Connect with us

General

World Bank ACE II Project Communication Officers undergo Training

Published

on

Over 20 communication experts working with the Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education African Centers of Excellence (ACE II) Project have undergone training in communication to equip them with skills and knowledge to improve the communication function in their respective centers.

The one-week training was held from 18th to 23rd March, 2019 and was officially opened and closed by Deputy Secretary, the Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) Prof. Mike Kuria at Hilton Hotel Nairobi.

Prof. Mike Kuria, Deputy Secretary IUCEA opened and closed the ACE II Project Training for Communication Officers

Prof. Kuria implored participants to utilize the knowledge and skills gained to transform their communication function.

“The success of this workshop will not be rated by what you gain from here, but how you will be able to communicate with the stakeholders and the quality of the communication documents from the centres.

We must shift from measuring the quantity of grades of our graduates to the quality of their work at the workplace. The success of these projects depend on the quality of the communication output in your respective ACEs”, Prof. Kuria said.

A section of Communication Officers who took part in the ACE II Project training

The training was organized and funded by the Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) supported by the country ACEs.

The IUCEA Project Communication Officer Ms. Agnes Asiimwe said the objective of the training was to discuss the ACE II project objectives and how to effectively communicate the project results.

Ms. Asiimwe emphasized the need for communication officers to keep all their stakeholders updated on the activities going on in their ACEs using different channels of communication.
She advised every communication officer to ensure that ACE websites are active and regularly updated as a key tool and window into the centers.

Ms. Agnes Asiimwe advised trainees on the need to regularly update stakeholders

“Make sure you post everything, everywhere. Post it on tweeter, Facebook, if there is no major event happening, get something, if not, do a video, a Q and A with PhD students on their research progress and post a 300 words story.

Make the website priority number one. This is a World Bank project ending 2022 and the website is the only way to show what the ACEs are doing”, she added.

Lead Facilitator Paul Mwirigi taught trainees how to create visual content for the web on the last day of the training

The training attracted leading Communication, Public Relations (PR) and ICT experts from the region including the Lead Trainer and Facilitator from Capital One Group Paul Mwirigi Muriungi, Ann Gichuhi and Bernard Khatukhira.
 
Key topics delivered included, Introduction to Public Relations and Public Relations Strategy; Planning and Managing PR Campaigns; Strategic Communications; Monitoring and Evaluation,  in Communication; Digital Communication and Social Media Management;  Integrated Marketing  and Communication; Corporate Social Responsibility; Internal Communications; Media Relations  and Crisis Communications, Written, Photo and Video Content Management.

Facilitator Ann Gichuhi (Left) takes participants through  Public Relations strategies as Benard Khatukhire (Right) listens

The World Bank is supporting 24 African Centers of Excellence to meet the demand for skills required for Africa's development in areas such as agriculture, energy, extractive industries, etc while strengthening the innovation capacity of the best African higher education institutions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and other relevant disciplines.

Countries benefitting from ACE II include; Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia among others.

The ACE II Project Certificate of Participation issued at the end of the week-long training

Makerere University Regional Centre of Excellence in Crop Improvement (MaRCCI) is one of 24 African Centers of Excellence being supported by World Bank to transform graduate education and research in Plant Breeding.

MaRCCI won US$6million to provide effective training, research, and outreach that produce applied knowledge and plant breeders who use the most current approaches to rapidly develop and deploy improved crop varieties that meet stakeholders needs and preferences across the region.

Report compiled by
Jane Anyango
Principal Communication Officer, CAES

Mark Wamai

Continue Reading

General

Call For Abstracts: National Symposium on Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda

Published

on

Call For Abstracts: National Symposium on Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda. Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026

Makerere University, in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Tufts University, and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), invites researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community actors to submit abstracts for the National Symposium on:

Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda: Local Voices for Policy Impact

Date: Wednesday, 12th August 2026
Venue: Makerere University Main Hall

The symposium will examine the drivers, patterns, and impacts of climate-induced youth migration in Uganda, while advancing evidence-based and community-informed policy responses.

