General
Imperial Group of Hotels Partners with Makerere University and AUUS ahead of the 3rd FISU World University Netball Championship 2018
Makerere University in conjunction with the Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) is set to host the 3rd FISU World University Netball Championship 2018. According to the Head-Secretariat, Local Organising Committee Ms Penninah Kabenge, the event is scheduled to take place on 17th-21st September 2018 and Eleven (11) countries have confirmed participation in the Netball Championship.
“11 countries have shown interest in participating in the Netball Championship. These include; Jamaica, USA, Sri Lanka, Singapore, South Africa, Zimbawe, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Australia and the host (Uganda). This is the highest number to be registered in the World University Netball Championship whose Maximum is 12,” she said.
Addressing Journalists at Imperial Royale Hotel-Kampala, Ms. Kabenge said that 21 competent students from different universities in the country have already been selected to represent Uganda in the Championship.
“The venue for the Netball Championship has also been confirmed and preparations are underway to ensure that by September 2018, the facility will match international standards for in door games. Located at Makerere University, the venue will be able to accommodate 1500 spectators. The Facility will also have a number of outdoor screens to engage more spectators,” she added.
During the press conference, Imperial Group of Hotels announced its interests to partner with Makerere University and Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) to provide world class accommodation services to participants at a subsidized fee. According to Mr. James Kasavubu, Head Sales and Marketing, the Imperial Group of Hotels will also provide 400 cartons of branded water and 24 hour transport services for the participating team.
“Imperial Royale was designated the media hotel for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that was held in November 2007 in Kampala. We therefore want to assure our clients that we shall provide the best services they deserve. Our ultra-modern health club, gym, and recommendable swimming pool situated on the fifth floor of the hotel and overlooking the beauty of Kampala should prepare all the athletes for what should be an intense and exciting Championship,” he stated.
Commenting on the partnership with Makerere University and the Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS), Mr. Kasavubu said the partnership resonates with what Imperial Royale Hotel stands for as an internationally recognised hotel that is designed to serve the most sophisticated clients.
“As the hotel, we can only build on that priceless experience and ensure that hundreds of guests that will check in the World University Netball Championship in September 2018 leave with exceptional, memories from our exceptional facilities and unparalleled services,” he said.
In a speech read by the Dean of Students Mr. Cyriaco Kabagambe who is also the Vice President of the World University Netball Championship, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe said the partnership between Imperial Group of Hotels, Makerere University and the Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) is in line with what the hosts (Makerere University) aspire for, that is class and quality services.
“The magnitude of the championship we are set to host demands class and quality. As such, we feel honoured to be associating with partners such as Imperial Group of Hotels. The relationship between University Sports and Imperial Group of Companies has been built over the years. The hospitality provided by Imperial Royale during the 1st African University Cross Country Championship and the 19th World University Cross Country Championship in Entebbe at Botanical Imperial Hotel was world class,” said the Vice Chancellor.
Re-echoing the slogan Ettuuke, a word synonymous with netball, the Senior Public Relations Officer of Makerere University, Ms Ritah Namisango called upon staff, students, alumni, corporate bodies and well-wishers to popularise and support the Netball championship.
“This is a national event. Makerere University is hosting the Netball Championship on behalf of Uganda. In line with the Ettuuke slogan, I rally all Ugandans to support the Local Organising Committee to ensure that the Championship is a success. Ugandans you have a role to play in ensuring that Team Uganda (The Mighty Cranes) wins the Netball Championship,” she remarked.
“We are calling upon students and former students of Makerere University to support this cause. This is our event, hosted by us and in our own environment. We need to work together with the Organising Committee to ensure that it achieves its goals. We should be part of this memorable event where Uganda will leave a lasting legacy of winning the championship,” said Mr. Hery Nsekuye, Sports and Games Union Representative on the Local Organising Committee.
Mr. Brian Henry Vubya, a Volunteer at Secretariat of the Local Organising Committee encouraged Ugandans to visit the Championship website and social media platforms for updates and an extensive interaction on the Netball Championship. He thanked all the organisers and sponsors for the support they have rendered towards Makerere University to ensure a successful event.
“Visit our website: www.wunc.mak.ac.ug and for more interaction you can join the conversation about the event on our Facebook and Twitter pages: 3rd World University Netball Championship, @wunc2018kampala respectively,” he said.
The Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) in conjunction with Makerere University and the support of several stakeholders won the bid to host the 3rd FISU World University Netball Championships 2018. Uganda was awarded the hosting rights for the event, beating Namibia, England and Jamaica. The award was based on the successful hosting of the 5th All Africa Games in 2008, the 2nd FISU World University Woodball Championship 2010, and the 19th World University Cross Country Championship 2014 among others.
