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New Policy brief on Preventing Nutrient Loss and Waste Launched at NARO-Mak Conference
A policy brief on preventing nutrient loss and waste across the food system was on Tuesday, 13th November, 2018 launched by the State Minister for Northern Uganda who is also Member of Parliament representing Zombo District Women Constituency Hon. Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, during the NARO–Makerere University (Mak) Conference at the Speke Resort Munyonyo.
The policy brief was developed by the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food System for Nutrition – an independent group of influential experts with a commitment to tackling global challenges in food and nutrition security.
The new policy brief shows that reduction in food loss and waste; particularly in high nutrient foods, has the potential to yield substantial nutritional benefits, contributing to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Launching the brief, Hon. Kwiyucwiny emphasized the need to address loss and waste of nutritious foods as a specific new priority for improving nutrition.
The Minister said globally, US$940 billion is lost annually, expressing the need for all stakeholders to do agriculture as a business and to understand the value in the diets they consume.
“We want to strengthen the coordination of all stakeholders. I am also interested in getting out of here with action points as very critical. All have the responsibility to do more than they have been doing before”.
Hon. Kwiyucwiny applauded the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition for considering Uganda as the best place to launch the policy.
She said 29 % of the children in Uganda are stunted due to poor nutrition despite the fact that the country grows all foods important for growth.
“In Uganda 30-40% of the food is lost after harvesting and the most affected are fruits and vegetables which are very critical for good health.
This is why it is a very important and critical moment to discuss nutrition and launch the policy brief today”, The Minister said.
She challenged all researchers, policy makers and implementers and all stakeholders in agriculture to influence and put more energy in the policy to promote nutrition.
Panel Member and Former AU Commissioner H.E. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime said diet related factors now account for six of the top nine contributors to the global burden of disease.
"Globally, approximately 1.3 billion metric tons, or one third of food available for human consumption never reaches the consumer’s plate or bowl.
In Uganda the examples of loss and waste in cooking bananas (Matooke) from a recent article accounts for 15% that suffer post-harvest deterioration. This percentage deteriorates partially and is sold at discounted prices. 7% deteriorate completely and have no commercial while 30% of edible portion of maize is lost.”
Technical Adviser to the Global Panel Prof. Patrick Webb from the School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, USA defined Food waste as the discarding of food appropriate for human consumption downstream in the value-chain, particularly at the retail and consumer levels, due to aesthetic quality, spoilage (actual or perceived) and consumer waste.
While Food loss refers to a decrease in quantity or quality (appearance, flavour, texture and nutritional value) of food intended for human consumption, e.g. inefficiencies in agricultural production, harvesting, post-harvest handling, transportation and storage of crops (notably pathogenic microorganisms) or during food transformation.
Prof. Webb said loss and waste fundamentally affect the availability and affordability of foods which make up healthy diets, and represent a major food system dysfunction that can no longer be tolerated.
“Every year about 1.3 metric tons of food produced for human consumption – one third of the total never reaches the consumers plate translating to US$940 billion, yet 3 billion people today have poor or inadequate diets.
In the USA the average family of four wastes roughly US$1,500 worth of food annually, while in the UK, the average household with children discards approximately £700 of food each year.
The highest economic losses occur for cereals in post-harvest handling and storage; fruit and vegetables in transformation and packaging; and meat, seafood and milk, at the distribution and retail level”, the Professor explained.
Prof. Webb, pointed out that nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, dairy products, meats and seafood are particularly susceptible to losses throughout the food system adding that globally, more than half of all the fruit and vegetables produced are lost and wasted, rising to more than 70% in the case of North Africa, West and Central Asia, and Latin America.
He explained that of the 263 million metric tons of meat produced globally each year, between 20-30% is lost or wasted. This is equivalent to the loss of approximately 75 million cows at the point of slaughter. In low-income regions, Webb said meat losses can be explained by high levels of animal mortality, caused by diseases (e.g. pneumonia, digestive diseases and parasites) while in high-income regions, wastage of meat and meat products is most significant at the retail and consumer levels.
“There are many drivers of food loss and waste that cover every part of the food system.
These also link to the wider global drivers, e.g. sustainability and climate change. For example: Many nutritious foods (e.g. fruits and vegetables) are also more water and heat sensitive than staple grains or tubers, making them particularly vulnerable to threats posed by climate change.