Theme: Climate-Induced Youth Migration and Urban Futures in Uganda: Evidence, Voices, and Pathways for Action

Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026

Submit Abstracts To: citiesofyouth@musph.ac.ug

Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to contribute research findings, case studies, policy analyses, and practice-based experiences. Abstracts will be considered for oral and poster presentations.

Mak Editor

Continue Reading

General

Call for Research Support Applications from Master’s Students who have Completed their First Year of Taught Classes at Makerere University

Published

on

Call for Research Support Applications from Master’s Students who have Completed their First Year of Taught Classes at Makerere University. Photo: Nano Banan 2

Makerere University, in partnership with Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Independent University of Bangladesh, Eduardo Mondlane University, and Pokhara University, with funding from Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED), is implementing a project: ‘Co-creating Knowledge for Local Adaptation to Climate Change in LDCs (COLOCAL).

The expected outputs of the project include strengthened educational and research capacity, improved knowledge on inclusive Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) and Community Based Adaptation (CBA) including delivering skilled knowledge co-creators, and partnerships to support needs-driven, locally-based and contextually sensitive adaptation. The outputs are anticipated to influence policy, planning and practice around LLA and CBA through collaborative learning and knowledge translation.

In line with targets and activities for 2026/2027, COLOCAL project is offering research support for three (3) Master’s students who have completed their first academic year of taught classes at Makerere University and are interested in undertaking research under one of the following thematic areas. The students MUST have undertaken the course offered under the auspices of the project on Disability, Social Justice and Climate Resilient Development.

Requirements:

  • A first degree from a reputable university in a field related to the focus of the project
  • Ugandan citizen below 35 years
  • Good command of English (spoken and written)
  • Demonstrated interest in inclusive and climate resilient development
  • Evidence of practical experience in conducting relevant research during and after undergraduate level
  • Evidence of full payment of all university fees for the first academic year
  • The Masters programme being undertaken MUST have explicit content on climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • Special consideration will be given to students with disabilities, financial challenges, students from ethnic minority groups, internally displaced students, among others

Scholarship and study/research conditions

Availability to complete all research activities in a maximum of 10 months.

Scope of the scholarship

The project will specifically cover stipends and support for field activities only. Support with tuition fees, for the research year, will be provided for students who will complete and submit the research thesis for examination within 10 months from the date of receiving the scholarship offer letter.

How to apply

Interested and eligible candidates should submit the following documents: Application letter, research concept note of not more than 2 pages, academic transcripts/certificates, an updated CV (including contacts of at least two referees) and two recommendation letters.

Send applications via email to: colocal.caes@mak.ac.ug, not later than 20th May, 2026. This contact can as well be used for inquiries, where necessary.

Mak Editor

Continue Reading

General

Request For Consultancy Services: Training & Digital Solutions Expert

Published

on

Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Request For Consultancy Services: Training & Digital Solutions Expert. Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa

The Makerere University Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Limited implemented a Gates Foundation training program dubbed “Principle of Management Excellence for Research training” PRIMER in francophone countries, namely, Mali, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This training was delivered by content experts and experienced practitioners, not professionally trained experts. As such, limiting the quality of slide decks, which were largely fragmented with text rather than graphical and infographic elements that suit a mature audience. To effectively deliver a research training program, advanced, engaging, and efficient tools are critical for fostering audience engagement and participation, and for learning and assessment in research management excellence. To achieve this, IDI seeks to hire an expert to:

  1. design and deliver a set of integrated advanced slide decks combining text, visual learning materials (graphical and infographics) and case scenarios
  2. develop a virtual bilingual community learning platform (VBCLP), i.e. with in-built French and English to engage alumni,
  3. develop and automate a pre-course assessment system that potential trainees fill out, and it automates results that are presented in statistical form for easy interpretation and decision making.

Details: https://shorturl.at/Rzn8d

Apply to: EAkankwasa@idi.co.ug

Deadline: 5 June 2026, 5 PM EAT

Mak Editor

Continue Reading

Trending