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Mak to use scientific based technologies to increase the productivity of bananas and honey

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Researchers from College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) have unveiled two projects that are geared towards mass production of banana and honey.

Presented during the Makerere University Vice Chancellor Monthly Media Briefing held on 27th November 2017, the two projects aim at integrating crop management for scaling up banana productivity by using scientific based technologies without increasing the available arable land under banana cultivation and, enhancing production and incomes in the honey value chain respectively.

The projects also focus on developing mechanisms that are geared towards addressing banana plant recover from bacterial infestation as well as finding solutions to pests and parasites of honey bees in Uganda.

According to the Principal Investigator of the project Dr. Arthur K. Tugume, integrated crop Management for scaling up Banana productivity in East Africa was designed to reduce the yield gap and the extension support gap in banana productivity in Uganda and Tanzania.

Speaking to journalists in the Makerere University Senior Common Room, Dr. Tugume; the expert in Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Virology, said that closing the banana yield gap is very crucial if the country is to sustain food self-sufficiency, income, and livelihoods of the region’s smallholder banana farmers.

“Over 100 million people in East and Central Africa (EAC) depend on banana for food and income. In Uganda alone, over 10 million tons are produced annually making Uganda the world’s second largest banana producer. Most of the bananas produced in Uganda are consumed locally. Uganda holds the world’s highest per capita annual banana consumption of 1kg per person per day, translating into income and food security of 50-85% of small scale farmers in Uganda,” he said.

Despite the prime importance of banana in the East and Central Africa (ECA) region, productivity has remained too low. The region has been unable to exceed 30% of the crop’s production potential of 60-70 tonnes per hactare per year. Banana production in the East and Central African region is largely by the efforts of smallholder farmers most of whom own less than 0.5ha of land.

In a presentation, Dr. Arthur K. Tugume revealed that the cause of the low productivity can be attributed to the complex set of biotic and abiotic stress that significantly constrains banana production in ECA including Uganda. The most notable biotic include banana Xanthomonas wilt which is the most distractive disease of banana while the main abiotic stress are nutrients deficiencies and drought.

Dr. Arthur K. Tugume also said that intensification of banana production in ECA including Uganda is urgently needed to boost productivity in line with the increasing demand associated with escalating population pressure.

In a presentation “Enhancing production and incomes in the honey value chain by addressing the challenges of pests and parasites of honey bees in Uganda,” the Principal Investigator of the Beehealth Project, Dr. Anne Margaret Akol from the Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences said that there is an urgent need to address the issue of pest in the beekeeping sector if the country is to attain the optimal hive yields without compromising the product quality.

“The project has developed different control measures and one of these are the two designs for a prototype small hive beetle trap to manage the notorious honeybee parasite that has been established to be present throughout the country. Ants can also be controlled by modifications to how hives are placed or by use of a water barrier and over 120 beekeepers on honeybee pests and parasite identification and how to minimise damage by implementing beekeeping practices,” she mentioned.

The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe applauded the College of Natural Sciences for the ongoing research projects that are geared towards solving issues of food insecurity as wells as income productivity in the country. He credited Dr. Arthur Tugume and Dr. Anne Margaret Akol together with the Principal of the College of Natural Sciences Prof. J.Y.T Mugisha for undertaking research that is increasing productivity without the usage of chemicals.Dr Anne Margret Akol

The Vice Chancellor called upon the Government to invest in Uganda’s research when he said, “The world believes that Africa has the potential to become the world’s food basket. This calls for more research in areas that can increase on food productivity in the region. Over the years, Makerere has been the leading research institution in the country and one of the best in Africa that means that we have the potential to impact change in the region if we have resources for more research.”

