General
Mak Ranked Best Training Institution at 26th Source of the Nile Agricultural Show and Trade Fair
The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Makerere University has won a prize and a certificate as the best training institutions in innovations during the 10 day agricultural show held from 13th to 22nd July, 2018 at the Source of the Nile Exhibition Grounds in Jinja..
The exhibitions were graded in 10 categories. These included; Heavy Machinery, Seed Companies, District Farm Institutes, Production Companies, National Research Institutes, Agriculture Line Ministries, NGOs, Finance and Banking Institutions, Donor Institutions, International Exhibitors and Training Institutions where Makerere University emerged the winner.
The evaluation team and judges conducted assessments throughout the ten days the show was held and the awards were made on 23rd July 2018. Both a winner and runner up were selected from each of the ten categories.
The function was presided over by the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja. The exhibitors were earlier visited by the Vice President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E. Hon. Edward Ssekandi.
CAES was represented by 35 exhibitors (7 senior staff, 18 students and 10 technicians) who showcased different innovations and technologies. The Minister credited CAES for availability, smartness, serious commitment, readiness to give technical advice and practical demonstrations.
The best innovations that stood out for the Vice President included: livestock innovations (alternative livestock feeds mainly maggots and earthworms for animal feeds and other uses); Innovations in crop production (with emphasis on soil testing and testing organic products for export market); Crop protection which included virus indexing and production of clean planting materials; as well as Coffee Value Chain development and diversification.
Others innovations that were of interest to the Minister’s entourage according to the evaluators included the KeBELA biosensor, the Maksoy varieties, the earthworm and maggot production technology for poultry feeds and the soil testing kit.
Due to the high demand from farmers and other stakeholders, the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and the Minister resolved to hold at least two national agricultural exhibitions per year. In line with the resolution, the Minister announced that the second national exhibition will take place from 7th to 17th December, 2018 focusing on irrigation and agricultural mechanization.
Makerere University was urged to endeavor to attend and exhibit the innovations especially small holder farmer irrigation and mechanization technologies which the public is yearning for to boost production and productivity.
Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango,
Principal Communication Officer, CAES
General
Makerere University and Xiangtan University Advance Strategic Partnership in Chemical Engineering
Makerere University and Xiangtan University are set to update their close to 20-year academic partnership, with a new focus on launching a joint Master’s degree program in Chemical Engineering and expanding student and staff exchange initiatives.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a recent visit by a delegation from Xiangtan University to Makerere University headed by Professor Dingyu Ou, in the company of Mr. Tang Fei and Professor Gilbert Gumshabe, the Chinese and Ugandan Directors of the Confucius Institute at Makerere University respectively.
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify academic offerings and contribute to national development through training in Chemical Engineering. Through this new initiative, the University will better prepare graduates for the petrochemical industry and support the country’s industrial growth.
The Vice Chancellor appreciated that the proposed collaboration aims to address Uganda’s growing need for industrial expertise, particularly as the country develops its petroleum sector. The two universities here are working toward a 1+2 training model, which will enable Makerere students to gain practical experience and access advanced laboratory facilities at Xiangtan University.
Professor Nawangwe further reiterated that “our relationship with the people of China, not just for Makerere but also for a big part of Uganda, has been opened wider by the establishment of the Confucius Institute, considering that many other collaborations like one being discussed now have come through this collaboration.”
The head of the Xiangtan delegation, Professor Dingyu Ou, expressed appreciation for the meeting, and acknowledged the history between the institutions. “As mentioned, we have a very long relationship and a very stable friendship between our two universities.”
Professor Ou extended appreciation for the support provided to the Confucius Institute at Makerere, the care shown to his colleagues, and looked forward to the successful start of the Chemical Engineering collaboration.
Assuring the delegation of Makerere’s readiness for the collaboration, Ms. Hawa Ndagire Kajumba the Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Makerere University Advancement Office, aligned with the Vice Chancellor’s emphasis of University goal to have both theory and practice imparted to the students.
She said “the curriculum of the university and Uganda as a whole is moving towards competence-based education training to ensure students are equipped to demonstrate those skills in the actual field, particularly regarding petroleum exploration.”
Ms. Ndagire Kajumba also emphasised a shift in strategy for the partnership office, saying, “we are moving away from just signing MOUs that collect dust, and moving towards those that are more collaborative to benefit our faculty and students, just like this one.”
Professor Gilbert Kumushabe aligned his remarks with those of the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Ndagire Kajumba, and described the method used at Xiangtan University as “actually competence-based teaching.”
Based on his recent visit, Prof. Gumoshabe shared that students in China are divided into groups with dedicated teachers to perform practical, hands-on work beyond the theoretical lecturers. He expressed gladness that the same was being adopted for the Ugandan context.
Both institutions are now working to finalise the specific agreements for the joint degree and exchange programs. Beyond academic training, the collaboration will advance cultural and professional exchange.
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