It is my pleasure to welcome you all on behalf of the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), a Network of 129 universities in 38 African countries to the 13th in Series of the RUFORUM Webinars.
For those who may not be familiar with RUFORUM, we were founded in 2004 by 10 universities in Eastern and Southern Africa to transform African universities to collaboratively train critical thinkers, innovative and entrepreneurial graduates to address Africa’s agricultural challenges. RUFORUM was also founded to mobilise African researchers to generate knowledge, technologies and innovations that are relevant in addressing Africa’s agricultural development challenges and reaching out to communities to solve these challenges.
RUFORUM recognizes that African universities cannot achieve this objective alone and need partnerships with universities and other actors within and beyond Africa. Indeed the two documentaries shown earlier as part of this Webinar show the value of partnership in addressing common challenges, increasing access to quality education and infrastructure and for fostering better global understanding. This is what motivated RUFORUM to convene this Webinar. The RUFORUM Network has already benefitted from partnership with the different institutions that many of the panelists and participants represent. We thank them for accepting to work with RUFORUM.
As shown by COVID-19 and Climate Change, no one country or continent can address the challenges that humanity faces alone, highlighting the need for global collective action in sharing of knowledge, technology, infrastructure, human and financial resources for helping each other address challenges. This need is even more pressing upon universities who are established to be producers of human resources with the highest skills and knowledge to generate solutions to humanities challenges and even much more in agriculture, the sector providing food, employment and livelihood for majority of people.
It is my hope that this Webinar will provide insights for training quality human resources, research, innovation and entrepreneurship capacity development and for addressing the most pressing needs of our time such as climate change and COVID-19 so that we can produce enough quality food while maintaining our planet healthy, productive and habitable.
The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released lists of Successful appeals and supplementary lists. Below is a list arising from appeals of Government Sponsored candidates who have been admitted:
Makerere University and DFCU Bank have today signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bolster innovation, student leadership, research and community impact initiatives.
The collaboration which will see the equipping of the Disability Support center for students living with disabilities through the MAK run and more leadership trainings for students will begin this July.
“The MoU will strengthen research collaborations across sectors like agriculture and health and it will also support the Mutebile Centre to assist private sector growth, which is crucial in lifting Africa out of poverty,” said Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (R) flanked by Mr. Charles Mudiwa (L) makes his remarks at the MoU signing ceremony.
Speaking during the event, Mr. Charles M. Mudiwa, the DFCU Bank Chief Executive Officer, welcomed the move, noting its alignment with the bank’s mission to transform lives and support national development through four pillars: funding, financial inclusion, enterprise development, and vocational education.
“This MoU crowns years of effort and shared intent between our institutions,” he stated. Mr. Mudiwa highlighted the bank’s commitment to skilling youth through internships, curriculum development, and support for innovation hubs and centres of excellence at the university. “We consume the graduates of Makerere. In our most recent graduate intake of 87, 60% were Makerere alumni. The bank allocates around 30 internship positions annually to equip young people with the skills necessary for future roles within the institution,” Mr. Mudiwa, noted.
Representing the student body, Guild President His Excellency, Sentamu Churchill James, commended the partnership as a timely intervention that will empower youth, support SMEs, and expand internship and leadership development opportunities.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (2nd L) presents a framed portrait of the Main Building to Mr. Charles Mudiwa (C) as L-R: University Secretary-Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, 91st Guild President-H.E. Ssentamu Churchill James and Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration)-Prof. Winston Tumps Ireeta witness.
“Students are the heartbeat of the university. This collaboration will empower youth and strengthen their role in national development,” His Excellency Ssentamu, said.
About MAK RUN 2025
The Makerere Run 2025 (#MakRun2025), hosted by the Makerere University Endowment Fund (MAKEF) on 17th August 2025, returns for its fifth edition as Kampala’s premier charity marathon, uniting 8,000+ runners—students, alumni, corporate teams, and elite athletes—to tackle the city’s iconic hills under the theme “Run the Hills for the Future.” This landmark event combines competitive racing with transformative impact, channeling proceeds to strengthen Makerere University’s community programs while offering unmatched branding opportunities for partners through Kampala’s largest university-led sporting spectacle.
The Mak Run, scheduled this year for August 17th, is a flagship initiative that mobilizes students, staff, alumni, and partners to raise funds for projects such as the Disability Support Unit and the Student Centre.