General
Mak’s Prof Banadda Becomes First African to Scoop Distinguished Pius XI Gold Medal
Makerere University Don Prof. Noble Banadda has been awarded the Pius XI Gold Medal for the year 2018. The award, given by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences based at the Vatican, is in recognition of his outstanding scientific research.
Twenty-eight winners have been awarded the Pius XI Gold Medal since its launch in 1961, but Prof. Banadda will be the first African to receive it. Prof. Banadda is currently the Chair, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).
Prof. Banadda will make a presentation on his most important scientific research and most honorably receive the Golden medal from the Pope. The Council of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is set to present him the Pius XI Gold Medal 2018 during the next Plenary Session to be held in the Vatican from 12th to 14th November 2018. He was selected by unanimous decision of the Academy Council from among many candidates proposed.
A letter addressed to Prof. Banadda dated 26th July, 2018, indicated that the actual award will take place during the Solemn Audience which the Holy Father Pope Francis will grant the participants of the plenary Session.
“I am very happy to inform you that the Council of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences has unanimously decided to award you the Pius XI Medal for the year 2018, in recognition of your outstanding scientific research. On behalf of all our Academicians and the Chancellery I wish to extend to you our warmest congratulations on being chosen from among the candidates proposed.
The medal will be presented to you personally during our next Plenary Session, which this year is addressed to transformative Roles of Science in Society: From Emerging Basic Science Toward Solutions for people’s wellbeing and will be held in the Vatican from 12 to 14 November 2018,” read part of the letter to Prof. Banadda.
The Pius XI Gold Medal is awarded every two years. In his previous address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on 28th November 2016, Pope Francis underscored the role and position of scientists in society.
“Very briefly, I would say that it falls to scientists, who work free of political, economic or ideological interests, to develop a cultural model which can face the crisis of climatic change and its social consequences, so that the vast potential of productivity will not be reserved only for the few.
Just as the scientific community, through interdisciplinary dialogue, has been able to research and demonstrate our planet’s crisis, so today that same community is called to offer a leadership that provides general and specific solutions for issues which your plenary meeting will confront: water, renewable forms of energy and food security.
It has now become essential to create, with your cooperation, a normative system that includes inviolable limits and ensures the protection of ecosystems, before the new forms of power deriving from the techno-economic model causes irreversible harm not only to the environment, but also to our societies, to democracy, to justice and freedom,” Pope Francis, Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 28 November 2016.
Banadda in his response was grateful to God and whoever prayed for him to rise to that level
“Frankly, when I look at the list of previous winners, I am speechless because Hawkings was a global icon in Physics until his death recently. I didn’t apply for it. I am yet to come to terms to this fact that Pope Francis will give me that award on November 14 in a 75 seater room in the Vatican.
They have already sent me the details of everything including the room where I shall meet the Pope! It’s a great honor to me, Makerere University and Uganda, “he said.
Banadda however did not comment on how he will be addressed after the award and also does not know what will come with it.
“The Pontifical Academy makes it own search and recommends someone it suits. I therefore have no clue on how they searched and landed on my name.
The reason in the award letter is Scientific Excellence and I will automatically be admitted to the Pontifical Academy after this award, Prof. Banadda said.
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences & The Pius XI Gold Medal
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences was founded on 28th October 1936 by the Holy Father Pius XI, to honor pure science, wherever this may be found, to ensure its freedom, and to support the research essential for the progress of applied science.
The Pius XI Gold Medal was established on 28th October 1961 by His Holiness pope John XXIII to acknowledge outstanding scientific merit in the field of the natural sciences achieved by a young scientist under the age of 45. It was named after Pius XI who, in 1936, restored the Academy that had originally been founded by Federico Cesi in 1603, and gave it its international and global character.
Past recipients include: R.B. Woodward (1961), B.E. Anderson (1962), A. Bohr (1963), F. Gros (1964), A.R. Sandage (1966), H. Kanatani (1970), G. Nemethy (1972), S.W. Hawking (1975), L. Luzzatto (1976), A. Paes de Carvalho (1979), J.M. Lehn (1981), G. ‘t Hooft (1983), E.A. Benays (1986), L.A. Caffarelli Dehaene (2000), J.M. Maldacena (2002), L. Saint-Raymind (2004), A. Sen (2006), P. Mehlen (2010), T. –J. Chuang and U. Poschl (2012), C. Villani (2014), M. Sigman (2016).
About Prof. Noble Banadda
Prof. Banadda grew up in Kabale, South-Western, Uganda. He went to Kigezi Primary School Kabale then moved to Bugema Adventist College for lower secondary school and Kyambogo College School for Higher school.
