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1st GLACAM Report: Great Lakes Water Resources under Increasing Pressure

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From 5th to 7th June 2019, the Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) and the Ministry of Water and Environment (MoWE) jointly organized the First Great Lakes and Catchment Management (1st GLACAM) Conference at the Water Resource Institute, Entebbe, Uganda.

More than 200 participants from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, Mali, Benin, Congo (DRC), Botswana, Nigeria, South Africa, Malawi and Germany participated in the conference. They included students, academia, practioners, researchers, farmer’s representatives, private sector actors and policy makers.

The conference had five (5) keynote paper presentation from lead scientists in each of the thematic areas of the conference. A panel of discussants gave highlights of the issues that have affected water and land resources protection and development for improved livelihoods, income security and climate change adaptation in Africa.

Please see below for a statement from the 1st GLACAM.

WE DO HEREBY AFFIRM THAT:

  1. Water remains a vital resource for sustenance of life, agriculture production, and industrial processes for cities and rural communities but also for sustainable development in Africa. Effective management of water resources has several benefits including poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability.
  2. The water resources of the Great Lakes region are under increasing pressure. The critical drivers of water resources degradation are mainly as a result of mismanagement of catchments. Declining water quality and quantity is evidently becoming a major threat to energy, food, forage, fiber, income, environment and social security in the Great Lakes of Africa. Pollution of the water resources is high with evidences of sedimentation, weed invasion, and toxic substances.
  3. The main cause of decline in water quality and quantity has been identified as poor catchment management, also referred as watershed mismanagement; and climate change uncertainty. Over grazing, massive deforestation, bush burning, inappropriate agricultural practices, over application of chemicals and many human induced land use measures have led to loss of productive soils through erosion; leading to increased siltation and pollution of water systems, and increased threats to fresh water biodiversity.
  4. Impacts of degradation include reduced fish stock in rivers and lakes, drying streams and rivers, reduction in groundwater levels, wide spread wetland encroachment, reduced soil depth and soil fertility in agricultural landscapes, rapid agricultural land use intensification and increased migration of people by abandoning unproductive land.
  5. Degradation of water resources has increased production risks, reduced hydropower production potential, sky-rocketed maintenance costs of infrastructure such as hydropower installations, roads and water supply systems, affected cost of irrigation infrastructure, reduced storage capacity of dams and increasing water treatment costs. These effects are consequently impacting on the livelihoods and the quality of life of millions of people in the great lakes region.

WE HAVE OBSERVED THAT:

  1. There are emerging technologies for catchment management, waste water treatment, judicious use of agro-chemicals, recycling water and nutrients that should be embraced
  2. Law enforcement for improved natural resources management in the region and promoting circular economy needs to be strengthened.
  3. Partnerships among various stakeholders (Governments, Academia, NGOs, Private sector and the general public) have improved across the region to counter environmental challenges and livelihood limitations in the region. Sustainable partnerships can be promoted to achieve higher impacts that can benefit the intended beneficiaries
  4. The ongoing collaborative water resources management efforts with stakeholder coordination structures and social cultural behaviors are commendable. A shared vision with sectoral integration of the thinking is vital for a sustainable environment.
  5. A catchment provides the needed framework for interactions between sectors and actors that do not often come together to share knowledge and visions for the future. Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) will therefore require embracement the integrated approach following a catchment with consideration of the water-food-energy- ecosystem nexus
  6. There are efforts to improve the management of water and land related resources in the region. The efforts should be promoted across different Water Management Zones and catchment in the country to ease access and use of quality water, soils and other land resources
  7. A key challenge to scaling up land and water management approaches and measures to address climate change such as ecosystem based adaptation approaches (EbA), is the limited funding especially at the local government level especially for natural resources and environmental management.
  8. Over dependency on natural resources at community level is a key challenge that undermines catchment restoration and application of approaches such as EbA, which build the resilience of ecosystems to climate change. The lack of alternative livelihood sources, is the main reason behind the ever increasing pressure on natural resources.
  9. There is limited human capacity to integrate the key tenets of the integrated catchment management approach in the region. The low human capacity in the region has affected advocacy and policy action efforts for boosting approach among stakeholders
  10. Social, institutional and financial approaches should focus on increasing productivity, environmental conservation and resource costing for livelihood improvement strategy resilience of communities to drought and other climate stressors
  11. Chemical contamination has caused lesions and other changes in fish and human health. Anthropogenic and industrial activities are the main causes of pollution to rivers and other water bodies
  12. Land use practices in fragile ecosystems (like the Mountainous areas), especially those of the agricultural sector are contributing to accelerated impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. An example are the continuous landslides within the Mt. Elgon landscape, which are partly due to destabilization of steep slopes through poor agricultural practices.
  13. Enforcement of Laws and regulations is still a challenge, and this undermines catchment management efforts. In Uganda for example, the amended National Environment Act (2018) has provided for an Environment police which is independent from the Uganda Police Force. It is anticipated that the independent Environment Police will be more efficient in enforcement of laws and regulations.
  14. There is imbalance in the sustainable utilization of catchment with more focus on production rather than balancing production, environmental conservation, income and social acceptability.
  15. High vulnerability and low resilience of communities to extreme events like landslides, floods and drought
  16. Need for shared data, if better weather and climate predictions are to be made

