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World Bank ACE II Project Communication Officers undergo Training

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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

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72 Makerere University Students Admitted to 2026 Millennium Fellowship

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Female and male students along the Main Building Walkway on a bright sunny day, 6th May 2026. Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

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!”

Makerere University’s 2026 Millennium Fellows are:

Aber OkeeAbigaba PraiseAinebyoona Innocent
Ainomugisha PreciousAjollo JavuruAkambona Anold
Akello MilthyAllen BabiryeAngel Nuwaha
Apio HellenArnold EsokuAsinde Proscovia
Atuma KisaalaAwate BrownBabirye Patricia
Baguma SolomonBaingana PatrickBarbara Akwiacwiny
Basemera GrantBenardete NakwirisaBilly Garvin Ssemyalo
Blessing AbaasaBulyaba HalimahCherotich Emmanuel
Claire OmodoDedeng LochulDenise Kainomugisha
Diphas KuchanaEmmanuel OporiEsther Kiire
Esther NantambiEvas AkelloGift Nagasha
Haulat NampijjaIyundhu KisameJanet Acaye
Joan NamugaluJoshua MugwanyaJovet Turyatunga
Julian AtimKibenge ShaficMable Apwot
Malinga AnthonyMariot KabarungiMercy Akampurira
Mukisa EzraMukisa MayendeMurungi Marion
Mutebi WillyNabirye KiiryaNahson Kahangwa
Nansubuga GloriaNasasira SeeziNyamuganya Kiconco
Precious NakiryowaPrisca AkelloRashidah Nampiima
Rogers AbongaRose Peter TabanSeida Jackline
Shadia NambasaShamirah KisuuleSharifah Kasa
Sheila MurungiSherina KiraboTumusiime Markline
Tusiime CarolineVicent SsebunyaVictor Musana
Victoria MulagoWaswa AndrewYuda Tadeo Katusiime

Millennium Fellows are engaged in projects that collectively advance all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and all 10 and UN Academic Impact Principles.

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.

View Official Announcement

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Undergraduate Admission Lists 2026/2027

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Students in discussion groups at Freedom Square.

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.

The cut-off points points can be accessed by following the link: https://mak.ac.ug/study-mak/cut-points

Kindly follow the links below to access the lists:-

Update 17th August 2026

Admission list for Re-advertised Programmes (Diploma/Degree and International Applicants). Re-advertised on 7th July 2026 here.

Update 10th August 2026

Update 3rd August 2026

Update 27th July 2026

Update 3rd July 2026

International & East African Applicants

Mop-up Lists

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Makerere jumps 200 positions in latest global rankings

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Screenshot of the Makerere University Ranking July 2026 - Webometrics Global Position. Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

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:

https://www.webometrics.org/makerere-university

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.

Mak Editor

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