The Vice Chairperson of Council, Rt. Hon. Daniel Fred Kidega cuts the tape to signify the official launch of the MURBS Annuity Arrangement with ICEA Life Company as the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and other officials applaud on 11th October 2019, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda
The Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme (MURBS) on 11th October 2019 at a presentation of its performance for the Financial Year 2018/2019 declared an interest of 10.6% payable on all members' opening balances as at 1st July 2018. MURBS also introduced two new products for Members; the Annuity Arrangement courtesy of the Insurance Company of East Africa (ICEA) and the Property Project, dubbed Ivory Estate Sonde.
Welcoming participants to the presentation, the Principal Pension Officer MURBS, Ms. Susan Khaitsa introduced Members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) who included; the Chairperson, Mr. Wilber Grace Naigambi, Ms. Dorothy Nannozi Kabanda, Mr. John Peter Okello and Mr. William Ndoleriire. Also introduced were co-opted Board Members; CPA David Ssenoga-Chair Audit Committee and Mr. Paul Kuteesa-Member, Finance and Administration Committee.
Ms. Khaitsa also recognised the; CEO, Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA)-Mr. Martin Nsubuga, Representative of the CEO, Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA)-Mr. Chris Kananura and CEO, ICEA (Insurance Company of East Africa) Life Assurance Company-Mr. Emmanuel Mwaka. The service providers; Administrator-Octagon Uganda Limited, Custodian-Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited as well as Fund Managers-GenAfrica Asset Managers Limited and Sanlam Investments SA were equally well represented.
Addressing participants, the Chief Guest Rt. Hon. Daniel Fred Kidega, Vice Chairperson Makerere University Council who represented the Chairperson, Mrs. Lorna Magara, thanked MURBS for inviting Council to witness the 9th Presentation of its performance.
“On 1st April 2010, the Makerere University Council established MURBS. This in itself was a bold decision before the promulgation of the Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority” noted Rt. Hon. Kidega.
The Chief Guest then informed participants that the Scheme Sponsor Makerere University Council and Government had as at 30th June 2019 paid over UGX 30billion of unremitted contributions to MURBS. He also reassured the audience of Council’s commitment to ensure that MURBS becomes the best scheme on the Ugandan market.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe thanked the Chief Guest for sparing time to attend the presentation, noting that “MURBS matters are of great importance to Makerere University.”
He therefore congratulated MURBS upon coming up with the Annuity Arrangement and Property Project as innovations for Members. “I congratulate MURBS on these wonderful innovations because this shows that at long last this institution is breaking out of inertia in line with my manifesto theme; Unlocking the Potential of Makerere University.”
Prof. Nawangwe added that Makerere University as the foremost trainer of Managers, will enable our nation to achieve middle income status through research and innovations. He however noted that this would be impossible unless the human resource responsible for this training remains focused on their work with reassurance that their salaries will be paid on time and benefits secured upon retirement.
“As we strive to ensure that Makerere University makes her contribution to the country, we want to ensure that the people who are making this possible are relaxed. MURBS has a major responsibility in ensuring that our staff benefits are well taken care of and wisely invested” added the Vice Chancellor.
The former Chairman, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) and Manager Communication and International Relations, Dr. Muhammad Kiggundu Musoke commended the Vice Chancellor for his support to MURBS over the years. “As Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), Prof. Nawangwe supported the proper running of MURBS and was readily available to settle any matters related to staff benefits.”
Dr. Kiggundu Musoke also paid tribute to the Chairperson, BoT, MURBS Mr. Wilber Grace Naigambi for being an exemplary and dependable representative of MUASA. He therefore appealed to the MUASA fraternity to always choose trustworthy and reputable representatives who will take the Scheme to greater heights.
Whereas MURBS declared an interest of 17% on 30th June 2018, this year’s reduced 10.6% declaration was attributed to a number of factors in the operating environment. Delivering the presentation on the Scheme’s performance, Mr. Naigambi shared that during the financial year 2018/2019, regional equity markets, which hold over 20% of the MURBS asset class declined greatly. This was attributed to weakening foreign investor appetite in light of global economic and trade uncertainties.