He was the first black African to get a PhD in chemical engineering after 600 years of existence of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium); one of the oldest universities in the world established in 1425 – a no mean achievement that opened doors and acceptance to blacks to do a doctorate in Chemical engineering.
He holds an MSc in Processing Engineering from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) and a BSc Food Science and Technology from Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania).
In 2007, he won the Cochran Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral studies in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA).
In August 2012 he was appointed a full professor at the age of 37 years. This was the first ever in the Department of Agricultural and Bio Systems Engineering at Makerere University and the only one to-date.
He was the youngest fellow to join the Uganda National Academy of Sciences in 2013 and the only person to qualify to be in both the young and senior academy in Uganda.
In 2015, he was among the only seven Africans that qualified as fellows of the prestigious Next Einstein Fellowship.
Prof. Banadda’s research interests are broadly in mathematical modeling, biological systems and renewable energy. In academia, he has served as a visiting professor in universities in Africa, Europe and USA and supervised several Master’s and PhD theses.
He has authored over 80 peer reviewed scientific papers in international journals and with 1,395 citations on Google Scholar, he is ranked 64th globally and 5th in Africa in waste management research.
Groundbreaking research, technologies and innovations
Prof. Banadda first won a research grant from the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) in 2011 through it Competitive Graduate Research Scheme. His research was on, “Investigating contamination risks associated with wrapping indigenous foods in plastic bags during thermal processing.” The study that sought to address public health concerns found that both black and green polyethylene bags, commonly used to wrap food in Uganda, contained heavy metals in varying concentrations which migrated into food during cooking at different temperatures and their migration increased with increase in temperature and holding time. This therefore exposes people to ingesting heavy metals, though in small quantities, but which may accumulate over a long period of time and cause health problems.
In 2015, he won a second grant to carry out research on “Pyrolysis of agricultural waste for bioethanol production”. The purpose of this research was to produce ethanol from low cost agricultural biomass such as banana peels, straws, plant stalks, stovers and molasses in order to make it competitive as a direct fuel or blended into petrol as an additive. Success of this project will, among other benefits, enhance incomes, moderate fuel prices, attract youth into agriculture, and create jobs.
In March 2016, Prof. Banadda hit media headlines for coming up with a new technology of making diesel from heavy plastics. The demonstration was carried out at the engineering workshop at the university farm at Kabanyolo. The innovation was the first of its kind in the country and a step towards utilizing waste polythene bags/ plastics and addressing the problem of the hazards caused by poor disposal of polythene bags in the country. The diesel can be used in motor vehicle engines, generators, lighting in the house and lighting charcoal stoves among others. What remains after the chemical extraction of diesel can also be used as manure in gardens to enhance soil fertility.
In July 2016, Banadda unveiled an organic pesticide (Vinegar) from agricultural waste mainly from eucalyptus saw dust that has no human health and environmental effect. This organic pesticide can be easily used by farmers to control pests like the red ants which are a common menace to Ugandan farmers. The organic pesticide was tested and sprayed on various insects and red ants at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo, where results were impressive. The research breakthrough presents business opportunities for organic farming and export.
Another jubilant moment was when Prof. Banadda crowned the year 2015 by launching the first ever Makerere University MV Mulimi – a multipurpose cost-effective farmer’s tractor. The innovation was launched on 31st December, 2015 at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK) with the aim of providing practical solutions to basic farm problems faced by small scale farmers in Uganda. The Multipurpose tractor has been tested for and capable of performing five (5) tasks, namely; threshing maize to reduce postharvest losses; pumping water for irrigation; charging phones to keep farmers informed of Agricultural produce markets; hauling agricultural produce up to 1 ton and ploughing fields. The university can now fabricate this tractor at a cost of only 25 million shillings.
In March 2017, Prof. Banadda led a research team and developed a solar-powered Irrigation pump as a cheap and reliable solution for small scale farmers. This was launched by the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda at his office on Parliamentary Avenue. The entire system can be assembled at a cost of UGX6.5million. The system is composed of the solar panel (100watts), a battery, a pump and tubes and can efficiently work on surface water although adjustment can be made on the size of the solar panel and water pump to utilize underground water.
Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango,
Principal Communication Officer, CAES
Hundreds of mourners gathered at St. Augustine Chapel, Makerere University on May 30, 2026 to pray for the soul of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University.
The requiem mass was filled with emotional tributes celebrating Ruhweza’s life of service, leadership and dedication to community causes. Ruhweza passed away on Friday, May 29, 2026, at Mildmay Uganda Hospital.
