General
Freedom of Speech is the essence of democracy, says Ambassador Stéphanie Rivoal
The Ambassador of France to Uganda H.E Stéphanie Rivoal has emphasized the importance of freedom of speech and rights to participate in open discussions. Describing freedom of speech as the essence of democracy, H.E Stéphanie Rivoal said that people should have liberty to debate openly on any topic.
“Where you can debate, you can have freedom. Where you can have freedom, you can have peace, where you can have it all, you live in democracy,” remarked the Ambassador during the Opening Ceremony of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference held on Friday 26th October 2018 at Makerere University.
The Kampala Geopolitics conference was organized by the Embassy of France in Uganda in partnership with Makerere University, Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Alliance Française de Kampala (AFK), UN Women and the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (iRiS).
The two days’ conference (26th-27th October 2018) brings together professors, researchers, politicians, diplomats, journalists, activists and key leaders from various countries around world to engage in an interactive debate on the contemporary local and international issues.
Addressing dignitaries, international delegates and participants in the Makerere University Main Hall, the Ambassador called for an intensive discussion to find solutions to the challenges that affect the world at large.
“Geopolitics is all about understanding the world. Ignoring it, is short-sided because soon enough it will catch up with you. You may want to close your eyes to climate change, but it is coming. You may want to ignore terrorism, but it is happening. You may choose to brush aside social inequalities, but they are growing,” she explained.
Using one of the famous quotes of Nelson Mandela; ‘a good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger’; the Ambassador said that only a coward or a liar will run away from a debate, fearing that the mistruth will be uncovered.
“Debate between genuine leaders will bring them closer by providing the opportunity to clear misunderstandings, build bridges between cultures, personal views and ideologies,” she said.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe welcomed dignitaries, participants and international delegates to Makerere University; the vanguard of nurturing world-class political leaders and the alma mater of revolutionary, transformative and influential alumni.
Prof. Nawangwe revealed that the shifting geopolitics of the region has significantly affected the higher education sector. Thus some of the ideas raised during the conference would inform the ongoing process of formulating the next ten-year 2020-2030 Makerere University Strategic Plan.
The Country Representative of Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung, Mr. Mathias Kamp commended the panellists and moderators for accepting to guide the debate. He also called for a peaceful and constructive engagement.
Participants were thrilled by an interactive session involving Uganda’s best comedians Daniel Omara and Pablo. Other members included Aisha Ali, the Founder of I Profile Foundation and Deedan. The vibrant team improvised a blitz lecture on a number of issues namely: Are refugees’ beggars? Money, money, money; Minorities cost too much to society; and why black panther movie a hit; providing a platform for respective professors and experts to critically analyse the topics.
With the captivating engagement, the participants were ushered into panel discussions on the following topics:
- USA: Not the "Policeman of the World" anymore? Implications of the Trump Presidency on the global power relations
- Leave No One Behind: What is the economic cost of excluding minorities?
- Black Panther Phenomenon: Rethinking Africa through Fiction and Arts
- Social Media, Fake News and Online Manipulation: Are Beliefs winning over reason?
- Opening Doors or Building walls? Managing migration in US, Europe and Africa
- Make the planet great again: Is there still hope to fight climate change?
- Youth is the future: What are we doing to give hope to the young generation?
- Long live diplomacy: Multilateralism in the 21st Century
- Are Religions Peacemakers or troublemakers: The role of religion in volatile societies
On Saturday 27th October 2018, the following topics will be discussed;
- Old masters, new players: Is the African economy in the hands of foreigners?
- Democracy in danger? The basis of democracy and the global trends that undermine it
- Sports, not just for fun anymore? Distraction, industry, soft power?
- Alpha Males, newcomers, populists: What leaders are we craving for?
- Avenues for peace and stability: Peacebuilding, regional diplomacy and military intervention in Africa
- The power of food: Shall agriculture fill our stomach or your purse?
- Powerful women: Challenging male dominance
- The future of East Africa: Is the European Union a model or deterrent?
- What is going to kill us first? Global threats to human health
- Countering the expansion of islamist terrorism: from Middle East, Maghreb, Horn of Africa to western Countries
- Is money ruling the world? Side effects of unbridled capitalism
- One planet too many people? Are we too many for the resources of our planet?