Nevertheless, MURBS collected UGX26billion in member contributions, compared to UGX23billion the previous financial year. The Scheme’s Total Net Assets also grew by 30% from UGX142billion in the 2017/2018 financial year to UGX178billion in 2018/2019.
Mr. Naigambi further announced that MURBS had in partnership with ICEA Life Assurance come up with the MURBS Annuity Arrangement and introduced two Annuitants; Mr. Michael Nganda from the Department of Mathematics and Assoc. Prof. Andrew Muwanga from the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies. These shared their testimonies of their experience so far and benefits such as Health Insurance for the Annuitant and a spouse and Funeral cover that come with the arrangment.
Mr. John Peter Okello on behalf of the BoT then presented MURBS’ first real estate development project; Ivory Estate Sonde. The project consists of 358 serviced plots starting at 50x100feet, spread out over a 50acre estate. Priority will be given to MURBS Members, who will be able to purchase each plot at UGX55million. MURBS has partnered its Custodian Stanbic bank to ease purchase of the plots by MURBS Members.
According to Mr. Jackson Emanzi, Stanbic Uganda’s Head of Home Loans, MURBS members will pay an initial 10% of the cost (UGX5.5million) and can access a loan facility within 48 hours to pay the balance over five years in UGX1.2million monthly installments. A dedicated desk has been set up at the Stanbic Bank Makerere Branch to ease access to the loan facility for plots at Ivory Estate Sonde.
Speaking on behalf of URBRA, the CEO Mr. Martin Nsubuga commended MURBS for being a very organized scheme with highly focused Trustees. “Our biggest challenge at the beginning of setting up the Authority was dealing with Trustees who either didn’t know their obligations or over delegated responsibility to service providers.”
Mr. Nsubuga on the other hand commended MURBS Trustees for steering the scheme to continued growth and congratulated Makerere University upon safeguarding the retirement benefits of their employees. He reassured the audience that URBRA had in place a solid legal framework to ensure that the MURBS investment is secure.
On behalf of IRA, Mr. Chris Kananura said that the Authority is fully committed to developing the Insurance sector in Uganda and commended MURBS for partnering with ICEA to add value to retirement benefits.
“Research has shown that 96% of retirees exhaust their benefits within three years of retirement. Annuity arrangements are therefore an excellent way to prepare you for a comfortable retirement and the IRA has introduced risk-based supervision to ensure that companies fulfill the promises spelled out in their product portfolios” added Mr. Kananura.
The CEO, ICEA Life and gallant alumnus of Makerere University, Mr. Emmanuel Mwaka noted that with more than 4,500 Annuitants, his company is the largest provider of annuity arrangements in the region. He therefore welcomed more MURBS members to take advantage of the services provided so as to mitigate the risks associated with lump sum payments upon retirement.
This position was reiterated by Mr. David Opio Okello, Member, ICEA Life Board of Directors who commended MURBS BoT for the exceptional leadership and tremendous job in growing the Scheme since its inception to the current fund value.
“This partnership with ICEA Life will enable MURBS to meet its objective to deliver retirement security for members both today and tomorrow. I thank the Insurance Regulatory Authority for introducing annuities as an option for members to receive their retirement benefits” added Mr. Opio Okello.
Scholars from across Africa and beyond convened at Makerere University for a workshop on “Techno-Colonialism: Decolonizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for African Identity.” The event formed part of the ongoing African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Conference hosted at Makerere University, under the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Notions of Identity.
In her opening remarks, Prof. Sarah Ssali, Director of the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Notions of Identity, welcomed participants to what she described as a “thought-provoking engagement for early career researchers.” She noted that the Centre, hosted at Makerere University, now brings together over 10 universities across Africa and partner institutions in the Global North to examine evolving African identities in the face of global transformations.
“We don’t imagine a single African identity defined by class, tribe, or religion,” Prof. Ssali said. “We consider African identities as lived, negotiated, and continually reshaped by experiences such as colonialism, globalization, and technological change.”
The workshop was moderated by Dr. Kemi Kehinde, an ARUA–Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow from Anchor University, Nigeria, who emphasized the need to critically examine the intersections between artificial intelligence, indigenous knowledge, and identity formation.
Dr. Kemi Kehinde.
