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KNU-South Korea Signs IT Collaboration MoU with Mak
Makerere University has today Monday, 15th January 2018 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kyungpook National University (KNU), Daegu, Korea to facilitate staff and student exchanges, research collaboration as well as coming up with joint education programmes in the field of Information Technology (IT). The Vice Chancellor-Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe signed the MoU on behalf of Makerere University, while the Vice Dean, School of Computer Science and Engineering-Prof. Soon Yong Park signed on behalf of KNU. The Principal College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS)-Prof. Tonny Oyana and the Acting Director Legal Affairs-Mr. Goddy Muhumuza signed as witnesses.
Also present at the ceremony were the; First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kampala-Mr. Yoon Jung Tae, Prof. Dongik Lee-KNU, Deputy Principal CoCIS-Dr. Agnes Rwashana Semwanga, Dr. George William Kiyingi, Dr. Gilbert Maiga, Dr. Evelyn Kigozi, Dr. Engineer Bainomugisha and Mr. Francis Ekwaro.
Making the introductory remarks, Prof. Tonny Oyana welcomed the delegation from KNU and thanked them for the preparations leading up to the signing ceremony. He shared that research at CoCIS is conducted in key areas of excellence namely: artificial intelligence and data science; software systems; networked systems and systems security; impact of digital technology on records management in libraries, museums, and archives; and learning, policy, and information-seeking behavior in health, agriculture, and finance.
Giving a background to the MoU, Dr. Gilbert Maiga paid tribute to Dr. Constant Okello-Obura, the former Principal CoCIS and Dr. Evelyn Kigozi for making initial contact with KNU and proposing areas of collaboration that eventually formed the terms of the agreement.
“We visited South Korea, where we partnered with the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS) and together, we trained over forty secondary school teachers,” supplemented Dr. Rwashana. The training equipped the teachers with IT skills for the 21st century digital age.
Speaking on behalf of KNU, Prof. Soon Yong Park said that it was a great honour for his delegation to visit Makerere University and sign the MoU. He shared that KNU’s strength in the field of IT-related research attracts a lot of funding from both the South Korean Government and leading corporate firms.
“KNU is strong in research and development in the fields of sensors and semiconductors where we have a cooperation with Samsung. A lot of our staff focus their research in these areas as well as mobile communication technology. This MoU therefore presents a great opportunity for KNU and Makerere University to work together in the fields of both hardware and software,” said Prof. Soon Yong Park.
In his remarks, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe thanked Prof. Park and Prof. Lee for travelling all the way from South Korea to sign the MoU. He paid special tribute to Mr. Yoon Jung Tae for sparing time to attend the MoU signing ceremony. “Your presence here today shows the importance that the Embassy of the Republic Korea in Kampala places on academic collaboration and research.”
Prof. Nawangwe noted that whereas the GDP of both Uganda and South Korea were considered low in the early 1960s, South Korea initiated a number of unique measures that saw its economy transform rapidly. He therefore hoped that through the MoU, Makerere would learn some of those unique initiatives and contribute to propelling Uganda’s economic growth back to double digits.
“Uganda is experiencing both economic and population growth, with the latter outstretching the former. As a University we want to learn from the Korean people and through this collaboration, we should be able to enable our country’s economy to grow much faster. We hope that the Embassy in Kampala will continue being our link to Universities in South Korea.”
The Vice Chancellor further stated that CoCIS is home to the leading School of Computing in Africa with a number of cutting-edge research projects being conducted by the faculty. “We are confident that our collaboration with Kyungpook National University will take our research to the next level, As the University Management, we shall do all that is possible to ensure that this collaboration succeeds,” he reassured.
Following a brief interval during which the MoU was signed and souvenirs were exchanged between the Vice Chancellor and South Korean delegation, the first secretary thanked Prof. Nawangwe for his kind remarks and expressed his pleasure at witnessing the MoU signing. He shared that in the early 1960s, the South Korean Government embarked on an ambitious project to develop her academia. “This they did by sending citizens to study in the leading universities all over the world” explained Mr. Yoon Jung Tae.
He noted that South Korea and Uganda had previously collaborated in the field of agriculture, which was greatly aided by research. He noted that academic collaboration is very important to his Government and the MoU signing had marked a historic moment for both South Korea and Uganda as their Universities embarked on collaboration in IT. He hoped that the progress made in the bilateral collaboration in agriculture would also be experienced in the field of IT.
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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