General
Amb. Lindgarde Lauds Govt UGX30Bn Support to Mak Research
The Ambassador of Sweden to Uganda, H.E. Per Lindgärde has lauded the Government of Uganda’s recent allocation of UGX30Billion to support research at Makerere University, noting that this was a “testimony of recognizing the critical role that home-grown research plays in the development of Uganda as articulated in the NDP (National Development Plan) and Vision 2040.”
H.E. Lindgärde was speaking at the launch of the Makerere-Sweden Bilateral Research Programme Annual Review Meeting on 30th September 2019 in the Main Hall, Makerere University. The Ambassador noted that Sweden as a major long-term funder of capacity strengthening in Uganda had consistently raised the need to sustainably fund research, and the allocation by Government was welcome news.
The current and fourth phase of the Bilateral Research Programme is centred around 17 research projects and comes to an end in June 2020. The Ambassador therefore welcomed a continued discussion with his Embassy “on strengthening the ownership and securing the sustainability of the Swedish investment”, in Uganda’s Higher Education, particularly at Makerere University.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe appreciated the Royal Government of Sweden and its citizens for the support extended to Makerere University over the exceptionally successful 18 years of collaboration. He added that the Swedish Government played a fundamental role in augmenting the internally generated funds at Makerere University, which intervention helped to substantially tackle the chronic shortage of funds for research.
“The significant movement from individually-based projects to the integration of the programme within the broader research agenda at the Colleges, institutional and national level is itself appreciated as an invaluable lesson, opportunity as well as challenge” remarked Prof. Nawangwe, adding that Makerere and the various stakeholders would forever cherish this generous support.
The Vice Chancellor further paid tribute to the Government of Uganda for the allocation of UGX30Billion to Makerere University for Research and Innovations effective financial year 2019/2020, as well as securing over US$200 million from the African Development Bank to finance improvements and expansion of Higher Education Science and Technology (HEST) facilities. He nevertheless called for a strategic and continued investment by Government in Research and Development so as to enhance Universities’ contribution to economic growth and human capacity development in the country.
In his remarks, the Director, Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) and Overall Coordinator of the Mak-Sida Bilateral Research Programme, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi praised the Royal Government of Sweden as a strategic partner in building the next generation of researchers for Uganda. He reiterated the commitment of Makerere University and her Swedish collaborators to continue conducting a regular inventory and audit of the advances made in research through the Annual Review Meetings.
“Makerere University and the four Public Partner Universities (PPUs) of Kyambogo, Mbarara, Busitema and Gulu have greatly benefitted from the Bilateral Research Programme through building infrastructure and human capacity development. We appreciate the guidance and visionary leadership of His Excellency the Ambassador as well as the First Secretary Research Cooperation, Dr. Gity Behravan for being a good friend and colleague to the PPUs” remarked Prof. Buyinza.
This year’s Annual Review Meeting was held under the theme “Framing a Transformative Research Agenda”. Delivering a Keynote Address on The Impact of Sida Support to Makerere University, the Director, Quality Assurance, Dr. Vincent Ssembatya outlined the strides made by Makerere University since the year 2000 when the first Phase of Sida support was initiated.
In particular, he noted that; salaries of Professors had risen from US$1,000 to the current US$2,000 per month with more increments projected, PhD holders had increased from 225 to the current 825, and the number of female professors from three of the 43 Professors in 2008 to the current figure of thirteen of the 94 Professors. He also took note of the increased capacity to attract and mobilise funds for research as well as increase in the number of publications in citation indices from less than 50 in 2000 to the current over 1,000 per year.
He nevertheless outlined low gender parity between female and male staff, low graduation rates for PhDs, low funding for Graduate training especially at PhD and low funding of research especially in the humanities as work in progress. These, he noted, would need to be addressed before the University’s 100th Anniversary in 2022.
This year’s Science Day was organized by the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) and featured exhibitions on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science to create insights for decision making. Other exhibitors were from the College of Health Sciences (CHS), College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) and the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB).
The Science Day also featured presentations by; Ms. Arinaitwe Irene on “A PPGIS-Based Framework for Municipal Solid Waste Management”, Ms. Nakasi Rose on “Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Microscopy-Based Point of Care Diagnostics” and Dr. Oyo Benedict on “Online Courseware Development in Public Universities in Uganda: The Precepts of Active, Passive and Exclusive Participation”.
