innovation collaboration between Uganda, Japan and other African countries, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace engineering, materials and remote sensing, food value chains, energy, water and climate change, 4th September 2026, Main Building, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Sarah Ssali (R) presents a Makerere necktie to Dr. Okano Takasei (L).***

According to Prof. Ssali, the building, which houses College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) disciplines of geology, petroleum studies and administrative offices, was constructed during her undergraduate years and completed within a remarkably short period.

Prof. Ssali said the long-standing relationship between Uganda, Makerere University and Japan provides a strong foundation upon which new areas of collaboration can be built. She encouraged the visiting JICA delegation to explore the University and identify areas where existing partnerships could be strengthened or new areas of cooperation developed.

“Please take time and explore and see where either you already have a footprint, where you’ve ever had a footprint, or where you could explore new areas,” she said.

Prof. Ssali added that Makerere was privileged to host the JICA delegation and expressed optimism that the visit would lead to meaningful and sustainable partnerships.

Strengthening Joint Collaboration through AJ-ASPIRE

Dr. Okano, in his remarks as leader of the delegation said the visit formed part of a broader JICA initiative aimed at promoting academic and research collaboration between Japanese and African universities.

He explained that the initiative was launched on the occasion of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), held in Yokohama in September 2025, with the objective of strengthening academic and research partnerships between Japan and Africa.

According to Dr. Okano, the initiative is intended to benefit both African and Japanese universities by providing platforms for internationalisation, collaborative research and the exchange of knowledge, researchers and students. “We would like to play a role of facilitator between universities in Japan and Africa and Uganda as well,” he said.

He explained that JICA is currently promoting the initiative through three African hub universities where JICA already has ongoing projects and experts on the ground.

The three institutions are Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) in Egypt, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, and Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

Dr. Okano said the selection of the three institutions was informed by the presence of ongoing JICA-supported projects and experts who can facilitate collaboration between the hub universities and institutions across Africa and Japan.

Dr. Okano Takasei makes his remarks. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) delegation led by Dr. Okano Takasei meets DVCAA Prof. Sarah Ssali, explores new opportunities for strengthening academic, research and innovation collaboration between Uganda, Japan and other African countries, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace engineering, materials and remote sensing, food value chains, energy, water and climate change, 4th September 2026, Main Building, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Dr. Okano Takasei makes his remarks.***

The hub universities are currently coordinating research with Japanese universities in strategic areas, with E-JUST focusing on energy, JKUAT leading work on food value chains, and Stellenbosch University focusing on water and climate change.

Dr. Okano said JICA was particularly pleased to explore collaboration with Makerere University under the African-Japan Initiative for Research and Education Partnerships, known as AJ-ASPIRE.

He outlined three major avenues through which Makerere could participate in the initiative.

The first is participation in existing research programmes hosted by the three hub universities. He added that Makerere researchers could join ongoing research on energy, food value chains, water and climate change, thereby creating opportunities to work with Japanese and other African researchers.

“We would like to explore opportunity for researchers from Makerere University to participate in these ongoing research activities and expand collaboration with Japanese and African partner institutions,” Dr. Okano said.

The second area is the development of new research networks in artificial intelligence and aerospace engineering. Dr. Okano said JICA was planning to establish new research groups focusing on the two areas and would be interested in having Makerere researchers participate in the emerging networks. “We would like to also invite researchers from Makerere University to join these networks and implementation of future collaboration in these two research topics, aerospace engineering and AI,” he said.

The third proposed avenue is increased collaboration between Makerere University and E-JUST, which Dr. Okano said offers fully funded scholarship opportunities for African students through a programme jointly supported by the governments of Egypt and Japan.

He noted that a number of Makerere graduates have already benefited from the programme, including researchers who have pursued doctoral studies and research opportunities in Egypt and Japan.