Dr. Kemi invited participants to reflect on a presentation by Dr. Sameen Musa on Indigenous Knowledge Systems and AI in the Context of Decoloniality and Sustainable Futures. She highlighted the importance of ensuring that AI systems recognize and integrate oral African traditions such as storytelling, proverbs, and performance arts—areas where current technologies often fall short.
“As young African scholars, we have a responsibility to shape the training models of AI so that future systems engage authentically with African oral traditions and worldviews,” Dr. Kemi noted.
The panel featured Prof. Aghogho Akpome from the University of Zululand, Dr. Isaac Tibasiima and Marvin Galiwango, a machine learning engineer at Makerere, and Dr. Nikolai Golovko from the Centre for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics, Moscow and Dr. Chongomweru Halimu, a lecturer at the Department of Information Technology, Makerere University.
Speaking from South Africa, Prof. Aghogho Akpome delivered a strong critique of what he termed “the intellectual dependency fostered by generative AI tools.” He cautioned that over reliance on artificial intelligence for writing and research risks eroding cognitive skills and perpetuating new forms of colonial dependence.
“The use of generative AI without critical engagement amounts to intellectual theft,” he said. “It replaces creative thought with algorithmic mimicry, and that is the essence of techno-colonialism.”
A lively Q&A during the parallel session.
Dr. Isaac Tibasiima, from Makerere University’s Department of Literature, offered a balanced view, arguing that while AI poses risks of cultural misrepresentation, it also presents opportunities for Africans to reclaim their agency by shaping the data that powers these systems.
“We need to feed our own knowledge into AI systems—honest, transparent, contextually grounded African knowledge,” Dr. Tibasiima said. “That’s the path to inclusion and authentic representation.”
From Moscow, Dr. Nikolai Golovko provided a global policy perspective, noting that while 11 African countries have adopted national AI strategies, implementation remains limited by resource and data inequalities. He warned that foreign-designed algorithms often ignore local contexts, reinforcing what he called “algorithmic colonialism.”
“African governments and universities must prioritize indigenous participation in AI design,” Dr. Golovko urged. “Otherwise, we risk reproducing colonial hierarchies in digital form.”
Dr. Halimu Chongomweru discussed the theme “Techno-Colonialism and Decolonizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for African Ideas.” He argued that today’s global digital ecosystem mirrors historical patterns of colonial exploitation—only now, instead of natural resources, Africa’s data is being extracted to fuel AI economies controlled by others.
He described this as a form of modern colonialism, not through armies or flags, but through algorithms, cloud servers, and digital platforms that define African problems and solutions without African participation. These systems enrich others while disempowering African communities.
Dr. Halimu Chongomweru.
Dr. Chongomweru emphasized that AI without culture is not intelligence but extraction. When AI models are trained on Western norms, they impose Western values globally, leading Africans to adopt technology without shifting the moral and cultural lenses behind it.
He urged a shift in focus from access to ownership, arguing that access without control only deepens dependency — another form of digital colonialism. True equalization, he said, means determining who owns, benefits from, and governs African data and AI systems.
To decolonize AI, Dr. Chongomweru proposed several actions:
Build African-owned data repositories hosted on African soil and governed by African laws.
Invest in AI research in African languages, moving from translation (copying) to representation (originating ideas).
Develop home-grown technological infrastructure, ensuring computation and innovation occur within the continent.
He concluded that Africa’s AI agenda must be rooted in cultural, linguistic, historical, and sovereign identity, drawing from African philosophical traditions to create ethical and inclusive AI systems.
Marvin Galiwango cautioned that Africa’s growing engagement with AI still relies heavily on foreign tools, funding, and servers, creating digital dependency rather than empowerment. He argued that so-called “inclusion” often leaves Africans creating within systems they don’t control. Drawing parallels with genomics, he noted that Africa provides data but lacks ownership of infrastructure and outcomes. He concluded that true technological independence requires Africans to build and govern their own digital systems.
The session closed with a lively discussion on the ethics of AI use in research, the need for inclusive data models, and the role of African universities in decolonizing digital technologies. Participants agreed that decolonizing AI is not merely a technological issue but a cultural, ethical, and identity-driven imperative for Africa’s future.