Speaker after speaker described him as a humble and visionary leader who was passionate about uplifting others and deeply committed to excellence.
“We thank God for the life of Sylas, for the years he granted him among us, and for the impact he made on countless lives. He carried himself with humility and grace, and wherever he went, he built friendships, inspired confidence, and left people better than he found them,” Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, said during the Mass.
Mr. Rwomiire urged mourners to honour Ruhweza’s legacy by embracing the values he stood for, including integrity, compassion, hard work, service to community, and his unwavering love for Tooro Kingdom.
The main celebrant, Rev. Fr. Charles Lwanga Makoboza, echoed the message in his homily, reminding Christians to remain rooted in Jesus Christ throughout their lives.
“Sylas has gone to be with God, in a place where there is no pain, missed calls, struggle, corruption, betrayal, jealousy and tears. He is in a place with absolute peace. So, in life, never be the cause of someone’s tears, and if you do, seek reconciliation,” Fr. Lwanga, said.
Fr. Lwanga also reminded mourners that what Ruhweza needs most are prayers, not wreaths.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Ms. Grace Kabasita, Ruhweza’s maternal aunt, described him as a loving and dedicated young man whose life touched many people.
“Sylas was a counsellor, teacher, and a brilliant, loveable young man who fitted into every society. His life was marked by service, friendship, dedication, and commitment to the wellbeing of others and his culture,” she said.
Addressing mourners, Prof Justine Namaalwa, the Coordinator of the Mastercard Foundation Initiatives at Makerere University, noted that though Sylas’s life was cut short, he leaves behind a lasting legacy of service, leadership and impact on the communities he served.
“Sylas, you have gone too soon. But it is well with our souls. May your legacy of Transformative Leadership live on,” Prof. Namaalwa, said.
She thanked the Mastercard Foundation for supporting his education through BRAC Uganda, supporting his university education through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University, and nurturing his leadership journey through the Youth Advisory Board.
Ruhweeza at glance
Born on 19th July 1994 to the late Mr. Paul Tinkasimire Paul Adyeeri and Ms. Ategeka Margret Abwooli of Bunyangabu District.
The ninth born of eleven children attended Kaboyo Primary School for his Primary Education, and later joined Fort Portal Secondary School where he sat for his O-Level. He then proceeded to A-Level at Hannah International School.
He joined Makerere University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Geoscience and Production in 2022, supported by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at Makerere University.
At the time of his passing, he was pursuing a Master’s degree at Victoria University.
Leadership, Service and Professional Contributions
Mr. Ruhweza served as Chairperson of the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network at BRAC from 2020 to 2022, demonstrating transformative leadership and commitment to social change.
He later became the President of the Makerere AlumNet Foundation, an umbrella organization that brings together the Scholars Makerere Alumni chapter.
He worked as an eLearning Support Officer at the College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) under the e-learning initiative at Makerere University.
He was a member of the Steering Committee of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University, representing the Scholars Makerere Alumni chapter.
At the time of his passing, he was serving as the Minister of Information in the Tooro Kingdom, Strategy and Engagement Lead for the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network-Uganda Chapter, and Programme Associate at the Africa Climate Collaborative, one of the Mastercard Foundation initiatives at Makerere University.
Legacy
Ruhweza is remembered for his dedication to education, leadership, mentorship, and community service. He passionately championed youth empowerment, collaboration, and social responsibility.
His life reflected the transformative power of education, servant leadership, and a commitment to uplifting others.
May Sylas’s soul rest in eternal peace.
General
Makerere University Pushes for Stronger Support for Research Ethics Committees amid Growing Research Demands
By Moses Lutaaya
Makerere University has intensified efforts to strengthen research governance and ethical oversight, with university leaders calling for greater institutional support for Research Ethics Committees (RECs), whose role has become increasingly central to the institution’s research-led agenda.
The call was made during a high-level meeting between University Management and Chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees held at the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom at the Makerere University Main Building on May 25, 2026.
Opening the meeting, the Director of Research Innovations and Partnerships (DRIP), Prof. Robert Wamala, highlighted a number of operational and administrative challenges affecting the effectiveness of RECs at Makerere University.
Prof. Wamala observed that RECs continue to operate with gaps in institutional framework outlining their position within the university governance structure, a gap he said has affected institutional support and long-term sustainability.
According to Prof. Wamala, inadequate facilitation continues to affect the operations of several committees, especially in areas of staffing, administrative coordination, and remuneration for REC administrators.