Other activities lined up included: art performances, market place of art and ideas, live studio by Media challenge Initiative, exhibitions by artists, innovators and start-ups, students and youth-led initiatives and a democracy expo by Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung, Alliance Française De Kampala and Campus France.
Article by Nabatte Proscovia, Mak Public Relations Office
The Gender Mainstreaming Directorate (GMD), Makerere University on 14th September 2021 presented findings from phase one of the study on Enhancing Women’s Participation and Visibility in Leadership and Decision-Making Organs of Public Universities in Uganda through Action Research. The study team led by the Director GMD and Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine also consists of Assoc. Prof. Consolata Kabonesa, Dr. Anna Ninsiima, Ms. Frances Nyachwo, Ms. Susan Mbabazi and Mr. Eric Tumwesigye.
The team is also made of coordinators from participating Universities such as Busitema University-Ms. Elizabeth Birabwa, Kabale University-Sr. Dr. Eva Tumusiime, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)-Dr. Specioza Twinamasiko, Muni University-Ms. Amandru Stella Wawa, and Gulu Univeristy-Sr. Rosalba Aciro.
Funded by the Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF), the study was inspired by the fact that women are persistently few in numbers as staff, more so in leadership and decision-making organs of Ugandan Public Universities. “This is despite all the various efforts at national and international levels; the numbers are not growing as fast as needed to meet development goals of the country” explained Dr. Euzobia.
Based on this background, the study team therefore sought to conduct a situational analysis of the gender terrain of the six public universities to obtain baseline information encompassing the composition of governance and leadership organs and senior staff by sex, as well as a needs assessment and profiles of potential mentors and mentees.
Furthermore, the team sought to explore the capacity to conduct gender-responsive research as well as the role of male staff engagement in gender equity interventions within the universities as the drivers of development.
Dr. Mugisha-Baine shared that results of the baseline would then be used to design participatory training manuals or guides on gender and leadership. The manuals would cover; Institutionalized mentorship, How to conduct gender-responsive research, gender and equity budgeting, among others.
“Within these manuals, we shall have a male staff engagement strategy in gender equity interventions in universities” she explained.
The development of the aforementioned materials would then be followed by their adoption and use to build capacity for women not only in leadership of participating and other public university but also beyond. “We shall periodically evaluate whether the capacity we have built has influenced women’s participation in leadership and decision-making organs of the university” supplemented the PI.
The capacity building trainings for women, it is envisaged, will lay the foundation for the formation of a functional Uganda University Women’s Think Tank, starting with the six participating universities. Dr. Mugisha Baine added that through this Think Tank, a monitoring and tracking system for gender representation in recruitment, promotion, retention/turnover and leadership of public universities shall be established and maintained.
At the conclusion of phase one, the study team had drafted participatory training manuals in gender and leadership with content on; gender specific critical analysis of the leadership spectrum of public universities, positioning of individual women within the institutional framework and strategies for their advancement, gender equity advocacy in the university setting, institutional mentorship, building capacity in conducting gender-responsive research, among others.
“This content will be validated by the participating universities before the actual research training is conducted” added the PI.
On behalf of the research team, Dr. Mugisha Baine thanked the Government of Uganda for providing the resources that facilitated phase one of the study and prayed that the Mak-RIF Grants Management Committee (GMC) would support the next phase of capacity building.
Speaking on behalf of the Mak-RIF GMC Chairperson, Prof. William Bazeyo, Dr. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala thanked and congratulated the team led by the Director GMD upon the milestones registered in the critical research.
“We are very proud of that work that is being done by all researchers in Mak-RIF and we would like to most sincerely thank Management for all the support throughout this process” she remarked.
Dr. Nkabala encouraged the research team to continue disseminating and using the findings for the furtherance of gender mainstreaming, particularly through the aspect of male staff engagement in gender equity interventions.
Prior to delivering the keynote address of the day, the Executive Director National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) Prof. Mary Okwakol thanked the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe for inviting her to the important forum, noting that women’s participation in decision making and governance is a priority area of the Uganda Gender Policy 2007.
She commended Makerere University for being at the forefront of gender mainstreaming in Uganda, noting that this prominence was one of the reasons why the Gender in Education Policy 2007 provides for replicating the institution’s strategy in all other Higher Education Institutions.
Prof. Okwakol whose keynote address was punctuated incisive personal examples reaffirmed the statistics that women are generally not visible in leadership of Universities. That notwithstanding, in instances where they rise to leadership and decision-making positions, they are regularly subject to roles traditionally deemed as women’s inconsiderate of their managerial seniority and experience.
