General
CAES and ACCELERATE Collaboration to Initiate PPPs That Boost Youth and Student Agribusiness Innovations
Makerere University’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) together with partners under the ACCELERATE Initiative have held a one day workshop and round-table conversation on Youth, Education and Innovation in development of sustainable Agribusiness.
The workshop was opened by the Deputy Director Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) in charge of Administration Dr. David Owiny at the Makerere University Senate building on Friday, 17th August 2018.
ACCELERATE is a multi-stakeholder partnership for innovation, co-creation and enabling youth to build sustainable agribusiness informed by evidence-based research and with a global presence.
The aim of the workshop was to initiate Public-Private Partnerships for blended learning, which should identify the causes, consequences and expected responses for improving the capacity and competitiveness of the youth in agri-food value chains and solving the challenges of unemployment in Uganda with a global perspective.
The workshop was attended by members from Makerere University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Uganda Agribusiness Alliance, the Agripreneurship Alliance (Switzerland), Gulu university, RUFORUM, Rural Community in Development (RUCID), The Open Impact Institute, representatives from the private sector, development agencies, youth agripreneurship programs among others.
The Principal CAES, represented by Dr. John James Okiror welcomed participants to Makerere and Uganda saying, the university prides in such collaborative efforts in solving modern challenges.
In a special way, the Principal recognized the policy makers present adding that their presence signified their interest in the in Makerere’s activities and finding solutions to issues affecting the youth.
Makerere University program coordinator Dr. Fred Kabi said, the theme of the workshop was Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the Future of Ugandans with Emphasis on Marketing.
“The major aim of this platform is to ask a very hard question. How can we as a university get involved in solving the current challenge of unemployment in Uganda?
And we feel innovation and entrepreneurship can be one of the solutions and therefore this platform is seeking for a paradigm shift in training so that we are able to produce graduates who are innovative and entrepreneurial.
But we realize that innovations and entrepreneurship is a market. All innovations produced at the university need to be harnessed hence the need for government actors to help in lobbying,” Dr. Kabi explained.
Dr. Kabi said that the organizers went around the country visiting farmers and markets with innovations and organizations involved in value addition technologies like roasting coffee and packaging.
“The major question put to Government was whether it can deliberately establish regional incubation centres to engage the youth so that they are able to produce products for the local and international markets” Kabi added.
Because of the international markets, Kabi said the platform sought partnership from the global North to help form trade links.
“Students do not have to dig, they can see what others are doing; package it in an enticing manner to reach internal and external markets. We are trying to expose students and also invite inspirational speakers and this is crucial.
Overall, it is because of the high levels of unemployment that we thought we need a paradigm shift in training. But needed to feel the signals that is the market. We invited MUBS because they understand the aspect of international markets better,” the Don remarked.
Dr. Kabi disclosed that the CAES had come up with a mobility exchange program with Erasmus Mundus where Makerere University students on both undergraduate and masters programmes will benefit.
He said, because of the bi-national nature of this program there is need for a credit transfer system. The program will also involve staff exchanges between Makerere and the Swedish universities.
The Woman Member of Parliament Kitgum Municipality Hon. Beatrice Anywar gave a presentation on women and food security in Uganda and shared the experiences of women from Northern Uganda and the initiatives she was spearheading in her constituency to improve livelihoods.
Anywar observed that Uganda is a rich and blessed country but the population has not got the best out of it despite a number of Government initiatives such as the NAADS and OWEC.
She said there is need to focus on empowering women if the country is to move to commercialized agriculture on grounds that they are better agents of change.
“I am proud of women because of their ability to undertake multiple responsibilities to ensure there is food on the table… They are passionate to preserve the environment and they are less corrupt.” Anywar said.
The MP also noted that the potential of the youth who form the biggest percentage of Uganda’s population has not been fully tapped into. She also implored the University to classify Ugandan soils.
“If we could regionalize agriculture according to soil types so that the North has simsim, Buganda-matooke, Kabale-irish potatoes, this would avoid fragmented cultivation, establish regional silos and division of labour would come in,” Hon. Anywar said.
Prior to this workshop a section of participants and students visited RUCID in Mityana, Makerere University Food Technology and Business Incubation Centre (FTBIC), the University Farm at Kabanyolo and the Consortium for enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development Limited (CURAD) centre.
Other sites visited after the workshop included organic farmers at Prunes Kololo and Gudies Leisure Farm in Najjera.
Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango,
Principal Communication Officer, CAES
The College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) on Thursday 17th June, 2021 commenced celebrations to mark 50 Years of Veterinary Higher Education, Science, Technology, Innovation and Services (HESTIS) in Uganda. The blended event held at the Industrial Livestock Research, Incubation and Skilling (ILRIS) Center at Nakyesasa, Namulonge as well as online was presided over by the Chancellor, Prof. Ezra Suruma and First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports (MoES), Hon. Janet Museveni both represented by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.
