General
Chinese Embassy to fund 30 Mak students for academic year 2019/2020
The Embassy of People’s Republic of China to Uganda, has renewed its scholarship offer to continue supporting thirty (30) students for the Academic Year 2019/2020. The scholarship awards were handed over to scholars by the Ambassador H.E Zheng Zhuqiang at a highly colorful ceremony held on 5th September 2019, at Makerere University.
On 8th August 2018, the Embassy awarded two categories of scholarships; the Ambassador’s Award for Excellence and the Ambassador’s Award for Friendship to thirty (30) Makerere University students for the Academic year 2018/2019. The worth UGX85million aimed at supporting continuing students from a disadvantaged socio-economic background to pursue their studies at Makerere University for one year (academic year 2018/2019).
The Ambassador’s Award for Excellence and the Ambassador’s Award for Friendship at Makerere University is in line with the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and Makerere University; to develop Uganda’s education system through supporting Ugandan youth to attain quality education at Makerere University.
Speaking at the award ceremony on 5th September 2019, H.E Zheng Zhuqiang, congratulated all the award winning scholars upon reaching the tremendous milestone. The Ambassador was overwhelmed by the warm feedback he received from the scholars. He shared an inspirational message from Ms. Angella Nampijja, one of the beneficiaries on the program. “Like the roses needs the sun to blossom, your support helps me to reach my career goals and I strongly believe Uganda needs software engineers like me to bridge the gap that negatively affect people in my country.”
His Excellency celebrated Makerere University for being the fulcrum of Uganda’s development by training and nurturing the country’s human resource base. He highlighted the need for strategic investment in the young generation in order to have the much needed human capital that is ready to drive the country’s planned growth and transformation.
On behalf of the beneficiaries, Ms. Tracy Kituyi thanked the People’s Republic of China for gifting Ugandan children with knowledge through education.
“We all agree that the gift of education is more valuable in this world. It is the sole path to developing oneself intellectually and the door to opportunities,” she said.
The Chairperson of the Scholarships Selection Committee, Dr. Jessica Norah Aguti thanked the Embassy of People’s Republic of China for supporting the scholars for another academic year. She congratulated the beneficiaries and urged them to fully utilize the opportunity to achieve their goals.
Representing the Minister of Education and Sports Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, Mr. Aggrey David Kibenge acknowledged the long term relationship between China and Uganda.
He recognized the tremendous efforts of the People’s Republic of China through its Embassy in Uganda to build Uganda’s capacity in areas of civil and structural engineering, computer Forensics and Bio technology, agriculture, software engineering, medical laboratory technology, petroleum engineering among other science disciplines.
Mr. Kibenge applauded H.E Zheng Zhuqiang for supporting Makerere University to realize it mission of providing innovative teaching, learning, research and services responsive to National and Global needs.
“It is gratifying to learn that the Embassy through the Ambassador has graciously renewed its offer of 30 scholarships. I have no doubt that an objective and merit-based criteria has been used to select the beneficiaries and also further the country’s development agenda,” he noted.
The Vice Chancellor, thanked the Embassy and the Government of People’s Republic of China, for the generous support that has enabled scholars to continue with studies.
He acknowledged the long term relationship Makerere University has with the People’s Republic of China, the various institutions and universities in China and the Chinese Embassy in Uganda that has contributed to Makerere University’s research and academic excellence.
In the same spirit, he appreciated the support from the Government of Uganda that is enabling Ugandan students to access university education at Makerere University and other institutions of higher learning.
He commended the Gender and Mainstreaming Directorate for administering the Scholarship Program.
The Acting Director of Gender Mainstreaming, Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine, challenged the scholars to make good use of the opportunity granted to them. “Utilize this opportunity to achieve what you want, what the continent wants and take the world to greater heights by changing and improving the lives of others,” she advised.
Article by Racheal Kanyi Volunteer, Mak Public Relations Office.
Makerere University has officially launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030, marking a major milestone in its commitment to strengthening research, innovation, and human capital development in line with Uganda’s national development priorities.
The launch brought together senior government officials, university leadership, and development planners, including the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, and a representative from the National Planning Authority (NPA), alongside the University Vice Chancellor.
A Vision Anchored in National Transformation
Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor underscored the University’s ambition to significantly expand graduate training and strengthen its contribution to national development. He noted that the institution is targeting a return to pre-COVID enrolment levels and a substantial increase in postgraduate numbers by 2030, with a focus on producing highly skilled graduates, innovators, and researchers.