WE AGREE AND RECOMMEND THAT:

  1. Special attention be given to water harvesting technologies such as road water harvesting, controlled run-off systems into water retention ditches etc that maximum re-use of water resources to avert climate change effects. These should be integrated in government policy and strategies.
  2. The contribution of land use change monitoring approach on water bodies and river systems using sound datasets should be demonstrated
  3. Advanced technologies that enhance biodiversity and conserve systems using modern sustainable water and land management, and agroforestry technologies should promoted.
  4. Governments, NGOs, Private sector and Development Partners should prioritize funding research and training in all sectors dealing with land and water resources management to create the best Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) options for the countries in the Great Lakes region.
  5. Alternative income generating activities should be fully integrated in catchment management efforts to ensure that the communities have improved livelihoods and do not over rely on natural resources.
  6. A consortium or program be created by Makerere University (MAK) and Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) to coordinate the generation and dissemination of knowledge, innovations and technologies for integrated management of Great Lake Catchments emphasing communities engagement and livelihoods improvement
  7. Great Lakes and Catchment Management (GLACAM) conference be held regularly to bring together the Governments, Academia, NGOs, Private sector and the general public to share practical experiences, knowledge, innovations and practical technologies for integrated management of Great Lake Catchments.
  8. Community based natural resource management should be promoted and encouraged that the enforcement of laws, byelaws and regulations is carried out by the community to make enforcement more effective and sustainable.
  9. There is need to adopt Catchment based approach to planning and implementation as it provides the needed framework for interactions between sectors and actors that do not often come together to share knowledge and visions for the future
  10. Promote and enhance multilevel governance, dialogues and engagements to improve collaboration and partnerships in achieving our collective goals and enhance sustainability on the ground. Working with local and national government, regional networks such as LVRLACC and international centres of excellence such as the Cities Biodiversity Centre and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability
  11. A water-food-energy and ecosystem nexus approach should be adopted by all countries as this is key in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and management of water catchments
  12. There is need for regular awareness sessions by government and other stakeholders about mindset change in vulnerable communities. This will enable them take a shared responsible

Please see Downloads for detailed report

Mark Wamai

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The 3rd Fundis and Technicians sensitization event and exhibition held successfully

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The 3rd annual Fundis and Technicians sensitization event and exhibition by manufacturers of building materials organized by the Department Architecture and Physical Planning at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), Makerere University came to a close with a call for increased partnerships between training institutions and the community.

The event that attracted 200 participants including masons, fundis, painters, builders, metal and electrical fabricators ran from Thursday 24th to Friday 25th October 2024 at CEDAT. It was supported by several stakeholders and was characterized by training sessions and an exhibition of building materials by different companies that make cement, paint, water tanks tiles and many more.

Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration, Makerere University.

Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe at the opening of the training. In his remarks, he extended appreciation to the technicians for accepting to take part in the training which he said was key in ensuring that they gain from continuous learning. Prof. Alinaitwe observed that although some of them did not get through formal training, it was important that they took part in such training programs to keep abreast of the developments in the construction industry where they undertake the bulk of the work as masons, technicians, plumbers, and metal fabricators.