He also pointed to challenges arising from new regulatory requirements governing the appointment of REC members, particularly the need for appointment letters to be authorized or signed by the Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Wamala further raised concern over the high cost of mandatory accreditation and training processes required by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), especially the Good Research Regulatory Practice (GRRP) training undertaken every three years. “Payment for training is too high for individual RECs to cover,” he noted, adding that many committees are struggling to independently raise the money to undertake the training for all their members.
He also emphasized the need for stronger institutional monitoring systems to support timely submission of accreditation renewal applications, oversight of approved research activities, and coordination of REC operations across the university.
In her remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, Prof. Sarah Ssali, commended the growing contribution of RECs in advancing Makerere University’s research agenda and acknowledged the concerns raised by Prof. Wamala and committee members.
“There were not very many RECs,” Prof. Ssali said. “So now that we are 10, it is really impressive because it speaks to our cause for a research-led university.” She admitted that despite their importance, many RECs still operate outside the formal university establishment, making staffing and operational support difficult.
“The only challenge that I see is that they are not fully institutionalized. So it is upon units to start them or not to start them,” she explained. Prof. Ssali added that because RECs are not fully integrated into the public service structure of the university, recruiting and remunerating staff through conventional university systems remains complicated. “Hiring for them staff will be a little bit cumbersome because the university will say they are not part of our structure,” she said.
She nevertheless emphasized that university management recognizes the strategic importance of RECs in strengthening ethical research oversight and supporting Makerere’s position as a research-led institution. “RECs are doing a great job of furthering our strategic agenda of being a research-led university,” she noted.
Prof. Ssali explained that the growing reliance on institutional RECs by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology demonstrates the trust placed in Makerere University’s ethical review systems.
Addressing concerns about the cost and frequency of mandatory training, Prof. Ssali acknowledged the financial burden on RECs but explained that many of the requirements are set by national regulators. “Many of the things you have raised are with National Council, they are not with us,” she said. “We can only pledge to lobby.”
To address logistical challenges associated with training senior academics, she proposed more flexible scheduling arrangements. “For a professor to give you a whole day is going to be a challenge,” she said. “Maybe you can do half days throughout the week.”
Prof. Ssali also encouraged colleges and schools to allocate part of their enhanced research budgets toward supporting REC activities, including staffing, training, and operational facilitation.
She suggested that colleges and schools hosting RECs should directly take responsibility for sustaining them. “For me, that’s the way out — to ensure that the colleges and schools that have RECs take them as their responsibility,” she noted.
The DVC-AA also addressed concerns related to intellectual property rights, Material Transfer Agreements (MTA), and the need for researchers to formally communicate scientific discoveries and innovations to the university to ensure institutional protection and benefit-sharing. “All you are saying is true, but it depends on you as researchers informing the institution that we have made this discovery,” she said.
Prof. Ssali reiterated Makerere University’s commitment to strengthening research governance systems and pledged continued engagement with both university management and national regulatory bodies to address the concerns raised by REC members. “Where they are, they enable research, publication and growth,” she said of the RECs. “Most importantly, they enable us to be ethical with the way we do our things.”
The meeting was attended by chairpersons of the various Research Ethics Committees across Makerere University and affiliated institutions. These included Dr. Ponsiano Ochama from the School of Medicine Research Ethics Committee (SOM-REC), Dr. Moses Ocan from the School of Biomedical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (SBS-REC), Dr. Paul Kutyabami from the School of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, Dr. David Kyaddondo from the Uganda Cancer Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Stella Neema from the School of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (MAKSS-REC), Dr. Joseph Kagayi from the School of Public Health Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Joseph Kateete from the Infectious Diseases Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Fred Okuku from the Uganda Heart Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Kassim Sadik from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Research Ethics Committee, and Dr. Eddy Walakira from the College of Business and Management Sciences Research Ethics Committee.
The discussions reflected Makerere University’s broader ambition to consolidate its position as a leading research-intensive institution while ensuring that ethical standards, accountability, and innovation protection remain central to its academic mission.
-
General1 week agoApplications for Admission to Undergraduate Programmes 2026/27
-
General2 weeks agoAdmission List to Bachelor of Education External (BED) 2026/27 -Government Sponsorship
-
General2 weeks agoMakerere University Kicks Off Semester Two Examinations Amid High Student Expectations
-
Agriculture & Environment2 weeks agoMakerere University, Uganda Red Cross Society Sign MoU to Advance Research, Training & Humanitarian Action
-
General2 weeks agoMakerere University Newsletter Jan-Mar 2026