General
MAK students sensitize the community on waste management and environmental conservation
On 2nd October 2017, Makerere University students convened at the Western Gate to actively participate in the Waste Management Awareness Week aimed at sensitizing the University community on the importance of waste management and keeping the environment clean.
Organised under a theme, Sustainable Waste Management at Makerere University, the program running from 2nd to 6th October 2017 presents an opportunity to students and staff to take the lead in activities geared towards promoting sustainable waste management as an action to combating climate change.
The Waste Management Awareness week is a sustainability program that is stipulated in the Makerere University-Bangor University collaborative partnership and focuses on promoting sustainable development at Makerere University. The program also engages the University community in four major aspects of prevention, reduction, reuse and recycling of waste to reduce waste generation at Makerere University.
“We want to reach out the entire university community during this awareness week that is why we have several activities going on. These include carrying out general cleaning, putting waste management stickers on designated places, pictorial presentation of the University Waste Management, exhibition of waste-recycled item and displaying of placards with awareness message. We have developed a social media campaign to reach out to students, staff alumni and the well-wishers of Makerere University,” said Ms Pamela Matovu, the Coordinator of the Sustainability Program at Makerere University in an interview with Makerere University Public Relations Office.
She applauded students for their active participation and called upon the entire Makerere University fraternity to embrace the campaign and ensure that waste is properly managed in the University.
She thanked the Organising Committee, Estates and Works Department, Students Sustainability Action Group (SSAG), the Students’ Guild-Ministry of Estates and Environment (83rdGuild) and Makerere University Waste Management Research Association (MUWMRA) for their tireless efforts to ensure that the five days campaign is a success.
In a special way Ms Pamela Matovu thanked the Sustainability Lab, Bangor University and Hub Cymru Africa (a Welsh Government international development funded program) for their support that has enabled the successful implementation of the program.
The GRC School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources who also doubles as the Minister for Estates and Environment on Makerere University 83rd Guild, Hon. Nankya Esther said that the Waste Management Awareness week is a drive geared towards environment conservation and cleanliness within campus.
“As a leader I believe environmental conservation is key to the health of the people. We would like to make it a culture at Makerere University since change should start with us. We believe that through proper waste management we are creating a better place to live in,” noted Nankya.
Sustainable Waste Management is an action towards combating climate change. This is in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 of ‘Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, focusing on target 5 that states, ‘By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.’
The Waste Awareness Week started on Monday 2nd October 2017 at the Western Gate. From there students headed to Africa Hall where they conducted interviews and photo booth sessions.
On Tuesday 3rd October 2017, the team will be at Mary Stuart and this will be followed by an exhibition on recycling waste on Wednesday 4th October 2017 at the Department of Environment Management. On Thursday 5th October 2017, the team will proceed to Makerere University Eastern Gate and the activity will end on Friday 6th October 2017 with a number of students and stakeholders involved in picking litter as well as ‘Keep Makerere University Clean’ activities.
Article by: Kanyi Rachael and Apio Marion- Student Volunteers, 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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