General
Prof. Noble Banadda – The First African Recipient of the Pius XI Golden Medal
Makerere University’s Prof. Noble Banadda on Monday, 12th November 2018 officially became the first African recipient of the Pius XI Golden Medal Award. The exuberant Prof. Banadda in his communication to the Public Relations Office said.
“This afternoon on November 12, 2018, I met the Holy See, Pope Francis at the Vatican and he personally awarded me the Pius XI Golden Medal Award for Scientific Excellence and publication. It is a great honor to me as the first African recipient of the golden award.”
In his address to the Pontifical Academy, His Holiness Pope Francis urged the recipients to accord greater attention to the values and fundamental goods that are at the basis of the relationship between people, society and science.
“You, dear scientists and friends of science, have been entrusted with the keys of knowledge. I would like to stand before you as the advocate of the peoples that receive only rarely and from afar the benefits of vast human knowledge and its achievements, especially in the areas of nutrition, health, education, connectivity, well-being and peace. Allow me to say to you in their name: may your research benefit all, so that the peoples of the earth will be fed, given to drink, healed and educated;” read part of the His Holiness’ remarks.
As the Makerere University Community, we sincerely congratulate Professor Noble Banadda upon his monumental achievement and wish him greater success in his future endeavours.
Please see Downloads for Pope Francis’ address at the award ceremony.
Article by Public Relations Office
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Mak’s Prof Banadda Becomes First African to Scoop Distinguished Pius XI Gold Medal
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe on 20th April 2026 inaugurated the Second Makerere University Health User Committee (Mak-HUC). The Committee was established by the Vice Chancellor in 2022 as part of his strategic mandate to strengthen and oversee the University Hospital services delivery.
Chaired by Dr. Allen Kabagenyi from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Mak-HUC has as its members; Prof. Josaphat K. Byamugisha-Director Makerere University Health Services (MakHS) and Dr. Daniel Ronald Ruhweza-Department of Law and Jurisprudence, School of Law.
Other members include; Dr. Arthur Kwizera-Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, College of Health Sciences (CHS) and Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) Representative, Dr. Lillian Tukahirwa-Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (MASA) Representative, Mr. Godfrey Othieno- National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI) Representative, and as Secretariat, Ms. Kevin M. Nabiryo-Directorate of Human Resources.
The 2nd Mak-HUC has been appointed for a period of four years effective 1st January 2026 with a mandate to: Guide, monitor and oversee delivery of health services by MakHS; Represent the interests and concerns of staff and students that use MakHS; Advise on alignment with sustainable health financing and insurance models; Strengthen systems for fraud prevention, digital transformation and access to specialized treatment, among other responsibilities.
The 1st Mak-HUC was chaired by Dr. Allen Kabagenyi and had as members; Prof. Josaphat Byamugisha, Dr. Fred Mayambala, Dr. Zahara Nampewo, Mr. Othieno Godfrey, Mr. Apunyo Paul Okiria and Ms. Ikiriza Racheal. Milestones during the first era included; Outpatient Department visits growth from 4,802 (2022) to 7,388 (Nov 2025) for staff and 14,641 (2022) to 19,069 (Nov 2025) for students.
Others milestones included; Commissioning of a fully equipped Operating Theatre, Establishment of a modern Imaging Hub, Development of a fully functional Audiology Unit, Expansion of the Temporal Bone Laboratory, Launch of the Olink Proteomics Platform and Enhancement of the Dental Unit with 32 dental chairs and experienced personnel.
Related article: https://news.mak.ac.ug/2025/12/three-years-of-impact-makerere-university-health-user-committee-presents-status-report/
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