Dr. Okano cited the example of Mr. Abdonoor Kalibala, a Makerere alumnus whom he recently met in Hiroshima, Japan, following completion of PhD in Mechatronics and Robotics engineering at E-JUST. Mr. Kalibala conducted research in Japan for up to six months under the supervision of a Japanese professor as part of his doctoral programme.

Dr. Okano said such programmes could help strengthen the movement of researchers between Uganda, Egypt and Japan and create lasting institutional partnerships.

He added that JICA is also providing small research grants to alumni of the programmes to help them maintain and expand research collaboration involving Japan, E-JUST and African institutions.

He said Makerere could leverage such opportunities to increase the participation of its students and researchers in international research networks.

AI, Materials and Remote Sensing and International Relations Set the Pace

Prof. Robert Wamala, Director of Research, Innovations and Partnerships at Makerere University, said the visit followed an online engagement held a few weeks earlier between Makerere University and JICA, during which several areas and units within the University were identified as potential points of collaboration.

Prof. Wamala said these included the Makerere University AI Lab, the University’s International Office and researchers working in space engineering, particularly in materials and remote sensing.

He welcomed the transition from online discussions to physical engagement, saying the visit would allow JICA representatives to interact directly with researchers, academic units and University authorities. “This interest is being followed up through an in-person visit, which provides us an opportunity for JICA to engage directly with the relevant units and researchers at Makerere University,” Prof. Wamala said.

For Makerere, he added, the initiative provides an opportunity to connect the University’s research strengths with Japanese universities, research institutions and development partners to address shared development challenges.

L-R: Prof. Robert Wamala, Prof. Sarah Ssali, Ms. Eri Maeda and Dr. Okano Takasei flip through the Makerere Coffee Table book. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) delegation led by Dr. Okano Takasei meets DVCAA Prof. Sarah Ssali, explores new opportunities for strengthening academic, research and innovation collaboration between Uganda, Japan and other African countries, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace engineering, materials and remote sensing, food value chains, energy, water and climate change, 4th September 2026, Main Building, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***L-R: Prof. Robert Wamala, Prof. Sarah Ssali, Ms. Eri Maeda and Dr. Okano Takasei flip through the Makerere Coffee Table book.***

Prof. Wamala said the University was particularly interested in identifying practical areas of collaboration that could move beyond general discussions to concrete research partnerships, joint projects and opportunities for students and researchers.

He noted that the JICA delegation’s on-campus interactions scheduled to take place throughout the day would enable the two sides to identify specific areas of mutual interest. “We hope these engagements will help us identify specific areas of future interest and provide a basis for developing concrete areas of collaboration under the AJ-ASPIRE,” Prof. Wamala said.

He reiterated Makerere’s commitment to strengthening international research partnerships and thanked JICA for its continued interest in the University.

Dr. Okano, was accompanied by Mr. Ito Idomu, Research and Advisor at the Embassy of Japan, Mr. Osaki Mistuhiro from JICA headquarters, Ms. Eric Maeda from JICA Headquarters, and Ms. Ruth Mbabazi from JICA Uganda.

JICA follow-up meetings with Makerere research units

Following the high-level meeting in the Vice Chancellor’s Board Room, the JICA team, together with the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships, proceeded to engage with key research and administrative units at Makerere University identified as strategic to the proposed areas of collaboration.

The delegation held meetings with the Makerere University AI Lab, led by Dr. Joyce Nabende of the College of Computing and Information Sciences (COCIS), to explore opportunities for cooperation in artificial intelligence and related emerging technologies.

The team also met officials from the Makerere University International Office, led by Mr. Mathias Ssemanda, where discussions focused on opportunities for strengthening international academic linkages, mobility and institutional partnerships.

A further engagement was held with the Department of Geomatics and Land Management, focusing on materials and remote sensing, led by Prof. Lydia Kayondo from the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT).

The engagements provided an opportunity for the JICA team and Makerere researchers to move from broad discussions on collaboration to more specific conversations around research interests, expertise, existing projects and potential areas for joint work.