Dire Dawa, Ethiopia in 2011-2012 found that post-harvest losses of 20% to 40% in fruits and vegetables could be attributed to pollution from local cement factories, poor storage facilities, lack of know-how, poor management and weak marketing processes.
Farmers were sometimes forced to sell their products at very low prices at the earliest opportunity after harvest, because of the absence of proper storage and marketing facilities, and seasonal surpluses.
In Ghana, 69% of produce destroyed by stray animals, 58% of the remaining produce lost during grading and packing, Late arrival of buyers, poor handling of produce, destruction by containers and over-packing are also major factors”, he reported.
He said, loss and waste of nutritious foods needs to be an urgent new priority for improving diets and nutrition.
He explained that the combined threats of micronutrient deficient, under nutrition and obesogenic diets pose a serious challenge to policy makers not only in terms of the health, learning capacity and productivity of their citizens but also in relation to mounting healthcare costs associated with poor diet quality.
The Professor noted that loss and waste in nutritious foods would yield substantial benefits far beyond addressing hunger and malnutrition – to encompass economies and natural environment. The gains made he said, would contribute to the efficiencies needed to address climate change.
Prof. Webb however noted that a wide range of evidence-based policy options are available at every level in the food system matched by a number of Technology innovations including Promethean Power Systems , ColdHubs – created as a 'plug and play' modular, solar-powered walk-in cold room for 24/7 off-grid storage and preservation of perishable foods in low-and-middle-income countries like Nigeria; Multi-flash – an innovative drying technology that has been developed in Brazil to obtain high-quality dried fruit and vegetables, reducing process time and operational costs; Solar drying technologies for drying fruits, vegetables, spices and fish; and Nanotechnology packaging and others.
A key aim of this policy brief according to Prof. Webb is to provide advice to policy makers on how to proceed. The brief analyses the levels of loss and waste in nutritious foods in different regions of the world and where those losses occur throughout food value chains.
It also presents important new analysis which looks into the future to identify supply gaps that could develop in key nutrients unless action is taken. The same analysis is extended to quantify the benefits that could result if policymakers were to act to substantially reduce losses and waste.
The brief also examines many ways in which food loss and waste occur across the food system-from agricultural production to processing and packaging, storage, transportation, retail, and through to people’s own kitchens.
Drawing on the evidence, the brief concludes by setting out six key priorities for action to reduce loss and waste. It also provides diverse example of existing initiatives and potential innovations to guide action in both the public and private sectors.
The key priority areas for action outlined in the new policy brief are:
1. Educating all food systems stakeholders to prioritize the reduction of food loss and waste;
2. Taking practical steps for nutrient retention within the food system;
3. Improving public and private infrastructure for well- functioning and efficient food system;
4. Encouraging innovative solutions to protect nutrients;
5. Closing the data gap (improving data collection and analysis) and ;
6. Closing the knowledge gap (on losses and waste).
This will contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly to SDG 2 which focuses on resolving hunger and malnutrition, as well as SDG 12 which specifically calls for a halving of food waste across the globe by 2030.
Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango,
Principal Communication Officer, CAES
Follow #NAROMAK18 on Social Media for Live Updates
General
Makerere Launches Strategic Plan 2025-2030 to Drive Research, Innovation and National Development.
Kampala, Uganda East Africa.
Makerere University has officially launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030, reaffirming its commitment to advancing research, innovation, academic excellence and human capital development in support of Uganda’s national transformation agenda.
The Strategic Plan, unveiled by the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, provides a road map for strengthening the University’s contribution to Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy through research, innovation, entrepreneurship and the production of highly skilled graduates.
The launch, held at the University’s Main Hall, brought together government officials, members of the University Council, management, development partners, staff and students to witness what leaders described as the beginning of Makerere University’s next phase of institutional transformation.
Positioning Makerere for National Transformation.
Delivering his remarks, Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe said the Strategic Plan reflects Makerere University’s ambition to become an even stronger research led institution that responds directly to Uganda’s development priorities.
He noted that the University intends to restore student enrollment to pre COVID levels while significantly increasing postgraduate training to produce more researchers, innovators and professionals capable of addressing national challenges.
Prof. Nawangwe also highlighted the University’s growing research portfolio, commending researchers and research centers that continue to attract substantial international funding.
“when you combine the grants won by all our researchers through competitive international funding, the total exceeds US$200 million,” He said.
