The Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs)-DVCAA on Wednesday 26th February 2020 hosted the Inaugural Deans’ Forum at a half-day workshop held at Grand Global Hotel, Makerere. The Forum which brings together Deans from 29 Schools of Makerere University has its origins in the series of training and sensitisation workshops for academic leaders organized by the DVCAA and Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) starting mid-2019.
The Dean Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) and Inaugural Chair of the Deans’ Forum, Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze thanked attendees for taking time off to learn from each other and together, contribute to academic excellence of students at both graduate and undergraduate levels.
“As we move towards being a research-led university, it is important that we position ourselves to collectively be part of negotiating changes for better support to students, especially at graduate level” she explained.
Prof. Wanyenze then introduced other members of the Deans’ Forum as: Dr. Aaron Mushengyezi-Languages, Literature and Communication, Dr. Gilbert Maiga-Computing and Informatics Technology, Dr. Robert Tweyongyere-Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, Dr. Ronald Naluwairo-Law, Dr. Edward Bbaale-Economics and Dr. Grace Kibanja-Psychology. The DVCAA Dr. Umar Kakumba is the founding Patron of the Deans’ Forum.
In his address, the DVCAA noted that whereas the Makerere University Senate has been in existence for a long time, Deans seldom get the opportunity to interact outside these sessions. He therefore thanked the Inaugural Chairperson and Executive for embracing the idea and developing guiding documents such as a draft constitution and an annual work plan.
Dr. Kakumba then made a presentation on “Delivering on the roles as Dean in Makerere University”, based on his experience as Dean, School of Business, College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) for eight years. This was followed by a presentation by the Director Quality Assurance, Dr. Vincent Ssembatya on “Academic Process: Teaching, Examination and Student Supervision”.
Other presentations on the day were made by; the Deputy Registrar (Senate Division), Ms. Patience Mushengyezi on “Academic Polices and Senate Roles” and the Director Human Resources, Mr. Andrew Abunyang represented by Mr. Richard Mugisha, Manager Performance and Appraisal on “Roles on Deans in Human Resource Management (Performance Management)”. The last presentation of the day was delivered by the Senior Performance Officer, Directorate of Human Resources, Mr. Julius Lebo on “Labour Relations and Conflict Resolution”.
Some of the presentations lined up for future workshops of the Deans’ Forum will cover the role of Deans in attracting and managing grants.
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.