The visit marks an important step towards strengthening Makerere University’s engagement with Japanese and African research institutions under AJ-ASPIRE, while opening opportunities for researchers and students to participate in emerging international networks in artificial intelligence, aerospace engineering, remote sensing and other strategic areas of science, technology and innovation.

General

Undergraduate Admissions: Students allowed to Change Programs/Subjects 2026/27

Published

2 days ago

September 2, 2026

Mak Editor

The Office of the Academic Registrar has released lists of students whose applications for change of Programme/Subjects have been approved for the Academic Year 2026/2027.

The lists can be accessed by following the inks below:

General

Uganda to Launch ACT-PREP, Africa’s New Epidemic Preparedness Research Network

Published

1 week ago

August 28, 2026

Mak Editor

A KCCA Medical Office debriefs the MakSPH Field Epidemiologists and Surveillance Team during the CoVID-19 pandemic. Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda, East Africa.

_{By Henry Mugenyi}

When the next infectious disease outbreak strikes, the question for African researchers should not be whether they have the capacity to conduct the research, but how quickly they can begin.

That is the gap a new five-year research initiative, Advancing Clinical Trials and Epidemic Preparedness Research Capacity in Africa (ACT-PREP), is seeking to address.

The project will be officially launched in Uganda on September 28^th, 2026, bringing together researchers and partners from universities and research institutions across Africa and Europe. The launch will be held at the Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) Auditorium in Kampala.

Led by Makerere University School of Public Health, ACT-PREP is designed to strengthen Africa’s ability to conduct clinical trials and other research before and during infectious disease outbreaks.

Africa has repeatedly faced epidemics of diseases such as Marburg, Ebola, COVID-19 and other emerging infections. Yet when outbreaks occur, the capacity to quickly generate the evidence needed to guide treatment, prevention and public health decisions remains underdeveloped.

ACT-PREP aims to make research part of outbreak preparedness not something that begins only after an epidemic has already spread.

According to Prof Rhoda Wanyenze, the Principal Investigator on the project, “the initiative will establish a framework for more equitable collaboration among 10 African and two European institutions, working alongside Universities and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)”.

The consortium includes institutions from Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Senegal, as well as European partners in Sweden and Germany. Africa CDC is also among the participating institutions.

For Uganda, the launch at Makerere University is significant. The university is taking the scientific lead on a programme that places African research institutions at the centre of efforts to prepare for future epidemics.

One of ACT-PREP’s central ambitions is to address the shortage of researchers and systems capable of rapidly conducting high-quality clinical research during emergencies.

The project will strengthen clinical research, ethics and regulatory capacity, while also supporting laboratory and disease surveillance systems. It will integrate training into PhD and postdoctoral programmes, with the consortium aiming to train at least 700 fellows at the end of the project.

“The idea is straightforward: Africa needs not only laboratories and equipment, but also people with the skills to use them when an outbreak begins” – Says Dr Steven Kabwama, ACT-PREP Project Manager.

Researchers will also be supported to share expertise, data, resources and technology across institutions and national borders.

ACT-PREP will further explore One Health approaches and artificial intelligence-supported systems to improve disease prediction, detection and rapid response. The project also seeks to support more streamlined regulatory processes so that clinical trials can be deployed and monitored more quickly when they are needed.

The experience of recent epidemics has shown that time is one of the most valuable resources in an outbreak.

Delays in detecting a pathogen, setting up research sites, securing ethical and regulatory approvals or generating reliable evidence can affect how quickly health authorities are able to respond.

ACT-PREP is built around the idea that many of these systems should already be in place before the next emergency.

That means having trained researchers, functioning laboratories, established regulatory pathways, surveillance systems and relationships between institutions that can be activated when an outbreak occurs.

It also means changing how research partnerships are built.

Rather than relying on external institutions to arrive when a crisis begins, the project seeks to strengthen African institutions themselves and create longer-term collaborations in which expertise, technology, data and resources can be shared across borders.