‘Keep improving, we need to up our game in terms of quality’, he said while making reference to the need for quality output.  He cautioned them on issues of cost and cheating of their clients by making realistic costs.  ‘We need to cost the work well taking into account the materials, the labor, the equipment used, and the overheads’.  The other area that needed to be taken care of by the technicians included time management, which reflects on attitudes towards work, team work.   While addressing the gathering in his capacity as Chairman of the Engineers Registration Board, Prof. Alinaitwe said the upcoming engineering Registration Bill, if approved, has a provision for the registration of all artisans and hence the need to have the minimum requirements for the stakeholders to be registered. He also stressed the need to bring on board as more women as possible.  ‘We want to see more women, who can do some aspects in construction better than men like painting.

Prof. Moses Musinguzi, the Principal of the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology, Makerere University.

Prof. Moses Musinguzi, the Principal of the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology while welcoming the trainees to the college said the training is a good initiative that will help address challenge of skill and work match.  He encouraged the trainees to do smart work, and take due consideration of ethics and customer care. He encouraged the department to extend the training opportunity to other units of the college and the university and also make it more formal, as part and parcel of the training program of the college in liaison with bodies like UBTEB.

Assoc. Prof. Kizito Maria Kasule, the Deputy Principal CEDAT while appreciating the initiative of the department said countries like Germany have apprenticeship training that help the training of students to gain skills equivalent to those acquired while in formal institutions of learning.  He said the academia in Uganda is increasingly recognizing the importance of the informal sector in the growth of the country. ‘We need to learn from you. Almost 90% of the people in the construction industry have been informally trained’. He said by learning from each other, the two sectors jointly make a contribution towards the development of the country.

Dr. Amin Tamale Kiggundu, the head of the Department of Architecture and Physical Planning said the initiative, a community outreach program of the college started three years ago in the year 2022 with 60 Fundis and masons, in 2023, the number was increased to 120 Fundis and the current 2024, was 200 Fundis of various categories, including painters, builders, metal fabricators, plumbers and electrical fabricators. He said this community outreach program aims at sharing the accumulated scientific knowledge in building, design and construction technologies at CEDAT, sharing the expertise, knowledge and experiences with communities in greater Kampala and hence bridging the existing knowledge and skills gap between the training institutions and the communities.

Dr. Amin Tamale Kiggundu, the head of the Department of Architecture and Physical Planning, Makerere University

The 21st century is characterized by collaboration, partnerships, and establishment of knowledge economies.  He said based on the trainings held so far, it is clear that partnerships between the training institutions and the communities were possible especially the Fundis who are closer to the communities. ‘We also want to learn from the Fundi’s experiences, how they are able to connect to the communities in some cases better than those who have gone through the training institutions’, he said. He further noted that the majority of fundis are young people that need to be supported with skills and other ways of nurturing them. The dream of the department, he said is to introduce an open door policy that allows fundis and other university students to come to learn.  

Several organizations supported the event and participated in the exhibition and they included Habitat for Humanity, Uganda, Green Building Council Uganda, The National Building Board, Uganda Clays Limited, Centenary Bank, Steel and Tube Industries Ltd, Simba Cement, Plascon, Goodwill, Cresttanks among others.

Alex Isemaghendera

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MURBS has declared 13.40% interest on members’ balances for the financial year that ended on 30th June 2024.

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By: Ritah Namisango

Dr. Elizabeth Patricia Nansubuga, Chairperson of the Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme (MURBS) Board of Trustees, announced this milestone during the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year 2023/24 held on Thursday, 24th October 2024, at Makerere University Main Campus, School of Public Health Auditorium.

The AGM attracted various stakeholders, including trustees, Audit Committee Chairperson CPA David Ssenoga, Board Evaluation Consultant Vincent Kaheeru, URBRA Representative Mark Lotukei, Audit Committee members, co-opted members, and university administrators.

Presenting the performance report, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Nansubuga highlighted that this is the highest interest declared by the scheme in the past five years, and she anticipates continued improvements. She noted that for the previous financial year, which ended in June 2023, the Board of Trustees declared an interest an interest of 12.34%.

Dr Nansubuga also announced that the scheme has achieved a Net Investment Income of UGX 44.6 billion, far higher than the UGX34.4 billion collected in Contributions during the year.

The Chairperson of the Board also revealed that the fund value had grown from UGX352.4 billion recorded at the end of the last financial year to UGX409.2 billion, indicating an increase of 16.1%.

