General
Mak-IRCU Partnership to address food and income challenges among religious communities
On 16th May 2018, the Africa Institute for Strategic Animal Resource Services (AFRISA) under Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-Security, (CoVAB) together with the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen religious leaders’ engagements with their congregations in activities that are geared towards community transformation and national development.
The MoU was signed by Prof Barnarbas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University on behalf of AFRISA and H.E Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje, the Grand Mufti of Uganda and Chairperson, Council of Presidents- IRCU on behalf of IRCU. It initiated a vibrant partnership between the two institutions to implement the Household Economic Transformation Initiative (HETI), a vehicle through which religious leaders will mobilize, skill, encourage and mentor their congregations on how they can effectively address the challenges of food and income security at household level.
The MoU also stipulates the cordial working relationship between the two institutions for a wholistic human development, focusing on the area of livestock value chain development in order to stimulate growth and contribute to community transformation.
The objectives of the MoU are:
- To establish and develop a sustainable Faith Communities-Public-Private-Partnership platform model for transformative skills, technology, and innovation and business development.
- To develop, through faith leaders and their structures, a mentoring system (model) for youths, women and men groups, associations and cooperatives engaged in various agricultural value chains.
- To strengthen faith advocacy strategy for profitable, safe and sustainable agricultural production systems, policies and laws, for the common good of Uganda.
- To work together in establishing and promoting a wholistic transformative training model that promotes transfer of superior of skills, innovation, integrity and technology for agricultural and animal production, value addition and business development in communities.
- To establish and develop an efficient and a sustainable fast tracking mechanism for mass training of clergy and households as the next generation of skilled commercial agricultural and livestock producers, processors and entrepreneurs along the diverse animal resource value chains.
In a speech, His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje acknowledged the partnership between Makerere University and the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda. He recognised the importance of the Household Economic Transformation Initiative, saying that the innovation has potential of lifting a critical mass of Ugandans at the grassroots out of poverty. “HETI will also empower members of our congregations to actively engage in production, agribusiness and wealth creation”. Our hope is to make agriculture an employment of choice for Ugandans, particularly the young generation searching for better livelihood”, he said.
He appreciated Makerere University and AFRISA for coming up with programmes that are practically addressing people’s needs “It is on this ground that the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda found it essential to partner with you. I pray that the dreams and aspirations of this partnership will be realised for the economic freedom of Ugandans now and the years to come,” he said.
“As religious leaders, while we are proud of our ability to mobilise Ugandans and keep them engaged over a long period through our structures, we do understand that we are not fully equipped with the requisite skills or resources to effectively undertake this initiative. We have therefore cited Makerere University as the potential partner,” said Bishop Joshua Lwere, General Overseer of the National Fellowship of Born again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda.
The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, welcomed the Chairperson, Council of Presidents- IRCU, the Grand Mufti of Uganda H.E Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje, Members of IRCU and esteemed religious leaders to Makerere University and he appreciated their interest in partnering with the institution to transform societies.
“We consider this MoU so important because it directly impacts people in communities. I am confident that we will succeed. Makerere University is the incubation centre of knowledge for the black people, it is Africa‘s research hub and recognised as the top black university in the whole world. With the IRCU, it is the beginning of changing lives in the country,” he stated.
The Vice Chancellor thanked religious leaders for the guidance and leadership that has enabled the country to live in peace and harmony. He thanked Prof. Kabasa and the team, for the vision to transform communities using the university’s knowledge and experience.
According to the Principal of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-Security-Makerere University (CoVAB) who doubles as the Principal Investigator of AFRISA, Prof. John David Kabasa, the Household Economic Transformation Initiative (HETI) is a mobile training unit that is ready to take Makerere University to the community.
“It will enable the institution to provide the missing link between traditional and Morden ways of attaining skills. With HETI, the university is able to interact with the community in a formal setting with trainers and organised classes where knowledge is perforated to community members,” he said.
