General
Press Release: Mak’s Hult Prize 2019-2020 Innovations Challenge a Unique Success
Over 120 great minds from Makerere University, the epitome of innovation answered the Hult Prize United Nations call to action. They contrived planet-friendly business solutions apropos of the theme: Bold businesses that have a positive impact on the environment with every dollar earned. For a summary, the showcased ideas are categorized into four:
i) Removing a step from the supply chain.
ii) Creating a radically new product or service to replace an existing one.
iii) Orders-of-Magnitude Reductions in Resource Consumption.
iv) Using nature’s own principles to redesign existing goods and services.
Due to the high number of innovations, 3 venues were put to use, all at the Makerere University Central Teaching Facility 2 (CTF 2). “The Hult Prize is how students become agents of change. We take them out of the classroom to solve problems in our society,” said Silver Walugembe the Director-Hult Prize Makerere University.
Each Idea was pitched in 6 minutes, with 4 minutes for judges to ask questions about the same. High levels of intellect were exhibited throughout the competition.
The winning team VepoxFilter presented a portable water filtration device, which uses natural and environmentally sustainable materials such as bamboo activated carbon, sand, and moringa oleifera seeds (all available in the tropics) to purify water for households to the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for safe drinking water. The VepoX filter is not energy-intensive and water filtered through it doesn't require any extra treatment at all, like disinfection since all the disease-causing organisms are completely eliminated and chemicals reduced to the required WHO standards. It is environmentally friendly with zero carbon emissions during its entire lifetime by the end-user.
The event was organized the Hult Prize-Makerere Directorate in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MoSTI), The Guild Ministry of ICT and Research, Marula Creative Consultancy, Legal Innovation Hub and Katende, Ssempebwa and Company Advocates.
The Honorable Minister, MoSTI, Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye was represented at the event by Mr. Mugisha Patrick, Assistant Commissioner in charge of Innovations and Intellectual Property Management, MoSTI. "The ministry will further ensure the growth of all competitors' ideas through a workshop that will be scheduled for January 2020 to highlight new avenues of collaboration between Government and innovators."
Special thanks to the core organizing committee that made it happen: Silver Walugembe-Campus Director, Kidega Moses-General Secretary, Angel Nagaba-Head of Publicity, Flavia Kiyayi-Innovator Experience Supervisor, Matte Derrick-Innovator Experience Supervisor, Lucky Ahimbisibwe-Head of Protocol, Micah Muhangi-Teams Registrar, Abdul Twaib Magambo-Mentors’ Coordinator and finally Hon. Kiggundu Rodney-85th guild Minister for ICT and Research who helped foster collaboration between the Hult Prize and the Guild Government.
The Legal Innovation Hub and Katende, Ssempebwa and Company Advocates initiated a two-year period of pro bono services for VepoxFilter. “We shall save VepoxFilter over US$ 280 in pro bono services,” said Counsel Edwin from Legal Innovation Hub.
"The Guild Ministry of ICT and Research will continue to support student innovations with all their means" added Hon. Kiggundu Rodney.
Youth are the engine of the world. Responsibility and sacrifice is what fuels that engine.
A CHALLENGE FOR US BY US.
For further details please contact
Silver Walugembe,
Hult Prize campus Director Makerere University,
Erstwhile Legislator- Students' Guild Council,
Makerere University,
Email: walsil.sw[at]gmail.com
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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