The event, held as part of Makerere University Centenary Celebrations (1922-2022) was a moment of celebration for 1,930 skilled livestock agribusiness entrepreneurs who were awarded certificates in recognition of completion of their respective courses. Owing to the strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) instituted by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to curb the spread of COVID-19, the students from Incubation Hubs in Atiak, Butaleja, Mubende, Nakyesasa, Sheema and Wakiso were awarded their certificates virtually.
In her remarks read by Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Hon. Janet Museveni thanked Makerere University for supporting grassroots level development through groundbreaking innovations under the Africa Institute for Strategic Services and Development-Skills for Production Enterprise Development and Accreditation (AFRISA-SPEDA) model.
“I am extremely pleased that Makerere University, through those innovative approaches, has developed and launched the alternative approach to building human capital and transferring knowledge to enterprises in communities.
“I would like to encourage all those involved in skills development to adopt methodologies that transform those trainees that go through these programs in ways that enable them also transform the societies they live in” read the Minister’s remarks.
She further noted that commissioning of the CoVAB@50 celebrations was both timely and rewarding. “The commissioning of the college innovations indeed has made meaning. This is a true path to growth of an Academic and Development College of the University, and we congratulate you again.”
Addressing the congregation as Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe congratulated CoVAB alumna and incoming Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MoSTI) under the Office of the President, Dr. Monica Musenero upon her recent appointment. “We thank His Excellency the President for identifying you. Science is in good hands.”
Prof. Nawangwe urged Dr. Musenero to address the structures of managing research and innovation in Uganda, “including the role of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology and the apparent need to establish a Research Council for Uganda.”
In the same breath he thanked the outgoing and pioneer Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumuwesigye, for his role in ensuring that the ministry is empowered to carry out its mandate.
The Chancellor congratulated CoVAB upon training the bulk of Veterinary Doctors in Uganda over the last 50 years and more recently, Laboratory Technologists at the highest level. He recognised Makerere University‘s obligation to contribute to the economic self-determination of Uganda and thanked CoVAB for conducting research that addresses hindrances to national development, especially in the livestock industry.
“The anti-tick vaccine is one of such innovations which will solve the huge problem of tick-borne diseases that have caused enormous losses to our farmers. There are many other problems on which the college is researching and we thank you for the enthusiasm” he added.
The Chancellor commended CoVAB for being the vanguard of transformation of the grassroots communities through the SPEDA model. “I urge Government to fund this important initiative so that it can more meaningfully contribute to solving the big problem of youth unemployment.”
In her remarks, Dr. Monica Musenero commended the Principal, CoVAB, Prof. John David Kabasa for fulfilling the College’s dream of enabling the masses who drop out of the education value chain as well as those who complete education but have no skills for livelihood, to attain certification in agribusiness entrepreneurship.
“Many people attain academic success and write papers, publish and they become professors but without demonstrable impact on their nation. You have shown by the thousands that you have touched nationwide that indeed you are a professor of national transformation. Congratulations,” remarked Dr. Musenero.
She therefore congratulated the teams at CoVAB and AFRISA upon successfully conceiving and executing a model that is non-traditional, informal, not easily understood and not documented in any textbooks.
As Minister, Dr. Musenero noted that witnessing thousands of individuals from across the country whose skills had been honed through a university programme receiving certificates gave her a lot of hope and material to embark on her tenure with. “I will be looking forward to harnessing these resources as we initiate work on the next leg of Science, Technology and Innovation in the country under the President’s Office.”
The invitation to the Principal, CoVAB to present students for the award of the ordinary diplomas, ordinary certificates and artisan certificates was given by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Dr. Umar Kakumba. He congratulated the awardees upon successfully completing their respective courses and graduating with evidence on an enterprise.
Prof. Kabasa clarified that the approach used to train the day’s awardees was not simply a vocational skilling. “The combination of action research with knowledge transfer, skilling, plus assessment and accreditation processes done by organs like the DIT (Directorate of Industrial Training, MoES) has given us this result, for the University to provide true leadership and transformation of the community.”
Present at the celebrations were the Director, DIT, MoES-Mr. Byakatonda Patrick and the Deputy Commissioner Social Services Development, MoES Madam Elizabeth Bateme who have worked through the Academic-Community-Public-Private-Partnership model to ensure that students graduate as entrepreneurs with micro enterprises.
Prior to presiding over the ceremony, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, on behalf of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports officially commissioned the SPEDA Training, Incubation and Research Centre – Nakyesasa.
-
Health2 weeks agoCall for Applications: MAK-ImS PhD, Masters, Non-Degree Fellowship Scholarships
-
VC's Diary1 week agoUniversity Closure Guidelines in Compliance With Presidential Directive on COVID-19
-
General1 week ago4th Call For Applications: MURBS Departmental Ambassadors
-
General2 weeks agoMak Centenary Celebrations Logo Design Contest