The meeting was also graced by Msgr. Charles Kasibante, the Vicar General of Kampala Archdiocese, Bishop Beston Herbert Buyondo, members from Uganda Episcopal Conference, the Secretary General of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, members from the Born Again Faith in Uganda, representatives from Seventh Day Adventist Uganda Union, representatives from Church of Uganda, representatives from Uganda Orthodox Church, representatives from Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, representatives from the catholic church, representatives from the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, Makerere University Central Management committee members, Members of Africa Institute for Strategic Animal Resource Services and IRCU Secretariat members.
Article by: Proscovia Nabatte and Pauline Angom, Public Relations Office
By Moses Lutaaya
The Directorate of Graduate Training (DGT) has in collaboration with Centre for Teaching and Learning completed the training of the first cohort of Graduate Supervisors.
Participants were academic staff from two colleges namely, College of Engineering, Art and Design (CEDAT) and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).
The three-day training that took place at the Telepresence Centre, Senate Building ended on Friday 20thJune 2025.
In his closing remarks to the participants, the Director of Graduate Training Prof. Julius Kikooma said, “This is the first cohort we are working together with the Center for Teaching and Learning to put together continuous professional development Program so that we are able to enforce the new teaching and learning policy.”
He said that before lecturers are allocated students for supervision, they must first go through this form of formal teaching and learning training to equip them thoroughly with certification required of supervision of graduate students.
“We are coming up with process to ensure that the certificates earned by participants allow you to supervise graduate students. This is the direction of the university and we must ensure that such trainings are concluded and completed successfully by all participants”, Prof. Kikooma.
“We can only have you certified upon completing all the exercises in the training process. This is when you will be eligible to receive the work load for supervision”, He added.
“This training of Supervisors is going to be continuous so that all academic staff in colleges and schools are equipped. This first cohort is going to be our building block to the future trainings in the colleges.”
With such capacity building trainings, Prof. Kikooma said that the university is on the right path to achieving its targets in the new strategic plan of increasing the number of graduate students while progressively reducing the under graduate students.
He further hinted that, “We are in the process of writing a curriculum on this, which will be presented for approval before it is rolled out.”
He echoed all participants to share the knowledge they have acquired adding, “Share all you have learnt, do not keep it. Be open minded, have proper communication channels and the sky will be the limit for you.”
Dr. Robinah N. Kulabako, The Head of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at CEDAT welcomed the training adding, “This training is very pertinent. I have had the opportunity to supervise Masters and PhD students for over 15 years and I must say that the need to be subjected to this training cannot be over emphasized because there is need to learn, unlearn and relearn many aspects involved in the supervision process.”
She added, “We are moving towards knowledge-based supervision rather than experience-based supervision. This means we must be informed and equipped to be able to advise, guide and mentor to be able to lead a successful supervision journey for both supervisor and supervisee.”
Dr. Andrew Gilbert Were – a lecturer at CEDAT and a participant said, “It is important that all supervisors of graduate students receive this certification from Makerere University through a systematic training process that enables them to attain diverse skills to facilitate learning of graduate students from diverse cultures and with unique set of circumstances.”
“This training is long overdue. In fact, it was an oversight that we could be allowed to supervise students without undergoing supervisors’ training.”
Dr. Dorothy Ssebowa, The Director Centre for Teaching and Learning support- CEES said, “The training this time round has had a mix of early career professionals including Lecturers, Supervisors and Professors share experiences. We have learnt a lot more from experienced supervisors who have shared practices on how they have done supervision over the years.”
“The knowledge and experience-based approaches have made this collaboration very active, interactive and learner centered which has resulted into a collaborative learning from the interdisciplinarity of staff from CEDAT and CAES. The issue now is to continue with professional development across all levels.” She added.
The Makerere University Directorate of Graduate Training (DGT) in collaboration with the Centre for Teaching and Learning completed the training of the first cohort of Graduate Supervisors. This activity was supported by the iCARTA – Institutionalization of Advanced Research Training in Africa, a NORHED II Project at Makerere University.
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