Integrated Crop Management for Scaling Up Banana Productivity in East Africa is a research project implemented by a partnership between the College of Natural Sciences (Makerere University) through the Department of Plant Sciences , Microbiology working with NARO-NARL, Banana Research Program (Main guarantee), Uganda; International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Agricultural Research and Development Institute (ARDI)-Tengeru, Tanzania; Agricultural Research and Development Institute (ARDI)-Maruku, Tanzania; ad Bioversity International. The four years project is worth USD 5700,000 funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The overall objective of the project is to reduce the yield gap and extension support gap in banana productivity in Uganda and Tanzania through

  1. Unveiling the strategic critical information necessary for increasing banana productivity.
  2. Massive testing of the decision support tools on farmers’ field in five target sites in Uganda and Tanzania
  3. Ensuring sustainability of the innovation pipeline for continuous improvement and increase in banana productivity in target sites and beyond through effective communication and information sharing.

Beehealth Project

The Beehealth project is implemented by the Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences in support of the government initiative. The project is funded by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM). Beehealth project which is the first of its kind in Uganda aims at addressing the pests challenges of honeybees and its intended goals are

  1. To identify the main pests afflicting honeybee colonies in Uganda
  2. Develop solutions to the pests and
  3. Improve the capacity of beekeepers to identify and manage these pests

Article by Mak-Public Relations Office

Elias Tuhereze

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Uganda Digital Pathways Initiative: Another Lifeline for Youth

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Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi (3rd Right) with Left to Right: Dr. Rodney Rugyema, Prof. Tonny Oyana, Ms. Elinor Wanyama Chemonges, Ms. Beat Bisangwa, Ms. Betty Byanyima and other officials (Rear) after the meeting on 29th April 2025. Uganda Digital Pathways Initiative Meeting with Deborah’s Impact Projects Africa-Uganda (DIPA-U), Africa World Train Center (AWTC) and the Office of the First Lady of Uganda (OFLU), with Ugandan Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), 29th April 2025, Makerere University, Kampala, East Africa.

The Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi on Tuesday 29th April 2025 met with a delegation whose vision is to transform Uganda into East Africa’s premier digital skills hub through equipping 200,000 youth and professionals with digital and cybersecurity skills by 2027. The ambitious programme is a strategic collaboration between Deborah’s Impact Projects Africa-Uganda (DIPA-U), Africa World Train Center (AWTC) and the Office of the First Lady of Uganda (OFLU), with Ugandan Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as partners.

The delegation included; Ms. Elinor Wanyama Chemonges-Head DIPA-U, Ms. Betty Byanyima-Emerging Leaders Program (ELP)/DIPA-U, and Ms. Beat Bisangwa-OFLU. In attendance were Prof. Tonny Oyana-Principal College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS), Dr. Rodney Rugyema-Deputy Dean of Students, Mr. Awel Uwihanganye-Head Advancement and other officials.

The presentation by the delegation noted that the proposed programme creates a dual benefit of addressing digital opportunities and creating sustainable employment in high-growth digital sectors. The programme will begin with foundational IT and cybersecurity training before branching off into specialized career tracks in technical cybersecurity, compliance, IT Helpdesk, tech sales and marketing.

The training will be implemented in three phases commencing in May 2025 with IT fundamentals before delving into specialized career tracks and industry certifications in December 2025, and thereafter, workplace integration, business partnerships and freelancing skills in the third phase slated to commence in 2026. 20,000 participants are anticipated to be trained during the first phase, while the second and third phases envision training 80,000 and 100,000 participants respectively, bringing the total to 200,000.

Ms. Elinor Wanyama Chemonges (Left) presents on behalf of the delegation. Uganda Digital Pathways Initiative Meeting with Deborah’s Impact Projects Africa-Uganda (DIPA-U), Africa World Train Center (AWTC) and the Office of the First Lady of Uganda (OFLU), with Ugandan Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), 29th April 2025, Makerere University, Kampala, East Africa.
Ms. Elinor Wanyama Chemonges (Left) presents on behalf of the delegation.

The Uganda Digital Pathways Initiative was officially launched by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs. Janet Kataaha Museveni on 22nd March 2025, where the first student, Miss Precious Keza pre-registered for the initiative. The event held at the Freedom Square, Makerere University was part of the Mantle of Deborah National Conference, an apostolic and prophetic movement aimed at equipping women for leadership, purpose and national transformation.