Other presentations of the day were by Mr. Ongaya Kizito on “Towards a Spatial-Temporal Model of Prevalence of Nodding Syndrome and Epilepsy”, Dr. Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende on “Walking through the Method Zoo: Does Higher Education really meet Software Industry Demands?” and Mr. Kamulegeya Grace on “Characterization of Measurements and Tools in Early Stage Software startups”. The final presentation of the Science Day was made by Mr. Mugume Isaac on “Building a High Resolution Rainfall Monitoring Model using Mobile Signals”.
Please see Downloads for the Science Day presentations
Article by Public Relations Office
General
Makerere University and Xiangtan University Advance Strategic Partnership in Chemical Engineering
Makerere University and Xiangtan University are set to update their close to 20-year academic partnership, with a new focus on launching a joint Master’s degree program in Chemical Engineering and expanding student and staff exchange initiatives.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a recent visit by a delegation from Xiangtan University to Makerere University headed by Professor Dingyu Ou, in the company of Mr. Tang Fei and Professor Gilbert Gumshabe, the Chinese and Ugandan Directors of the Confucius Institute at Makerere University respectively.
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe highlighted that this initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify academic offerings and contribute to national development through training in Chemical Engineering. Through this new initiative, the University will better prepare graduates for the petrochemical industry and support the country’s industrial growth.
The Vice Chancellor appreciated that the proposed collaboration aims to address Uganda’s growing need for industrial expertise, particularly as the country develops its petroleum sector. The two universities here are working toward a 1+2 training model, which will enable Makerere students to gain practical experience and access advanced laboratory facilities at Xiangtan University.
Professor Nawangwe further reiterated that “our relationship with the people of China, not just for Makerere but also for a big part of Uganda, has been opened wider by the establishment of the Confucius Institute, considering that many other collaborations like one being discussed now have come through this collaboration.”
The head of the Xiangtan delegation, Professor Dingyu Ou, expressed appreciation for the meeting, and acknowledged the history between the institutions. “As mentioned, we have a very long relationship and a very stable friendship between our two universities.”
Professor Ou extended appreciation for the support provided to the Confucius Institute at Makerere, the care shown to his colleagues, and looked forward to the successful start of the Chemical Engineering collaboration.
Assuring the delegation of Makerere’s readiness for the collaboration, Ms. Hawa Ndagire Kajumba the Lead, Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, Makerere University Advancement Office, aligned with the Vice Chancellor’s emphasis of University goal to have both theory and practice imparted to the students.
She said “the curriculum of the university and Uganda as a whole is moving towards competence-based education training to ensure students are equipped to demonstrate those skills in the actual field, particularly regarding petroleum exploration.”
Ms. Ndagire Kajumba also emphasised a shift in strategy for the partnership office, saying, “we are moving away from just signing MOUs that collect dust, and moving towards those that are more collaborative to benefit our faculty and students, just like this one.”
Professor Gilbert Kumushabe aligned his remarks with those of the Vice Chancellor and Ms. Ndagire Kajumba, and described the method used at Xiangtan University as “actually competence-based teaching.”
Based on his recent visit, Prof. Gumoshabe shared that students in China are divided into groups with dedicated teachers to perform practical, hands-on work beyond the theoretical lecturers. He expressed gladness that the same was being adopted for the Ugandan context.
Both institutions are now working to finalise the specific agreements for the joint degree and exchange programs. Beyond academic training, the collaboration will advance cultural and professional exchange.
-
General2 weeks agoStatement on Concerns Circulating Regarding a Member of Academic Staff
-
General1 week agoTimothy Khabusi: From Barefoot Walks to shaping Uganda’s Eye health Future
-
General2 weeks agoBeyond Map Size: Africa’s Agency Should Not Be Funded by Other People
-
Health1 week agoUganda’s HIV Treatment Gains Bring the Youth Gap into Focus
-
Agriculture & Environment1 week agoMakerere University Welcomes 50 Youth Skilling Program trainees under the Africa Climate Collaborative, Supported by Mastercard Foundation