The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) established by 10 Vice Chancellors in 2004, is a network of 126 universities in 38 African nations spanning the Continent with a vision to create vibrant transformative universities to catalyze sustainable inclusive agricultural development to feed and create prosperity for Africa. Soon after establishment in 2004, the Network undertook a scoping study to determine the competencies, opportunities and needs of the then 10 member universities and established RUFORUM as a strong instrument for assisting the rural poor beyond food security intervention and the need to increase participation of more universities in networking. Through these support modalities, RUFORUM directly contributed in the short-term to enhanced gender equality and inclusion, and in the long-term to sustainable and inclusive agricultural and socio-economic development. As a network of Universities in Africa, RUFORUM has undertaken measures to promote inclusivity in all its operations including deliberate efforts to increase the pool of women scientists. This includes targeted support to female staff and students and raising the age limits in scholarship and grant awards. These efforts have increased female supported students from 20% Masters and 12% PhDs in 2004 to 45% at both levels in 2018.These efforts were buttressed by supporting the founding of the Forum for Women Vice Chancellors in Africa (FAWoVC) in 2016 to encourage more women to take leadership roles and provide a platform to significantly influence the development of higher education in the Continent. Since then, FAWoVC has held three convenings that have fostered networking, lesson learning and mentorship among the female Vice Chancellors. RUFORUM has also strengthened capacity of small and fragile States to steer science technology and innovation activities through postgraduate training and research. This has been undertaken through direct support to Masters and PhD students in fragile States including Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Relatedly, through the TAGDev programme with support from the Mastercard Foundation, academically bright yet economically marginalized students from the mainstream of society have been supported to access higher education, and to-date 160 Students (110 undergraduates, 50 Masters) have been supported. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the contribution of RUFORUM to inclusiveness, an important aspect for catalyzing the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and the African Union Agenda 2063.
72 undergraduate students of Makerere University have successfully been admitted to the Millennium Fellowship Class of 2026, an initiative of the Millennium Campus Network (MCN) and United Nations Academic Impact. Makerere’s Fellows were selected from a record-breaking 76,000 applicants from over 6,000 campuses across 174 countries to participate in the ambitious programme.
According to the Fellowship website, the programme aims to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN Academic Impact Principles a reality on campuses, in classrooms and throughout communities. Millennium Fellows are university undergraduates selected for their leadership on sustainable development projects in their communities. As Fellows, they complete a semester-long leadership development programme that strengthens their student organizing, partnership-building and community-impact skills.
In his congratulatory message to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Sam Vaghar the Executive Director, MCN shared that Over 330 campuses across 60 nations have been selected to host 2026 Millenium Fellows. “Congratulations to you and Makerere University for having a cohort of Millennium Fellows from your student body again this year!”
Below is a sample of the work of the Class of 2026.
At Harvard University, a UN Academic Impact member institution in the United States of America, Millennium Fellows are expanding OpenDoor, an AI-powered platform that helps people navigate retraining, job opportunities and pathways into high-demand careers. The project grew from their work with people experiencing homelessness and from seeing how difficult workforce programmes can be to navigate even when support exists. Advancing SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, it expects to reach about 7,500 people during the Fellowship.
At the University of Ilorin, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Nigeria, Millennium Fellows are building what they describe as Africa’s first green AI policy framework, helping policymakers and developers understand how artificial intelligence can advance while reducing energy use, pollution and material waste. Aligned with SDG 13: Climate Action, it expects to reach about 75 people during the Fellowship.
At BRAC University, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Bangladesh, a Millennium Fellow is advancing SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production through a start-up replacing single-use products with environmentally friendly alternatives. Its current focus is a paper pen that uses roughly 90 per cent less plastic than a conventional pen, with a seed built in so it can grow into a plant when properly disposed of. The project expects to reach about 450 people.
At Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Moldova, a Millennium Fellow is advancing SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being by studying how environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity may affect recovery after brain surgery. By bringing simple digital monitoring tools into postoperative care, the project aims to help doctors make timelier decisions.
We wish our Millennium Fellows an impactful fellowship.
The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released admission lists of candidates admitted under the Talented Sports Men & Women, Disability and District Quota Schemes with Government sponsorship 2026/27 Academic Year including appeals and remarked cases.
Other admission lists released include A-Level Applicants with Ugandan and those with Foreign Qualifications, Diploma in Performing Arts, Mature-Age Entry and Bachelor of Education (EXTERNAL Batch 2) for the Academic Year 2026/2027 under self sponsorship.
Makerere University‘s position in the July 2026 edition of the Webometrics Rankings has improved from 925th to 776th globally and from 13th to 11th on the Continent, compared to the January 2026 edition. Makerere remains the top-ranked University in Uganda and East Africa.
The new rankings are as a result of improved performance in the Impact Rank, which measures the number of external domains referring/linking to Makerere (from 1,593 to 1,185) and the Excellence Rank, which measures Research papers in the top 10% most cited between 2019 and 2023 (from 1,095 to 715).
Please see the attached screenshots for details or view Makerere‘s rankings online using the link below:
The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities aims to recognize and promote the digital transformation of higher education institutions by evaluating how effectively they reflect their academic, research, and societal contributions online.
We remain committed to ensuring that all our good work in teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, and partnerships continues to be reflected online through various journals and other platforms.
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