The bidding was initiated by the Sports and Games Union during the Student committee to council meeting, during which the Union proposed that Makerere University hosts the 2018 World University Netball Championship. The proposal was fully embraced and received the blessing of the University Council. The 3rd Edition of the World University Netball Championship was officially launched on Tuesday 1st August 2017 at Makerere University.
Article by: Proscovia Nabatte, Mak Public Relations Office
Edited by: Ritah Namisango, Mak Public Relations Office
The Gender Mainstreaming Directorate (GMD), Makerere University on 14th September 2021 presented findings from phase one of the study on Enhancing Women’s Participation and Visibility in Leadership and Decision-Making Organs of Public Universities in Uganda through Action Research. The study team led by the Director GMD and Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine also consists of Assoc. Prof. Consolata Kabonesa, Dr. Anna Ninsiima, Ms. Frances Nyachwo, Ms. Susan Mbabazi and Mr. Eric Tumwesigye.
The team is also made of coordinators from participating Universities such as Busitema University-Ms. Elizabeth Birabwa, Kabale University-Sr. Dr. Eva Tumusiime, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)-Dr. Specioza Twinamasiko, Muni University-Ms. Amandru Stella Wawa, and Gulu Univeristy-Sr. Rosalba Aciro.
Funded by the Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF), the study was inspired by the fact that women are persistently few in numbers as staff, more so in leadership and decision-making organs of Ugandan Public Universities. “This is despite all the various efforts at national and international levels; the numbers are not growing as fast as needed to meet development goals of the country” explained Dr. Euzobia.
Based on this background, the study team therefore sought to conduct a situational analysis of the gender terrain of the six public universities to obtain baseline information encompassing the composition of governance and leadership organs and senior staff by sex, as well as a needs assessment and profiles of potential mentors and mentees.
Furthermore, the team sought to explore the capacity to conduct gender-responsive research as well as the role of male staff engagement in gender equity interventions within the universities as the drivers of development.
Dr. Mugisha-Baine shared that results of the baseline would then be used to design participatory training manuals or guides on gender and leadership. The manuals would cover; Institutionalized mentorship, How to conduct gender-responsive research, gender and equity budgeting, among others.
“Within these manuals, we shall have a male staff engagement strategy in gender equity interventions in universities” she explained.
The development of the aforementioned materials would then be followed by their adoption and use to build capacity for women not only in leadership of participating and other public university but also beyond. “We shall periodically evaluate whether the capacity we have built has influenced women’s participation in leadership and decision-making organs of the university” supplemented the PI.
The capacity building trainings for women, it is envisaged, will lay the foundation for the formation of a functional Uganda University Women’s Think Tank, starting with the six participating universities. Dr. Mugisha Baine added that through this Think Tank, a monitoring and tracking system for gender representation in recruitment, promotion, retention/turnover and leadership of public universities shall be established and maintained.
At the conclusion of phase one, the study team had drafted participatory training manuals in gender and leadership with content on; gender specific critical analysis of the leadership spectrum of public universities, positioning of individual women within the institutional framework and strategies for their advancement, gender equity advocacy in the university setting, institutional mentorship, building capacity in conducting gender-responsive research, among others.
“This content will be validated by the participating universities before the actual research training is conducted” added the PI.
On behalf of the research team, Dr. Mugisha Baine thanked the Government of Uganda for providing the resources that facilitated phase one of the study and prayed that the Mak-RIF Grants Management Committee (GMC) would support the next phase of capacity building.
Speaking on behalf of the Mak-RIF GMC Chairperson, Prof. William Bazeyo, Dr. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala thanked and congratulated the team led by the Director GMD upon the milestones registered in the critical research.
“We are very proud of that work that is being done by all researchers in Mak-RIF and we would like to most sincerely thank Management for all the support throughout this process” she remarked.
Dr. Nkabala encouraged the research team to continue disseminating and using the findings for the furtherance of gender mainstreaming, particularly through the aspect of male staff engagement in gender equity interventions.
Prior to delivering the keynote address of the day, the Executive Director National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) Prof. Mary Okwakol thanked the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe for inviting her to the important forum, noting that women’s participation in decision making and governance is a priority area of the Uganda Gender Policy 2007.
She commended Makerere University for being at the forefront of gender mainstreaming in Uganda, noting that this prominence was one of the reasons why the Gender in Education Policy 2007 provides for replicating the institution’s strategy in all other Higher Education Institutions.