The Vice Chancellor also pointed to the need to strengthen the University’s academic workforce, noting that although progress has been made, more investment is required to fill approved academic positions, particularly at professor and associate professor levels.
Strategic Plan Sets Ambitious Institutional Targets.
Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Lorna Magara, described the Strategic Plan as more than an institutional document, calling it “a public covenant with the people of Uganda.”
She said the Plan outlines measurable commitments that will guide the University’s performance over the next five years, including expanding postgraduate enrolment, increasing STEM participation, improving doctoral completion rates and strengthening research productivity.
“Ambition is precisely what this moment demands. A strategic plan is not measured by the elegance of its language, but by the lives it transforms,” she said.
Dr. Magara emphasized that every investment in Makerere University should translate into tangible benefits for society through research, innovation, leadership and skilled graduates.
She also called for reforms to Uganda’s Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act to strengthen university governance and create an enabling environment for innovation and knowledge production.
Government Reaffirms Support.
Launching the Strategic Plan, Hon. Henry Musasizi commended Makerere University for aligning its institutional priorities with Uganda’s Vision 2040, the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
He observed that universities remain central actors in national development because they produce the knowledge, innovation and skilled workforce required to transform Uganda’s economy.
“Universities are central actors in national transformation. they are engines of knowledge creation, innovation and human capital development,” he said.
The Minister emphasized government’s commitment to supporting research, innovation and stronger collaboration between universities and industry to ensure that knowledge generated within higher education institutions contributes directly to economic growth.
Universities Critical to Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
Presenting the national development perspective, Samuel Kasule, Senior Planner at the National Planning Authority, explained that the Strategic Plan aligns closely with the Uganda’s long term development framework.
He noted that achieving the country’s ambitious economic growth targets will depend heavily on universities producing competent graduates, expanding research and strengthening innovation ecosystems that support priority sectors including agriculture, tourism, ICT, minerals, manufacturing, and oil and gas.
Kasule further underscored the importance of competency based education and post graduate training in building the human capital required for sustainable national development.
A Shared Vision for the Future.
Throughout the launch, speakers emphasized that Makerere University’s future lies in becoming an increasingly research intensive, innovation driven institution that responds to national and global development challenges.
The Strategic Plan 2025-2030 outlines priorities that include strengthening research excellence, promoting innovation and commercialization, expanding digital transformation, enhancing partnerships with industry, and producing graduates equipped to drive socioeconomic transformation.
Its launch marks a renewed commitment by Makerere University to remain at the forefront of knowledge generation and to contribute meaningfully to Uganda’s long term development aspirations.
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General
Dr John Mary Kiberu Appointed Acting Head of Makerere University’s Department of Geology & Petroleum Studies
Dr John Mary Kiberu has been appointed Acting Head of the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies at Makerere University effective 1st July 2026.
Dr Kiberu takes over from Dr Arthur Batte who has led the Department since 1st April 2022.
Official Handover Ceremony
The official handover ceremony, held on 10th July 2026, was presided over by the Dean of the School of Physical Sciences, Prof. David Ssevviiri, who paid tribute to the outgoing Head for his exemplary leadership, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the advancement of the Department. Prof. Ssevviiri acknowledged Dr Batte’s invaluable contribution, sacrifices, and efforts in guiding the Department and strengthening its academic and institutional mandate during his tenure. He welcomed the incoming Head and expressed confidence in his ability to provide strategic leadership and build on the foundation established, while advancing the Department’s vision and goals.
Dr Batte’s Achievements During His Tenure
In his handover report, Dr Batte reflected on the Department’s progress over the past four years, highlighting the achievements that strengthened academic programmes, research, industry collaboration, infrastructure, and administrative systems.
Among the key accomplishments was the acquisition of modern teaching and research equipment through strategic partnerships with leading industry stakeholders. SNF contributed state-of-the-art laboratory equipment designed to simulate surfactant production processes for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), significantly strengthening the Department’s capacity for hands-on training and applied research. TotalEnergies provided advanced computer workstations equipped with industry-standard geological and reservoir simulation software, enabling students and researchers to access cutting-edge tools for learning, innovation, and professional development. In addition, the Department expects to receive a well-control model from Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau (ZPEB), which will further strengthen practical training in petroleum production processes.
