Makerere University on Monday 6^th July officially launched the First Mak Writing Summer School, a week long training program designed to equip students and staff with the practical writing skills needed to compete in today’s job market. The official unveiling took place at the Makerere Main Building and was streamed online to accommodate the more than two hundred participants who registered, running from 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM before the first working session began.

The program is a joint initiative of the Makerere University Writing Centre and the Makerere University Press, known as MakPress. It was officially unveiled by Professor Sarah Ssali, the First Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.The occasion drew support from Professor Fredrick Muyodi, Head of the Makerere University Writing Centre, and Associate Professor William Tayeebwa, Director of MakPress, both of whom addressed participants.

Speaking first, Professor Tayeebwa outlined the mandate of MakPress, describing it as an office that reports to the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and that carries out three main functions: publishing books, publishing academic journals, and now, an expanding portfolio that includes working paper series. He noted that the traditional strength of the press has been the publication of books, and he used the occasion to showcase two recent examples authored by members of the university community.

The first was a book titled The Muchwezi, The Flower, The Suitor, written by Charles Ziwa, a staff member attached to the Writing Centre who has been coordinating the current writing camp. More so, the second was a book titled The Men I Killed, authored by a student in the Department of Journalism and Communication. Both works are currently self published, and Professor Tayeebwa used them to illustrate the kind of support MakPress hopes to extend to more writers across the university, encouraging students, staff, and even members of the public with completed manuscripts, including family histories or biographies, to bring their projects to the press for formal publishing support rather than remaining self published.

He also spoke about the press journal portfolio, which includes a Mak journal run by the School of Languages, Literature and Communication, the Working Paper Series by the College of Business and Management Sciences, and the Mawazo journal, which is shared with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He reported that the writing camp had already drawn about 175 participants at the time he spoke, a number he described with evident pride.

 “Before any work can reach the publishing stage described by Professor Tayeebwa, it must first pass through the discipline of good writing, which is the core mission of the Writing Centre”, Professor Muyodi exclusively emphasized the arc that the summer school is taking. Established only last year, the Centre exists to strengthen the writing skills of Makerere University staff and students, with plans to extend its services to communities beyond the university and eventually across the East African region, a concept he described as still new in this part of the world.

He listed the Centres and areas of coverage as including the writing of manuscripts, grant proposals, scholarly and academic writing, curriculum vitae, application letters, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence in writing. He identified the Centres target beneficiaries as early career researchers, postgraduate students, undergraduate finalists preparing to enter the job market, and non academic staff, including registrars, who also require strong writing skills in their daily work.

In her remarks as Chief Guest, Professor Ssali described the summer school as an important bridge that transforms theoretical classroom knowledge into marketable, real world, competence based skills.

She praised the facilitators lined up for the week as experienced professionals and life coaches rather than simple motivational speakers, and expressed confidence that they would equip participants with practical, usable skills. She committed her office to working with both the Writing Centre and MakPress to institutionalize the training so that Makerere University graduates leave with more than just academic degrees, but also with the practical soft skills required to lead and transform the Ugandan workforce. Prof. Ssali conclusively declared the First Makerere University Writing Summer School officially launched, expressing hope that future editions would attract even greater resources and reach a wider audience.

Following the opening ceremony, the floor was handed to Mr Abdul Noor Luttamaguzi, who facilitated the first working session on professional CV writing. Introducing himself, he described his roles as the recently elected global student director of the World Aquaculture Society, a PhD student in the Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences within the School of Biosciences at Makerere University, a Senior Fisheries Officer with Luweero District Local Government, and the founder and director of the ANL Foundation, an organization that supports youth employment and capacity building.

Turning to the Ugandan context, Mr Luttamaguzi noted that recruiters and human resource professionals often use the terms CV and resume interchangeably, with the real distinguishing factor being length and purpose rather than strict definition.

The opening day module, covering the launch ceremony and the first session on professional CV writing, set the tone for a full week of training with subsequent sessions expected to cover application letter writing and the use of artificial intelligence in professional writing. Organizers described the summer school as the first in what is planned to be a continuing series of writing camps, with future editions expected to expand from professional skills training into writing for scholarly publication.

The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released admission lists of candidates admitted under the Talented Sports Men & Women, Disability and District Quota Schemes with Government sponsorship 2026/27 Academic Year including appeals and remarked cases.

Other admission lists released include A-Level Applicants with Ugandan and those with Foreign Qualifications, Diploma in Performing Arts, Mature-Age Entry and Bachelor of Education (EXTERNAL Batch 2) for the Academic Year 2026/2027 under self sponsorship.

The cut-off points points can be accessed by following the link: https://mak.ac.ug/study-mak/cut-points

Kindly follow the links below to access the lists:-

• Government Sponsorship
  • Disability Scheme
  • Talented Sportsmen & Women
  • District Quota Scheme(Pending verification by Districts)
  • Appeals and Remarked Cases
• Private\Self Sponsorship
  • Ugandans with Ugandan Qualifications
  • Ugandans with Foreign Qualifications
  • Mature- Age Entry
  • Diploma in Performing Arts
  • Bachelor of Education (EXTERNAL Batch 2)

Update 3rd July 2026

International & East African Applicants

• A’ Level Applicants
• Diploma/Degree Applicants
• Diploma/Degree Holders (Ugandans)

Mop-up Lists

• Government Sponsorship – Mature Age Entry Scheme

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