Guests led by Prof. Charles George Okiria, Chairperson of the Allied Health Professionals Council (AHPC) Uganda (2nd Left) tour one of the facilities of the Core Lab under the Laboratory Programme at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University in Mulago during the Open Day on 13th February 2020.
On Thursday 13th February, 2020. the Core Lab under the Laboratory Programme at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) in Mulago hosted a tour around its facilities in a bid to present its achievements. The tour also presented an opportunity to create awareness of the services offered there and their contribution towards patient safety through quality laboratory service delivery.
The event opened with annotations from key stakeholders including the Dr. Isaac Ssewanyana, Director of the Uganda National Health Laboratory, who spoke on behalf of Dr. Susan Nabadda, the Commissioner, Uganda National Laboratory Services (UNLS). His remarks were followed by a tour and a myriad of highlights in the lab, including sixteen successive years of College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation. The visitors were invited to view a vast array of state-of-the-art lab technology including Unique Liquid Mass Spectrometer, the first of its kind in East and Central Africa.
Dr. Andrew Kambugu, the Sande McKinnell, Executive Director of IDI commended the lab for the high standards maintained since inception in 2003. He said the lab was open for routine tests-use in clinical management in addition to research tests.
“This laboratory is a great step towards Uganda’s journey in the health sector; a step that can prove that Uganda can develop and deliver internationally competent services,” he added.
Tea-time involved interactions, comments, and appreciations from the guests. Prof. Charles George Okiria, the Chairperson Allied Health Professionals Council Uganda noted that as a council, they are proud to be associated with the Infectious Diseases Institute. He acknowledged the lab for rising above the standards of the regular yardsticks used to assess laboratories.
Simon Peter Rugera, Head of the Medical Laboratory Science Department at the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) said he was very happy about the work that was being done at IDI and requested for it to be extended to MUST through Masters student trainings.
Dr. Rohan Nzije advised that IDI continue to build capacity of laboratory technicians, but consider bringing on board clinicians and medical personnel, who are going to use the lab services on a regular basis.
72 undergraduate students of Makerere University have successfully been admitted to the Millennium Fellowship Class of 2026, an initiative of the Millennium Campus Network (MCN) and United Nations Academic Impact. Makerere’s Fellows were selected from a record-breaking 76,000 applicants from over 6,000 campuses across 174 countries to participate in the ambitious programme.
According to the Fellowship website, the programme aims to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN Academic Impact Principles a reality on campuses, in classrooms and throughout communities. Millennium Fellows are university undergraduates selected for their leadership on sustainable development projects in their communities. As Fellows, they complete a semester-long leadership development programme that strengthens their student organizing, partnership-building and community-impact skills.
In his congratulatory message to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Sam Vaghar the Executive Director, MCN shared that Over 330 campuses across 60 nations have been selected to host 2026 Millenium Fellows. “Congratulations to you and Makerere University for having a cohort of Millennium Fellows from your student body again this year!”
Below is a sample of the work of the Class of 2026.
At Harvard University, a UN Academic Impact member institution in the United States of America, Millennium Fellows are expanding OpenDoor, an AI-powered platform that helps people navigate retraining, job opportunities and pathways into high-demand careers. The project grew from their work with people experiencing homelessness and from seeing how difficult workforce programmes can be to navigate even when support exists. Advancing SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, it expects to reach about 7,500 people during the Fellowship.
At the University of Ilorin, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Nigeria, Millennium Fellows are building what they describe as Africa’s first green AI policy framework, helping policymakers and developers understand how artificial intelligence can advance while reducing energy use, pollution and material waste. Aligned with SDG 13: Climate Action, it expects to reach about 75 people during the Fellowship.
At BRAC University, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Bangladesh, a Millennium Fellow is advancing SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production through a start-up replacing single-use products with environmentally friendly alternatives. Its current focus is a paper pen that uses roughly 90 per cent less plastic than a conventional pen, with a seed built in so it can grow into a plant when properly disposed of. The project expects to reach about 450 people.
At Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Moldova, a Millennium Fellow is advancing SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being by studying how environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity may affect recovery after brain surgery. By bringing simple digital monitoring tools into postoperative care, the project aims to help doctors make timelier decisions.
We wish our Millennium Fellows an impactful fellowship.
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.
Makerere University‘s position in the July 2026 edition of the Webometrics Rankings has improved from 925th to 776th globally and from 13th to 11th on the Continent, compared to the January 2026 edition. Makerere remains the top-ranked University in Uganda and East Africa.
The new rankings are as a result of improved performance in the Impact Rank, which measures the number of external domains referring/linking to Makerere (from 1,593 to 1,185) and the Excellence Rank, which measures Research papers in the top 10% most cited between 2019 and 2023 (from 1,095 to 715).
Please see the attached screenshots for details or view Makerere‘s rankings online using the link below:
The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities aims to recognize and promote the digital transformation of higher education institutions by evaluating how effectively they reflect their academic, research, and societal contributions online.
We remain committed to ensuring that all our good work in teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, and partnerships continues to be reflected online through various journals and other platforms.