“By 30th June 2023, MURBS had a fund value of UGX 352.4 billion. The Board of Trustees targeted Fund growth of 17%, and I am glad to inform you, that the fund value of MURBS, as per the Audited Financial Statements of 30th June 2024 is UGX 409.2 billion, which is an increase of 16.1%. This achievement was made possible by strategic periodical activities undertaken by the Board and our fund managers, supported by the strong oversight committees of the Board,” she reported.

Dr. Elizabeth Patricia Nansubuga(Centre) responding to questions from members.

She attributed the positive growth to factors such as improved debt recovery, operational efficiency, timely remittance of contributions by the sponsor (Makerere University), an increase in project and contract contributions, and the recovery of UGX8.85 billion in debts.

Dr. Nansubuga also expressed gratitude to Makerere University, the scheme’s sponsor, for consistently remitting contributions, a key factor that has significantly contributed to MURBS’ smooth operation. “I am happy to announce that the sponsor-Makerere University remitted your retirement benefits for the financial year 2023/24,” she said.

In the same development, Dr. Nansubuga reported that MURBS registered a legal victory against Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) over a real estate investment in Sonde undertaken in 2019, and which URA sought to tax heavily. She notified the AGM that MURBS won the case and was awarded costs which also set a precedent.

Consultant Mr. Vincent Kaheeru and CEO of Profiles International

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to inform you that during the financial year, we received a favorable outcome on a key court case. How did we end up with this case? In 2019, MURBS invested in real estate, we bought land in Sonde,” Dr Nansubuga explained.

“Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) then charged us with a tax assessment worth UGX600 million. It has been four (4) years in the tax appeals tribunal. Since then, the lawyers, the former and current trustees, have been appearing before the appeals tribunal, but in December 2023, MURBS won the case. We challenged URA, and this case was awarded with costs. URA has to pay MURBS. We therefore saved UGX600 million,” she added.  

In terms of governance, Dr Nansubuga said that the scheme made changes in the board. Initially, the trustees were six and they needed a seventh member, and following a competitive race, they recruited another trustee; CPA Edina Rugumayo who has over thirty years in accounting.

Part of the MURBS members who physically attended the Annual General Meeting

“In terms of governance, we continue to uphold good governance practices and we align with international standards. Last year during the presentation, I said we were six and we needed to have the seventh trustee because the Board composition is supposed to be seven,” she explained.

“So, following a competitive process, we recruited an independent trustee. It was a very competitive position. You must have served on board which has over UGX50 billion. So, from that process, we were able to recruit CPA Edna Rugumayo Simbwa. She is a certified public accountant with over thirty years of experience in accounting, taxation, and corporate governance,” she mentioned.

She also thanked other stakeholders for making sure that MURBS activities run smoothly. These entities include Makerere University, KPMG, Gen Africa, Arcadia Advocates, Zamara, URBRA, and Stanbic Bank among others.

While discussing investments, Dr. Nansubuga mentioned that 86% of MURBS’ funds are currently invested in government bonds, but added that the Board is exploring diversification to reduce risks. 

“86% percent of our money is invested in government bonds, and sometimes, you do not have to put all your eggs in one basket, there is a high concentration of risk. so that is one of the key material risks that we want to address to reduce the amount we have in government securities. We want to diversify our portfolio and avoid investing heavily in government securities. The Board will venture into other fields in order to earn money or return on investment from the diverse undertakings,” she said.

Mr. Mark Lotukei, represented the CEO of Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority

In terms of membership, Dr. Nansubuga reported a 4.4% increase, with the number of members rising from 8,229 to 8,590. She attributed this growth to the reinstatement of in-house beneficiaries and an increase in project and contract staff.

Dr. Kakuba also thanked the sponsor-Makerere University for remitting the membership contributions timely which has helped the scheme to grow.

Dr. Godwin Kakuba -Secretary, MURBS Board of Trustees, who presented the record of the 13th Annual General Meeting stressed that the AGM climaxes a financial year and the Board of Trustee has been vigilant on this and has not missed any AGM for 14 years now.

“We applaud the sponsor because many of these positives in the chairperson’s report can only be attributed to the support by the sponsor through fulfilling the obligation of remitting members’ contributions to the scheme,” he added.