In an era defined by rapid technological disruption and a deepening knowledge economy, Africa stands at crossroads. The continent’s quest for transformation hinges not merely on resources or infrastructure, but on the strategic cultivation of its greatest asset, human capital. Universities, long recognised as the engines of progress, through their traditional primary roles of teaching, research and community engagement must now evolve to meet the demands of a digital and data-driven world. It is within this context that the fifth African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Biennial International Conference, convened at Makerere University under the theme “Research, Innovation, and Artificial Intelligence for Africa’s Transformation,” assumes scholarly significance. Bringing together hundreds of scholars, policymakers, and thought leaders from across the continent and beyond, the conference underscores a collective urgency to harness the power of artificial intelligence not as a distant frontier, but as a practical tool for addressing Africa’s most pressing developmental challenges, from food security and health to employment, conflict, and migration. As Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University aptly observed in his opening remarks that the responsibility before Africa’s universities is not only to generate knowledge, but to translate it into transformative action through research and community engagement.
Across the African continent, universities are grappling with meeting the heightened demand for higher education. In the decades post-independence, enrolment in higher education has expanded more than tenfold, reflecting both the aspirations of a young and dynamic population and the continent’s growing recognition of knowledge as a catalyst for development through expansion of access to tertiary education. Yet, this expansion has not been matched by a proportional growth in academic human resources, particularly at the doctoral and professorial levels. A significant proportion of Africa’s senior academics, many trained in the 1970s and early 1980s, are now approaching or have reached retirement, leaving institutions operating at roughly 60% of their optimal staffing capacity. This demographic shift poses a critical challenge to the sustainability and quality of higher education and research. Also, often-overlooked, is the shortage of skilled technicians, whose expertise is essential to sustaining effective teaching, research, and innovation. As Africa strives to assert its place in the global knowledge economy, strengthening the pipeline of qualified academics and technical professionals emerges not just as a priority but as an imperative for the continent’s intellectual and developmental future.
The future of work is already being rewritten, according to the World Economic Forum, an astounding 65% of children currently in primary school will work in jobs that do not even exist yet, a startling statistic that underscores the magnitude of transformation ahead. This projection challenges traditional education systems to evolve towards prioritizing skills, critical thinking, adaptability and creativity. This paradigm shift presents both an urgency and opportunity for Africa to leverage on the power of technology and collaboration. The coming decades will witness a profound shift in labour markets, as demand transitions from conventional white-collar roles to emerging fields in computing, scientific research, healthcare, and engineering. Therefore harnessing the continent’s youthful technological potential and vigor will be essential in shaping a distinctly African model of innovation-driven development.
The African Union’s ambitious goal of training 100,000 PhDs by 2035 reflects a recognition that sustainable development depends on the continent’s capacity to generate and apply knowledge for its own advancement. Yet, the current landscape reveals stark disparities: while Africa is home to nearly 19% of the world’s population, it contributes less than 3% to global GDP share, shoulders 25% of the global disease burden, and produces a mere 2% of the world’s research output, 1.3% of world research spending and holds less than 1% of patent application worldwide. These figures expose the continent’s underrepresentation in the global knowledge economy. The good news is that Africa has a robust entrepreneurial class thriving everywhere from technological hubs to telecentres and incubators creatively adapting solutions to uniquely African challenges. This momentum is a critical driver of the economy, both because it facilitates access to basic needs such as education, financial services and healthcare, but also represents a shift to the knowledge-based economy that will carry Africa into a prosperous future.
Those who innovate will achieve Africa’s transformation story and the universities stand at the centre of this transformation. They must continue to nurture new generations of researchers, thinkers, and innovators capable of confronting Africa’s complex challenges with creativity and purpose. The rise of artificial intelligence offers unprecedented opportunities to leapfrog effects of colonialism and historical barriers, provided education systems adapt to prioritise critical thinking, and innovation.
Officials from the UNESCO Antenna Office in Uganda paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor of Makerere University, marking another chapter in a long-standing partnership focused on equipping students with industry-ready skills and advancing cross-disciplinary innovation.