Strengthening Industry Partnerships
The Department also expanded its engagement with industry by formalizing partnerships with TotalEnergies, COSL, DISKOS, and the Uganda Chamber of Energy and Minerals. These collaborations have created valuable opportunities for student internships, collaborative research, curriculum enhancement, and equipment support. Negotiations are ongoing to conclude Memoranda of Understanding with ZPEB, Dietsmann, and the Bio-Ecosystems Conservation and Development Agency, partnerships expected to further strengthen the Department’s teaching and research agenda.
Curriculum Modernization and Administrative Improvements
A major milestone during Dr Batte’s tenure was securing a USD 200,000 grant to review and modernize the Department’s undergraduate and postgraduate geology curricula. The ongoing project aims to align academic programmes with emerging technologies, industry needs, and international best practices.
On the administrative front, Dr Batte reported significant improvements in governance and academic management. The Department successfully maintained up-to-date records of meetings with no backlog of unapproved minutes, ensured the timely submission of students’ examination results, and cleared pending postgraduate proposal presentations, enabling graduate students to progress without unnecessary delays.
Dr Batte’s Message to the Incoming Head
During the handover ceremony, Dr. Batte congratulated Dr. Kiberu on his appointment and wished him success in his new role. He expressed confidence that the Department was well positioned for continued growth, with strong institutional systems, strategic partnerships, and a dedicated team ready to support the new leadership. “I am confident that under your leadership, the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies will continue to excel and make significant contributions to Makerere University and the broader scientific community.”
He appreciated the University and College leadership, members of staff, students, and all stakeholders for the support, cooperation, and commitment they extended to him throughout his tenure as Head of Department. Dr. Batte acknowledged that the achievements realized during his leadership were a collective effort, made possible through the dedication of staff, the guidance of university leadership, and the continued collaboration of industry and institutional partners.
Dr Kiberu’s Vision for the Department
In his remarks, Dr Kiberu expressed gratitude to the University Management, the CoNAS leadership, and the School of Physical Sciences for entrusting him with the responsibility of leading the department.
“It is a great honour and privilege to serve as Head of the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies. Leadership in academia is not simply about administration; it is about stewardship. It is about nurturing people, advancing knowledge, safeguarding institutional values, and creating opportunities that will benefit generations of students, researchers, and society. I pledge to serve with integrity and humility, and to lead with commitment to the continued growth and success of our Department.”
Dr Kiberu paid tribute to his predecessor for his dedicated service and acknowledged the strong foundation laid during the past four years.
“Every leader inherits both achievements and challenges,” Dr Kiberu noted. “I look forward to building upon that foundation while embracing new opportunities for growth.”
He outlined a vision centred on strengthening academic programmes, advancing research and innovation, expanding partnerships with industry and international institutions, improving the student experience, embracing digital transformation, and promoting transparency, accountability, teamwork, and collegiality.
He observed that geoscience is evolving rapidly, driven by the global energy transition, the growing demand for critical minerals, climate resilience, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and advanced geophysical technologies.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that our teaching, research, and innovation remain relevant to national priorities while meeting international standards,” he said.
Dr Kiberu pledged to provide consultative, transparent, and inclusive leadership, emphasizing that the Department’s continued success would depend on collective effort.
“I pledge to lead through consultation, fairness, integrity, openness, and service,” he said. “Together, we can build an even stronger Department that attracts talented students, outstanding researchers, meaningful partnerships, and international recognition.”
Brief about Dr John Mary Kiberu
Dr. John Mary Kiberu is a distinguished geophysicist, petroleum geoscientist, and academic leader with over two decades of experience in teaching, research, mentorship, and institutional development at Makerere University. He holds a PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) in Geophysics from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, an MSc in Geophysics from the University of Twente, Netherlands, and a BSc in Geology and Chemistry from Makerere University. He has served in the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies in various capacities, contributing significantly to the advancement of geoscience education, research, curriculum development, and international collaborations.
His expertise spans applied geophysics, petroleum geoscience, seismic interpretation, reservoir characterization, hydrogeophysics, and tectonic studies. Dr. Kiberu has led and participated in several nationally and internationally funded research and capacity-building initiatives, strengthening geoscience training and research at Makerere University and beyond. Through his extensive supervision of postgraduate research, publication record, and engagement with global academic partners, he has played a key role in advancing petroleum geoscience and earth science research in Uganda. His appointment to lead the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies reflects his longstanding commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and the continued growth of the department.
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