In his remarks, Prof. Buyinza welcomed and thanked the delegation for choosing Makerere University as partner for the initiative, adding “Our business is training; anything to do with digital skills improvement is welcome and we are excited and committed to transform the mindset of our graduates so as to make them more marketable.”

He further lauded the delegation for including the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) in the deliberations, noting that Makerere is always appreciative of inroads made in linking industry with academia for skills enhancement of graduates.

Contributing to the discussion, Prof. Tonny Oyana reassured the delegation that CoCIS is will be happy to co-create and co-design curricula with the initiative, which he opined can be offered as a short course. “We look forward to designing an experience that gives measurable outcomes.”

Furthermore, Dr. Rodney Rugyema underlined the Office of the Dean of Students willingness to mobilise students to pre-register for the initiative. He nevertheless requested the delegation to share more information on what will inform enrolment for the specialized career tracks so as to enable participants envision how their skills will contribute to the greater goal of transforming Uganda into East Africa’s premier digital skills.

Today’s meeting will be followed by a virtual meeting with the Africa World Train Center (AWTC) to further thresh out finer details on curricula and implementation.

Participants are encouraged to pre-register using the link: https://www.africaworldtraincenter.org/digital-pathways  

Mark Wamai

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Advert: Admission to Postgraduate Programmes 2024/2025

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UPDATE:

The closing date was extended from 30th April 2025 to Friday, 30th May, 2025.

The Academic Registrar, Makerere University invites applications for admission to Graduate Programmes (Postgraduate Diplomas,  Masters and Doctoral Degree Programmes) for the 2024/2025 Academic Year. Applicants should have obtained at least a first or second class degree (or its equivalent) from a Chartered University at the time of completion. Applicants should also possess a Uganda Certificate of Education (or its equivalent) and a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (or its equivalent).

Sponsorship:

All Graduate Programmes are PRIVATELY-SPONSORED. Therefore applicants seeking sponsorship should have their applications endorsed by their respective sponsors where applicable.  Applicants should note that the various fees payable to the University indicated for the various programmes EXCLUDE functional fees, accommodation,  books, research and other expenses.

PhD Degrees by Research Only:

All Colleges offer PhD degrees by Research. Applicants for PhD by research should have a Master’s degree in a field relevant to their area of fmther studies and should have obtained at least a first or second class degree (or its equivalent) from a Chartered University at the time of completion. Applicants for the PhDs by Research will be required to submit on-line applications and also submit four copies of the concept note in Office No. 410, Level 4, Senate Building.

How to Apply:

  1.  Visit the Makerere University’s  Admissions URL https://apply.mak.ac. ug
  2. Sign up using full name, e-mail and Mobile No.  Please note that your name must be similar to the one on your suppmting  academic documents for your application to be considered valid.
  3.  A password will be sent to both your e-mail and mobile number.
  4. The system will prompt you to change the password to the one you can easily remember.
  5. To fill a form (all form sections must be filled) the applicant clicks on the APPLY NOW button (for first time applicants) or MY PORTAL button (for renewal of application)   displayed on the appropriate scheme i.e. Taught PhDs, Masters & Postgrad Diplomas OR PhD by Research.
  6. All academic  transcripts/certificates  and passport photos should be scanned and uploaded on the system.
  7. You can access the referees’ form by following the following link:
    https://rgt.mak.ac.ug/resources/referees-letter-of-recommendation-for-admission-to-a-graduate-programme/ These should be filled, scanned and uploaded.
  8.  Obtain a payment Reference No. by clicking on “Pay for Form” button
  9. Make payments at any of the banks used by Uganda Revenue Authority. Application fee is UGX 50,000 (East African applicants) or  UGX 151,500 (International Applicants). For International applicants, application fees can be transferred either by EFT or any other means in UGX to a designated URA collection account in Bank of Uganda as follows:

