General
Mak Attracts Two USD12million World Bank-Funded African Centres of Excellence
Makerere University has successfully secured a grant worth USD12 million from World Bank to run two African Centres of Excellence. Estimated to cost USD 6million each, the Africa Centre of Excellence in Material Product Development and Nanotechnology (MAPRONANO) and Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop Improvement (MaRCCI) will be geared towards supporting capacity building and research development at this great institution.
During the monthly media briefing held on Monday 30th October 2017, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe said that the centres shall support high quality research and innovation at the University with the aim of finding pertinent solutions to challenges that affect the African continent.
“We are not only enhancing our competitiveness in Africa and the world, but addressing pertinent issues in Africa. Food security is becoming an issue to look at if we are to drive the continent out of poverty. We need to also think about how we can save the continent from the epidemics that break out due to poor hygiene and contaminated water,” said the Vice Chancellor.
Africa’s Centres for Excellence Grant is part of a larger World Bank initiative that supports the development of Centres of Excellences for higher education in the African Region. Its purpose is to promote regional specialisation among participating universities in the areas that address particular challenges in regional development, and strengthen the capacity of these universities to deliver high quality training and applied research.
The project focuses on meeting the demand of skills required for the Africa’s development in areas such agriculture, energy, extractive industries, while strengthening the innovative capacity of the best African institution for Higher education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and other relevant disciplines.
This period World Bank released USD148million towards the creation 46 Centres of Excellence across the African Continent. Twenty two of these Centres of Excellence will be established in West Africa while twenty four will be established in Central and East Africa focusing on 16 countries and ten priority sectors.
Speaking to journalists on Monday 30th October 2017, Dr. Michael Lubwama, a Lecturer at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) said that the establishment of the Africa Centre of Excellence in Material Product Development and Nanotechnology (MAPRONANO ACE) at Makerere University will strengthen research in thematic areas of materials science and engineering, nanotechnology and Nano medicine and also develop human resource capacity in applied science and engineering disciplines.
“The centre is supported by the World Bank to the tune of USD6million for the period of 5 years. This money will be used to furnish laboratories as well as offer Masters and PhD scholarships. The Centre will also offer highly specialised short courses in in welding technology, health safety engineering, oil & gas, monoclonal and nanobodies generation, bioinformatics and next generation sequencing techniques,” he said.
On the other hand, the Director, Makerere University Regional Centre of Excellence in Crop Improvement (MaRCCI) Dr. Richard Edema said that the centre is set to provide the nations of Eastern and Southern Africa with industry-ready plant breeders who are equipped to use cutting edge science to develop and deliver new varieties of food crops.
“These breeders are urgently needed in order to improve the food security, nutrition and rural incomes and to address poverty and economic development throughout the region,” Dr. Edema said.
MaRCCI is an expansion of current activities under Makerere University’s Regional Graduate Programme in Plant Breeding. The main goals will be to strengthen the programme’s PhD in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, the MSc in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems, applied research in various crops, and outreach activities.
The Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop Improvement (MaCCRI) and the Africa Centre of Excellence in Material Product Development and Nanotechnology (MAPRONANO ACE) and will be launched on 13th and 16th November 2017 respectively.
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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