General
Mak Expands Partnership with Nottingham Trent University
Makerere University has expanded her collaboration with the Nottingham Trent University (NTU), United Kingdom, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions on Friday, 4th May 2018. Prior to the signing of the MoU, NTU had previously collaborated with the School of Public Health (MakSPH), College of Health Sciences (CHS) for close to 10 years, on the basis of renewable 3 year agreements.
“Our collaboration with NTU started under the leadership of Prof. William Bazeyo and Dr. David Musoke has been the lead between the School and NTU. As MakSPH, we are excited that this collaboration is now expanding to the rest of the University” remarked Assoc. Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean MakSPH who succeeded Prof. Bazeyo.
“MakSPH is already benefitting from her collaboration with NTU through a 6million Euros project conducting research on cardiovascular disease prevention” continued Assoc. Prof. Wanyenze before adding, “NTU has already expressed interest in expanding collaboration to the disciplines of Law as well as Gender Studies and in this regard, the Dean, Assoc. Prof. Sarah Ssali visited NTU on 3rd May 2018.”
The Scaling-up Packages of Interventions for Cardiovascular disease prevention in selected sites in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa (SPICES) project at MakSPH currently offers doctoral scholarships to candidates with a minimum of a Masters degree in Medicine, Social Sciences, Environmental Health, Public Health, or any health-related degree. The SPICES Consortium is made up of 6 Universities including Mak and NTU.
In his remarks, Prof. William Bazeyo the former Dean, MakSPH and current Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) thanked NTU for the support extended to the School in general and Dr. David Musoke in particular. “This collaboration started with only GBP5,000 and since then, we have been looking at expanding it. Thanks to this collaboration, David is one of the best young scientists at MakSPH and we equally thank him for working hard to drive this expansion forward. Having the NTU Pro-Vice Chancellor join us here today to sign this MoU is a great achievement.”
Prof. Cillian Ryan is a wearer of many hats at NTU. He is not only the Pro-Vice Chancellor International (head of NTU’s International activity) but also the Head of the College of Business, Law, and Social Sciences. He is additionally in charge of Sport at NTU and offers strategic advice on its provision.
“We are extremely privileged to be here today, as Makerere University has been one of our most outstanding partnerships. To date we have trained or are training 5 Masters students and 1PhD student” remarked the Pro-Vice Chancellor.
He was happy to note that Makerere, just like NTU, recognises the importance of working for the wellbeing of community. He added that NTU conducts a lot of research on challenges common to societies both in Europe and Africa such as wastewater management, food safety and protection and how to break free and be successfully rehabilitated from addictions to alcohol, drugs and gambling.
“As a result of our extensive research, three years ago (in 2015), we earned the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, which is the highest national honour given to universities in the UK” remarked Prof. Ryan. He further shared that NTU has made several strides in medical patenting and has recently produced an entire artificial human body that can be used, instead of cadavers, for teaching medical students.
“Research foundations are really important when coming up with memoranda of understanding and we would therefore want to identify more areas of research partnership with Makerere University” concluded Prof. Ryan.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe warmly welcomed Prof. Ryan and his two colleagues; Mr. Stephen Williams, Director NTU Global and Ms. Teresa Dymond, Regional Partnership Coordinator-EAAA NTU to Makerere University. “Thank you for honouring us by wearing the Mak necktie.”
Prof. Nawangwe also paid tribute to NTU and the MakSPH leadership for the close to 10 years of fruitful collaboration. “The School of Public Health is our flagship in research and we thank them for forging this fruitful partnership with NTU. I also thank them for not being selfish but identifying other disciplines through which this collaboration can be broadened” he added.
The Vice Chancellor emphasized that Makerere University is always on the lookout for partnerships and expressed happiness at signing an MoU where activities were already being undertaken “This is a remarkable exception” he noted.
“We have grown in research and are currently ranked among the best in Africa, thanks to funding from our partners, NTU being among them. Our focus is to become truly research-led and be counted among the top research institutions in the world” added Prof. Nawangwe.
Prof. Nawangwe further shared that Makerere is a world-renowned leader in HIV/AIDS research and is also home to a fully fledged Infectious Diseases Institute, with preparations underway to establish a Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) centre as well. “We have also contributed a lot to ensuring food security in the Nation and our Refugee Law Project under the School of Law as well as other centres have played vital roles in research on peace and conflict resolution” he added.
The Vice Chancellor once again thanked Dr. David Musoke for being a good Ambassador of Makerere to NTU and expressed the University Management’s commitment to ensuring that the new collaboration is further strengthened. He thereafter handed over Mak souvenirs to the visiting NTU delegation. In reciprocity, Prof. Ryan handed over a framed lace made by English designer Sarah Burton, who also designed the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress. Nottingham has a rich history of lace-making and was once the lace making capital of the world.
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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