Account Name: UGANDA REVENUE AUTHORITY COLLECTIONS
Account No: 003410158000002
Swift Code: UGBAUGKAU
Bank Name: BANK OF UGANDA
Bank Address: KAMPALA, UGANDA
Currency: UGANDA SHILLINGS

  1. The closing date was extended to Friday, 30th May, 2025.
  2. All Applicants for Master of Laws (LLM) will do a Graduate Admission Test (GAT) consisting of an oral Interview and written test on dates and other requirements to be conm1Unicated by the School.
  3. All  Applicants  for  Master  of  Business  Administration  (College  of  Business  and  Management Sciences and Makerere University Business School) will do a GMAT test on dates to be communicated by College of Business and Management Sciences and Makerere University Business School respectively.
  4. In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants for Master of Public Infrastructure Management (MPIM) must have “Proven professional experience of at least 2 years at managerial/supervisory  level or policy-decision making position in a government, parastatal organ, international  organisation  or non-governmental  organisation” Applicants should attach a 2- page short CV and referee recommendations.

Further details of tuition fees and the available programmes open for admission can be accessed from the document below:

Mak Editor

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University of Zululand Delegation Visits Makerere for Benchmarking and Collaboration

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Delegation from the University of Zululand, South Africa, led by Professor Byron A. Brown, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Transformation, two-day benchmarking mission focused on Africanising education and strengthening research collaboration, 28th-29th April 2025, Main Building, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

A delegation from the University of Zululand in South Africa, led by Professor Byron A. Brown, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Transformation, is visiting Makerere University on a two-day benchmarking mission focused on Africanising education and strengthening research collaboration.

During their visit, the delegation held discussions with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe; the Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Professor Buyinza Mukadasi; the Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, Professor Winston Tumps Ireeta; Professor Sarah Ssali, the Director of the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Notions of Identity and the Director of Research, Innovation and Partnerships, Dr. Robert Wamala.

Professor Barnabas Nawangwe receives a traditional Zulu spear and shield from the University of Zululand. Delegation from the University of Zululand, South Africa, led by Professor Byron A. Brown, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Transformation, two-day benchmarking mission focused on Africanising education and strengthening research collaboration, 28th-29th April 2025, Main Building, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Professor Barnabas Nawangwe receives a traditional Zulu spear and shield from the University of Zululand.

The discussions explored opportunities for integrating African perspectives and knowledge systems into university curricula, enhancing research networks across the continent, and fostering partnerships that empower African institutions to contribute meaningfully to global scholarship. Both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to the decolonisation of education and the promotion of African-led research initiatives.

In a symbolic and heartfelt gesture, the University of Zululand delegation presented a traditional Zulu spear and shield to Professor Nawangwe. The gift was accompanied by a message of solidarity and encouragement—to equip him in the ongoing struggle for the decolonisation of the curriculum at African universities. Professor Brown explained that the spear and shield represent the resilience, courage, and determination needed to reclaim African narratives in education.

Professor Barnabas Nawangwe presents a Mak Souvenir Book to Professor Byron A. Brown as other officials witness. Delegation from the University of Zululand, South Africa, led by Professor Byron A. Brown, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Transformation, two-day benchmarking mission focused on Africanising education and strengthening research collaboration, 28th-29th April 2025, Main Building, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Professor Barnabas Nawangwe presents a Mak Souvenir Book to Professor Byron A. Brown as other officials witness.

Receiving the gift, Professor Nawangwe expressed his deep gratitude and reiterated Makerere University‘s commitment to championing African-centered scholarship and knowledge production. He noted that true transformation of African education must involve redefining curricula to reflect the continent’s histories, values, and aspirations. In return, he presented to Prof. Brown a book with the history of Makerere University.

The two-day mission is expected to pave the way for stronger collaboration between Makerere University and the University of Zululand, including joint research projects, faculty and student exchanges, and shared initiatives aimed at promoting Africanisation in higher education.

Betty Kyakuwa
Betty Kyakuwa

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