She nevertheless rallied the women to play their respective roles in enhancing participation and visibility at a personal level. The following were some of the strategies she proposed; work hard to acquire academic credentials so as to compete favourably with men, acquire necessary administrative training and experience, network among women, join professional networks as well as do research and publish.
On joining professional networks, she shared her personal experience as a young zoologist who joined UNESCO’s Tropical Biology and Fertility Programme. “Within a short time I was appointed Coordinator for Africa and after two years, I was elected as a Member of the International Board of Management. After serving for two years, I became Vice Chairperson of that Board and finally I became Chairperson of that International Board.”
At the institutional level, Prof. Okwakol appealed to the Chairperson Council and Vice Chancellor to proactively recruit women who meet the requirements for leadership positions even if it means actively seeking out the reluctant ones. In this regard, she shared that it would be useful for the university to develop a database of women and their qualifications to ease this process.
She shared that NCHE has in recognition of female underrepresentation at every level in Higher Education approved the establishment of a Gender and Equity Unit with the aim of promoting inclusive gender participation in the sub-sector.
“This unit has been placed under the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Accreditation which implies that as we look out for and regulate quality, gender will be a very important aspect of that regulation” she reassured.
Prof. Okwakol concluded by urging participants to read the; Third National Development Plan (NDPIII), Uganda Vision 2040, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) noting that there is no way all three can be achieved while women are left behind because they each make a case for inclusion of the female gender.
“What we are addressing here are historical injustices” said Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe as he commenced his remarks, “And in the case of Makerere University, it is well known that the institution started as a male-only institution and we all know the original motto was ‘Let us be men’” he added.
Citing examples from history such as; Marie Curie – one of the smartest physicists, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra – prominent Pharaohs of Egypt, George Eliot, Rosa Luxemburg and Hypatia – all great philosophers as well as Chancellor Angela Merkel – first female Chancellor of Germany, the Vice Chancellor said there is no plausible argument that there are things women cannot do as well as their male counterparts.
He said it was against this knowledge and in a bid to correct historical injustices that Makerere University pioneered initiatives such as putting in place affirmative action for girls, establishing a Gender Mainstreaming Directorate as well as a School of Women and Gender Studies. The Vice Chancellor nevertheless stressed the need to go beyond pioneering to protecting these gains through legislation. “Historically we have seen that discrimination can only be addressed by laws and policies.”
Prof. Nawangwe thanked the Government for providing funds to support Mak-RIF as well as the Funds GMC and Secretariat for ensuring that these funds are put to good use. He equally thanked the Chairperson of Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara for her not only her support but also sparing time to attend a good number of the research dissemination events.
Delivering the concluding remarks, Mrs. Magara acknowledged that the study was timely and relevant the contemporary University, as one of the critical drivers of the national and international development agenda. She therefore reechoed the Vice Chancellor’s thanks to the Government of Uganda for generously supporting the University’s research through Mak-RIF.
Turning to the keynote speaker she said, “I thank Prof. Okwakol for ardently discussing the critical issues affecting the female gender, the strategies to overcome the challenges, including sharing her inspiring personal experiences.”
Mrs. Magara equally thanked Prof. Okwakol for her very instructional analysis, providing mentorship guidance with the resultant impact of enhancing the female gender in decision-making positions. In the same breath she congratulated the PI and her team upon successfully concluding phase one of the project.
“Phase one has generated insights in understanding the status of women in leadership in public universities, the legal and policy framework and its implications on women’s visibility, the institutional mentoring systems and the gaps therein” she observed.
The Chairperson of Council acknowledged that the challenge of underrepresentation of women in leadership roles cannot be resolved at an individual level. She therefore advocated for broad based strategies that can address deep-seated structural and cultural biases facing women. “These include developing mentorship networks, enacting laws and policies that address the imbalances and providing training programmes to address the leadership gaps.”
She therefore pledged the University Council’s unwavering support to the Gender Mainstreaming Programme by ensuring an enabling policy environment that facilitates gender-responsive teaching, learning, research innovation and community service.
The research dissemination was moderated by the Principal Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ms. Ritah Namisango and the Director Communications, Learning and Knowledge Management, ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) and PRO Mak-RIF, Ms. Harriet Adong.