Dr. Godwin Kakuba (L) and Asad Ssenoga

Partner Asad Ssenoga, an independent auditor who audited the scheme said that he was impressed with the level of compliance that the scheme exhibited in all aspects. He said they focused on ensuring that the member contributions are supported with statements and allocated to members appropriately.

“Overall we were satisfied with the work we did on the audit, the numbers that were presented by the Chairperson are the correct numbers that we audited. We were comfortable with those numbers, due process was followed during the audit,” he said.

Mr. Mark Lotukei who represented the CEO of Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA) thanked the Trustees for always prioritizing governance, which has helped them to reach several milestones.

Members of the MURBS Secretariat led by Ms Susan Khaitsa(Centre)

“As URBRA, we look at governance as the biggest component of our compliance. MURBS Trustees from the former to the current, have taken governance as the most important aspect. We really encourage them to continue with this good practice because governance informs all the other aspects,” he said.

Mr. Arthur Kibira, a member in attendance, expressed his appreciation for the Board’s efforts. He urged them to explore higher-risk investments for potentially greater returns. He expressed concern over the scheme’s heavy reliance on government bonds.

“Dr Elizabeth Nansubuga, I want to congratulate you, and your team and also congratulate ourselves. But, I want to believe that there is room for improvement. I am one of those who do not believe that the sky is the limit, we are limited by our own thinking. I am thinking that high risks give high returns. Is there a way of managing those risks, so that we could push this 13.40% interest to a figure much higher? If we do so, we shall say we have learnt how to manage risks,”, he guided.

Ritah Namisango

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Makerere University at the 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

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Uganda’s Chair elect, Prof. David Meya of Makerere University’s College of Health Sciences (extreme left) and other O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs

The Research Chairs concept is similar to Centers of Excellence (for instance in supporting world-class research in a priority area), but also has many distinguishing features. Most notably, it recognizes individual excellence, leadership and talent. The O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) builds on the work of Oliver Tambo, a prominent South African and pan-Africanist with a science education background, who believed in creating change through education and in cooperation and solidarity among African nations. The Initiative focuses on celebrating his legacy in building knowledge-based economies for the advancement of Africa.

ORTARChI builds on and leverages existing continental frameworks and interventions geared towards institutional capacity strengthening; recruitment and retention of excellent researchers; and incentives to support research that contributes to socio-economic and transformative development. 

Ten (10) O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs across seven (7) countries in Africa, namely; Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia have been selected for funding through a rigorous and competitive two-stage review process. These research chairs are focused on research priorities identified by each host institution in conjunction with, especially the Science Councils, and in alignment with AU Agenda 2063 and STISA 2024.

[L-R] Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (DVC F&A, Mak), Dr. Dorothy Ngila (Director, NRF), Ms. Natasha Allie (CEO Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation), Dr. Martin Ongol (Ag. Executive Secretary, UNCST), Associate Professor David Meya (Uganda Chair Elect, ORTARChI) and Assoc. Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, DRGT)

Prof. Noble Banadda from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences had been inaugurated as one of the first 10 (ten) Oliver Tambo (ORTARChi) Chairs. Unfortunately, Prof. Banadda (R.I.P) passed on in July 2021, which created a vacuum. To ensure that Uganda and Makerere University continue to tap into the ORTARChi, we are glad to announce the appointment of Associate Professor David Meya from the College of Health Sciences at Makerere University for the purpose. The appointment will attract USD 170,000 annually for 5 years for graduate research with a target of training 5-6 PhDs, 10-15 Post-doctoral fellows and 10-12 Masters of Medicine and Master of Science Students at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

Makerere University has had the pleasure of attending 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The annual gathering is co-hosted by the Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, National Research and Innovation Fund for Development (FONRID) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. The theme for this year’s gathering is: African Sovereignty: A Catalyst for Research Collaborations and Social Impact in the Continent“. At the annual gathering, Uganda was represented by Associate Prof. David Meya (Uganda Chair Elect, ORTARChI), Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Mak), Associate Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, Research and Graduate Training) and Dr. Martin Ongol (Ag. Executive Secretary, UNCST). Assoc. Prof. David Meya – ORTARChI Chair Elect – is from Makerere University’s School of Medicine at the College of Health Sciences.  

[L_R] Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (DVC F&A, Makerere University), Dr. Dorothy Ngila (Director, NRF), and Assoc Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, Mak DRGT)

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