Led by the Regional Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Ms. Louise Haxthausen, the delegation met with the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe to review flagship partnership programmes and explore expansion across all ten colleges of the University. The discussions centered on the implementation of the Chinese Fund-in-Trust (CFIT) through the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), and the O-3Plus project, which addresses mental health, gender-based violence (GBV), HIV awareness, and other student-wellbeing priorities.
Ms. Louise Haxthausen signs the Vice Chancellor’s Visitors’ Book.
During the meeting, the discussion highlighted several key elements:
The CFIT initiative at CEDAT has enabled students to access equipment, industry exposure, and practical training, aligning academic curricula with workplace demands.
The O-3Plus project has delivered transformative activities beyond classrooms, facilitating mental-health dialogues, HIV awareness, and GBV prevention campaigns, thereby supporting the holistic development of learners.
UNESCO emphasized the importance of scaling these interventions beyond CEDAT across all ten colleges of Makerere University.
Collaboration with the University’s alumni mentorship network was identified as a key strategy to connect previously trained students with current cohorts, strengthening peer-learning, internships, and pathways to job creation.
Applauding Faculty Leadership at CEDAT
The Vice Chancellor commended Professor Dorothy Okello, Dean of the School of Engineering at CEDAT, for her exceptional leadership in coordinating and implementing these initiatives. Prof. Okello has been instrumental in steering UNESCO-supported projects such as CFIT, ensuring that Makerere students not only gain technical expertise but also develop the soft skills and professional readiness needed in today’s evolving job market.
Her leadership demonstrates the power of faculty-led partnerships in translating institutional collaborations into tangible outcomes that directly benefit students. By aligning global partnerships with Makerere’s teaching and research agenda, faculty leaders like Prof. Okello are helping bridge the gap between academia and industry, creating graduates who are innovative, adaptable, and ready to lead.
Partnerships for a Job-Creating Future
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe applauded UNESCO’s longstanding collaboration with Makerere, recalling that the organization played a foundational role over fifty years ago in establishing the University’s Engineering Department.
“UNESCO has been a key partner of Makerere for over five decades. They helped us lay the foundation for engineering education. Today, the CFIT programme is helping our students acquire industry-ready skills. Our goal is not to send out job-seekers but job-creators,” he said.
Prof. Nawangwe also emphasized the need to broaden attention to the creative arts and industries, which hold untapped potential for entrepreneurship and job creation. He further highlighted the importance of building African capacity in artificial intelligence (AI) and programming to ensure that Africa is not left behind in future technological economies.
Ms. Louise Haxthausen receives a gift from Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.
In her remarks, Ms. Louise Haxthausen, the Regional Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, commended Makerere University for its outstanding implementation of the Chinese Fund-in-Trust (CFIT) project and the broader collaboration with UNESCO. She noted that Makerere’s model anchored in strong faculty leadership and student-centered innovation stands out as a best practice within the region.
“We are deeply impressed by the impact the CFIT project has achieved at Makerere University, particularly in equipping students with the skills and confidence they need to succeed beyond the classroom,” Ms. Haxthausen said. “Our hope is to replicate this success in other universities across the region.”
She further inquired about opportunities to expand UNESCO-supported initiatives beyond the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) to other colleges within the University, noting that such expansion would ensure that all Makerere students benefit from the programs’ holistic approach to learning, innovation, and personal development.
Prof. Henry Alinaitwe from CEDAT, emphasized the need to strengthen technical capacity within the program to sustain and scale its success. He highlighted the importance of bringing in more experts to work closely with students, as well as improving infrastructure for data storage, management, and digital learning systems. Prof. Alinaitwe further noted that enhancing programming and coding skills among students is essential for preparing them to engage with emerging technologies and contribute meaningfully to Uganda’s and Africa’s digital transformation.
The meeting reaffirmed Makerere University and UNESCO’s shared commitment to strengthening higher-education partnerships, closing the gap between academia and industry, and ensuring that scientific knowledge translates into real-world impact.
As both institutions prepare to expand initiatives across all colleges and deepen alumni-led mentorship, the collaboration sets a strong foundation for nurturing graduates equipped for the future world of work and innovation.
Caroline Kainomugisha is the Communications Officer, Advancement Office, Makerere University.