General
FDRE Parliament Delegation Visits Mak, Advocates for Public Diplomacy Group
A delegation from the Parliament accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) on Wednesday 27th November 2019 visited Makerere University and held talks on the need to establish a Uganda Public Diplomacy Group among a wide range of other issues. The delegation led by Hon. Tesfaye Daba – Chairman, Peace and Foreign Relations Standing Committee of the House of Representatives of the FDRE was received by a special session of Management held in the Council Room. They were accompanied by the Ambassador of the FDRE to Uganda Her Excellency Alemtsehay Meseret Gelaw.
Welcoming the delegation, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe thanked Hon. Daba for including Makerere University their Ugandan itinerary. He shared that Makerere was the alma mater of several distinguished African leaders and others such as Rt. Hon. Ralph Everard Gonsalves, 4th Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean.
Prof. Nawangwe added that Makerere remains a flagship university in health sciences research and is keen to become a research intensive University in the next ten years. “Makerere University and Addis Ababa University are both members of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and through this umbrella we are going to conduct more research and innovations so as to accelerate economic growth of not only our respective countries but Africa as a whole.”
The Vice Chancellor also spoke of the longstanding relationship between Makerere and Addis Ababa University as well as other Ethiopian Universities such as Mekelle University and the University of Gondar. “I hope that this visit will facilitate even greater collaborations especially in the area of staff and student exchanges.”
In his remarks, Hon. Tesfaye Daba thanked the Vice Chancellor and University Management for the warm reception and expressed his delegation’s happiness at visiting one of Africa’s oldest and most historic universities. He added that Uganda and Ethiopia have similar cultural values and historic ties and that the delegation’s visit would help to further cement diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Ethiopian Ambassador H.E. Alemtsehay Meseret Gelaw thanked both the Makerere University Management and visiting delegation for identifying culture as an important factor in collaboration. She noted that whereas various African leaders often promote the integration of various regional economic communities, this amalgamation would be difficult without the prior knowledge and appreciation of the various cultures involved.
“Ethiopia and Uganda have similar values and cultures which need to be explored and built up so that they can be shared with future generations. We need to come up with a way to network our various associations of theatre, music, poetry and film” recommended the Ambassador.
H.E. Gelaw therefore proposed that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Uganda and Ethiopia need to come up with a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) incorporating the ideas discussed in the meeting which can then be shared with various stakeholders on both sides. This draft MoU, she added, can then be used by the Vice Chancellor to pursue similar associations with his Ethiopian counterparts.
H.E. Daba then challenged Makerere University to start the Uganda Public Diplomacy Group, made up of stakeholders from various Ugandan bodies and associations, as a vehicle for inter-state collaborations. “From past experience the Ethiopian Public Diplomacy Group visited Sudan before any other groups could and the relationship established led to the formation of various diplomatic ties as well as return visits. We therefore look forward to receiving the newly established Uganda Public Diplomacy Group in Addis Ababa.”
Prof. Nawangwe in his concluding remarks agreed that all indicators show that Africa is the next growth frontier and this would be accelerated if African states collaborated with each other. “I pledge that we are going to start the Uganda Public Diplomacy Group and we look forward to engaging the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports in this endeavour.”
Article by Public Relations Office
Organised by the Makerere Debating Union – a student-led initiative, the Inter-college Debate Tournament was held on 11th and 12th April 2025 with a vision to leave no student behind by nurturing a community of confident, articulate, and visionary leaders who will drive positive change in society. The tournament was held in three preliminary rounds, followed by semi-finals and a grand finale.
The first round covered democracy and youth participation in politics, while the second round covered inequality and wealth distribution, and the third, the ban on export of raw materials. The semi-final round debated apprenticeship for blue-collar jobs, while the grand finale debated national budget allocations for healthcare and education. In the spirit of inclusivity, all colleges, including the Jinja Campus participated in the tournament.
Commenting on the choice of topics, the organisers noted Makerere University as a bastion of academic excellence has a profound responsibility to cultivate the next generation of leaders who will shape the future of our nation. These leaders, they added, ought to be equipped with 21st century skills of self-expression, critical thinking, and problem-solving so as to navigate the complexities of an ever-evolving world.
On the whole, Makerere Inter-college Debates were conceived as a strategic initiative to foster a culture of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and innovation. The Debating Union aims to empower the future leaders by providing a platform for students to engage in respectful discourse, articulate their thoughts, as well as develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Furthermore, the Debates serve as a platform for not only honing the intellectual prowess of students but also cultivating leadership skills, teamwork, and communication abilities that are essential for success in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. It is envisaged that this initiative will have a lasting impact on the lives of students, by exposing them to debates on topical issues that can shape the mindsets of transformative leaders our nation needs.
After a thrilling two days of debate, Daphine Kemigisha and Jibril Ssekandi from the School of Law (SoL) emerged as winners of the Makerere University Inter-college Debate Tournament 2025, while Olara Emmanuel George from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) was the Public Speech Champion, and Namujuzi Martha Mociita from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) was the Poetry Champion.
The 2025 Tournament was organized by Mayanja Owen and Nkalubo Oprah – 91st Guild Representative Councils (GRCs) of the Debate Union, Akatwijuka Arthur – Chairperson Debate Union, and Debate Union Representatives from colleges. The Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF) partnered with the Debate Union to deliver the 2025 edition.
Addressing students at the award ceremony, UNNGOF’s Mr. Derrick Baluuku encouraged the youth to step out of their comfort zones and think of solutions to inspire change in their communities.
-
General1 week agoCall for Applications: Admission to Postgraduate Programmes 2025/2026
-
General5 days agoAccommodation during the Recess Term: 2024/2025
-
Humanities & Social Sciences2 weeks agoOver 2,000 Attend Makerere’s Dialogue on Traditional Spirituality, Herbal Medicine, Witchcraft and Questions of Truth
-
General5 days agoMak Targets 30% Graduate Student Enrolment
-
General2 weeks agoPhase 1 of e-Learning initiative at Makerere University registers remarkable achievements