Prof. Okwakol whose keynote address was punctuated incisive personal examples reaffirmed the statistics that women are generally not visible in leadership of Universities. That notwithstanding, in instances where they rise to leadership and decision-making positions, they are regularly subject to roles traditionally deemed as women’s inconsiderate of their managerial seniority and experience.
She nevertheless rallied the women to play their respective roles in enhancing participation and visibility at a personal level. The following were some of the strategies she proposed; work hard to acquire academic credentials so as to compete favourably with men, acquire necessary administrative training and experience, network among women, join professional networks as well as do research and publish.
On joining professional networks, she shared her personal experience as a young zoologist who joined UNESCO’s Tropical Biology and Fertility Programme. “Within a short time I was appointed Coordinator for Africa and after two years, I was elected as a Member of the International Board of Management. After serving for two years, I became Vice Chairperson of that Board and finally I became Chairperson of that International Board.”
At the institutional level, Prof. Okwakol appealed to the Chairperson Council and Vice Chancellor to proactively recruit women who meet the requirements for leadership positions even if it means actively seeking out the reluctant ones. In this regard, she shared that it would be useful for the university to develop a database of women and their qualifications to ease this process.
She shared that NCHE has in recognition of female underrepresentation at every level in Higher Education approved the establishment of a Gender and Equity Unit with the aim of promoting inclusive gender participation in the sub-sector.
“This unit has been placed under the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Accreditation which implies that as we look out for and regulate quality, gender will be a very important aspect of that regulation” she reassured.
Prof. Okwakol concluded by urging participants to read the; Third National Development Plan (NDPIII), Uganda Vision 2040, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) noting that there is no way all three can be achieved while women are left behind because they each make a case for inclusion of the female gender.
“What we are addressing here are historical injustices” said Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe as he commenced his remarks, “And in the case of Makerere University, it is well known that the institution started as a male-only institution and we all know the original motto was ‘Let us be men’” he added.
Citing examples from history such as; Marie Curie – one of the smartest physicists, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra – prominent Pharaohs of Egypt, George Eliot, Rosa Luxemburg and Hypatia – all great philosophers as well as Chancellor Angela Merkel – first female Chancellor of Germany, the Vice Chancellor said there is no plausible argument that there are things women cannot do as well as their male counterparts.
He said it was against this knowledge and in a bid to correct historical injustices that Makerere University pioneered initiatives such as putting in place affirmative action for girls, establishing a Gender Mainstreaming Directorate as well as a School of Women and Gender Studies. The Vice Chancellor nevertheless stressed the need to go beyond pioneering to protecting these gains through legislation. “Historically we have seen that discrimination can only be addressed by laws and policies.”
Prof. Nawangwe thanked the Government for providing funds to support Mak-RIF as well as the Funds GMC and Secretariat for ensuring that these funds are put to good use. He equally thanked the Chairperson of Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara for her not only her support but also sparing time to attend a good number of the research dissemination events.
Delivering the concluding remarks, Mrs. Magara acknowledged that the study was timely and relevant the contemporary University, as one of the critical drivers of the national and international development agenda. She therefore reechoed the Vice Chancellor’s thanks to the Government of Uganda for generously supporting the University’s research through Mak-RIF.
Turning to the keynote speaker she said, “I thank Prof. Okwakol for ardently discussing the critical issues affecting the female gender, the strategies to overcome the challenges, including sharing her inspiring personal experiences.”
Mrs. Magara equally thanked Prof. Okwakol for her very instructional analysis, providing mentorship guidance with the resultant impact of enhancing the female gender in decision-making positions. In the same breath she congratulated the PI and her team upon successfully concluding phase one of the project.
“Phase one has generated insights in understanding the status of women in leadership in public universities, the legal and policy framework and its implications on women’s visibility, the institutional mentoring systems and the gaps therein” she observed.
The Chairperson of Council acknowledged that the challenge of underrepresentation of women in leadership roles cannot be resolved at an individual level. She therefore advocated for broad based strategies that can address deep-seated structural and cultural biases facing women. “These include developing mentorship networks, enacting laws and policies that address the imbalances and providing training programmes to address the leadership gaps.”
She therefore pledged the University Council’s unwavering support to the Gender Mainstreaming Programme by ensuring an enabling policy environment that facilitates gender-responsive teaching, learning, research innovation and community service.
The research dissemination was moderated by the Principal Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ms. Ritah Namisango and the Director Communications, Learning and Knowledge Management, ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) and PRO Mak-RIF, Ms. Harriet Adong.