He emphasized that the Strategic Plan positions the University as a key driver of Uganda’s transformation through knowledge generation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligned with national priorities.
“The staffing distribution is shown here. Under the approved establishment, we intended to have 419 Professors, but we currently have only 75. We planned for 473 Associate Professors, but currently have only 144. This clearly demonstrates that we still have considerable room for growth in strengthening our academic staff profile,” the VC said.
The VC appreciated researchers and research centres, that continue to attract substantial research funding. He highlighted the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and the Makerere University Walter Reed Project which attracted approximately US$70 million in international research funding into Uganda.
“When you combine the grants won by all our researchers through competitive international funding, the total exceeds US$200 million,” he said.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Lorna Magara, described the Strategic Plan as more than an institutional roadmap, calling it “a public covenant with the people of Uganda.”
She noted that the Plan marks “the launch of Makerere University’s next chapter,” adding that decisions taken over the next five years will shape not only the future of the institution, but also Uganda’s development trajectory through graduates, research, innovations, and leadership.
Dr. Magara emphasized Makerere’s unique national role as Uganda’s premier public university, entrusted with public resources and public confidence.
“Every investment made in Makerere must produce measurable value for the people of Uganda,” she said, underscoring the need for accountability, integrity, and impact.
Ambitious Targets for Transformation
The Council Chairperson and the Vice chancellor outlined bold performance targets under the Strategic Plan, including doubling postgraduate enrolment, increasing STEM enrolment from 30% to 55%, improving PhD completion rates from 10% to 35%, and more than doubling peer-reviewed research output, alongside a significant rise in patents and innovations.
Dr. Magara stressed that these targets are not aspirations alone but binding commitments against which institutional performance will be measured.
“Ambition is precisely what this moment demands. A strategic plan is not measured by the elegance of its language, but by the lives it transforms,” she said.
Call for Stronger Governance and Legal Reform
Dr. Magara also highlighted the need for reform of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap. 262, noting that the current legal framework has not kept pace with the evolving realities of university governance and innovation.
She called on Government and Parliament to support a timely review of the Act to enable universities to better optimise knowledge systems, productive assets, and innovation capacity in support of national development.
Government Endorsement and Strategic Alignment
Hon. Henry Musasizi commended the University for developing a forward-looking Strategic Plan aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which serves as the foundation for the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
He explained that Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about USD 50 billion to USD 500 billion requires accelerated growth driven by productivity gains, innovation, and strong human capital development.
“Universities are central actors in national transformation. They are engines of knowledge creation, innovation, and human capital development,” he said.
The Minister stressed that government priorities include strengthening research, promoting industrialization, and ensuring that knowledge generated in universities is translated into practical solutions that support economic growth. He further highlighted the importance of accountability, efficiency, and value for money in public investments in higher education.
Universities as Drivers of the Tenfold Growth Strategy
In his presentation, the Senior Planner at the National Planning Authority, Samuel Kasule, emphasized that the Strategic Plan is firmly anchored in Uganda’s comprehensive development framework under Vision 2040 and NDP IV.
He noted that the Tenfold Growth Strategy seeks to accelerate Uganda’s economic growth into double-digit territory, enabling the country to achieve structural transformation and reach upper middle-income status.
Kasule underscored that universities play a critical role in this transformation through labour productivity, research, and innovation. He pointed out that priority sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals, oil and gas, and ICT depend heavily on skilled graduates and strong research ecosystems.
He also highlighted the importance of competency-based education, alignment of academic programmes with national human resource needs, and strengthening postgraduate training and research outputs.
A Shared Commitment to Transformation
Across all speeches, a strong message emerged: universities are central to Uganda’s development agenda and must evolve into research-intensive institutions that directly contribute to economic transformation.
The Strategic Plan 2025-2030 was widely commended for its focus on innovation, industry collaboration, digital transformation, and the commercialization of research outputs.
Government leaders reaffirmed continued support for higher education institutions through research funding, innovation ecosystems, and strengthened university–industry partnerships.
Conclusion
The launch of the Strategic Plan 2030 signals a renewed commitment to positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda’s development journey. With strong alignment to national priorities, the Plan is expected to accelerate research, innovation, and skills development necessary for achieving Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions. The Strategic Plan may be accessed at: https://mak.ac.ug/about/strategic-plan
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