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2020 Two4One Talent for Change Campaign Against Sexual Harassment

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TWO4ONE TALENT FOR CHANGE CAMPAIGN AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN UNIVERSITIES IN UGANDA

 THE 2020 SUSAN OREGEDE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

CALL FOR INNOVATIONS

1. Introduction

The ‘Two for One Talent for Change’ (also known as Two4One) Campaign is a peer-to-peer Performing Arts Competition aimed at mitigating the problem of Sexual Harassment in Universities. This is through the collaborative efforts of both men and women to safeguard any victim of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse. The campaign taps into students’ talents as an agency for addressing a social challenge of sexual harassment that primarily affects them.The social innovation was successfully conducted through its first year of rollout at Makerere University from September-October 2019. A total of 64 entries were registered to compete in the categories of music, dance, drama, poetry and instrumentals and messages centered around understanding and ending sexual harassment in Universities. The 2019 activity had three stages, auditions which attracted over 500, elimination stage with over 10,000 the Grand Finale with over 15,000 members of the university community in attendance. The Campaign initiated open discussions on sexual harassment among and against students, and attracted interest from other Universities around the country. This was an interactive and highly effective mode of transmitting the message against Sexual Harassment to the student and the general University Community. The success of this campaign suggested a need to expand this campaign and the 2020 campaign has been expanded beyond Makerere University to include other Ugandan Universities.

Check out our website at https://two4onecampaign.mak.ac.ug/ for details.

2. The 2020 Two4One Talent for change Campaign

The 2020 campaign has been organized in honour of the late Susan Oregede for her outstanding contribution to the work on ending violence against women and girls in Uganda in line with the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence (check the following link for more information https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/take-action/16-days-of-activism)

The Purpose of the campaign is to fight against sexual harassment in universities through students’ agency. Specifically, this campaign;

  • Seeks to put to good use students’ positive energies through engaging in innovative thinking on how to solve the social problems in their communities
  • Scale up awareness creation on sexual harassment prevention and response through arts. Knowledge is power!
  • Tap into and strengthen students’ agency through continuous innovations on solutions to sexual harassment prevention and response  

The 2020 campaign will be a music and drama competition among students from universities in Uganda on the best innovative messages and message presentations for prevention and response to sexual harassment.

3. How to join.

The 2020 Two4One contest is here! How do you join?

  1. Register yourself using Social Media Connection i.e. Google, Facebook, LinkedIn on https://two4onecampaign.mak.ac.ug/
  2. Create your profile using a set of questions provided on the page.
  3. Thinking innovatively, generate and record your awareness message in a song or skit.
  4. Upload your video (not more than 5 minutes) in mp4 format (not more than 1080p resolution).

4. The procedure of handling the competitions

  1. Stage I
  • Contestants will submit their video clips
  • The video clips shall be submitted online through the two4one website which will be immediately received and posted in the waiting room
  • The team of judges shall look at the video clips for relevance to the competition and pass for posting on the website for public viewing and voting
  • Through public voting, 100 contestants shall be selected for further scrutiny by the team of judges
  • From the list of 100 contestants, the judges will shortlist 50 contestants who will proceed to the auditions
  1. Stage II

The second level of auditions shall be carried out at a venue that will be communicated to the successful contestants. This second level audition shall be on zoom for the rest of the public with only the judges and the contestants physically meeting. For all the physical meetings for the auditions, the SOPs for the prevention of COVID – 19 shall followed and adhered to.

  1. Preparations for the Grand Finale – 5 Day Boot Camp

Prior to the Grand Finale, the Finalists will be invited to participate in a 5 – day intensive boot Camp. At this forum, the finalists shall undergo professional creative music training on how to effectively communicate the message on Sexual Harassment using music and drama. This training shall also equip participants with skills on effective communication, confidence building, and understanding of gender.  The boot Camp shall constitute a performance material that the participants may present at the Grand Finale. They will rehearse using these materials and in teams of not more than five with maximum social distancing. They will also undergo further training on sexual Harassment prevention and response.  The contestants who are unable to physically interact with the trainers shall have an opportunity to be trained online.

5. Grand finale

The grand finale shall live on NBS TV. This event shall be attended physically by only contestants and the judges. The event shall be live on ZOOM, Facebook Live: Makerere University Facebook page & GMD Facebook page. A ZOOMlink shall be provided on the campaign website for virtual attendance. At this event, the finalists shall make their presentations and the three winners awarded as follows;

No.PositionAward (UGX)
 1.The Winner5,000,000
 2.Second runner-up4,000,000
 3.Third runner-up3,000,000

In addition to the cash prize for the overall winner shall be supported with an extra 5, 000,000 UGX to further develop and publish the script.

6. Schedule of events

  1. Deadline for submission: November, 28th 2020
  2. Auditions: December 1st 2020
  3. Grand Finale: December 9th, 2020

Please send your inquires to;

tumwesigye.eric[at]gendermainstreaming.mak.ac.ug or WhatsApp +256-757-391098

2020 Two4One Talent Campaign against Sexual Harassment

Mark Wamai

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ZAMREN Board Visits Mak, Discusses AI

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Prof. Sarah Ssali and Prof. Mundia Muya (C) with Members of Management, the ZAMREN delegation and other officials after the courtesy call on 14th October 2025. Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN) Board led by the Chairperson, Prof. Mundia Muya courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, 14th October 2025, Main Building, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

The Board of the Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN) led by the Chairperson, Prof. Mundia Muya on 14th October 2025 paid a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, Makerere University. The Board which is on a two-day exposure visit to the Research and Education Network of Uganda (RENU) was received by the Acting (Ag.) Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Sarah Ssali in the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom.

The Chairperson was accompanied by Mr. Ronald Hatoongo and Mr. Stein Mkandawire, the Board Secretary and CEO of ZAMREN respectively, as well as RENU’s CEO-Mr. Nicholas Mbonimpa and RENUMESH Technologies CEO-Mr. Brian Masiga. In attendance were Mr. Samuel Mugabi-Director DICTS, Prof. Robert Wamala-Director Research, Innovations and Partnerships (DRIP), and Prof. Tonny Oyana-Principal College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS).

Also present were; Prof. Paul Birevu Muyinda-Director Institute of Open, Distance and eLearning (IODeL), Dr. Godfrey Mayende-Deputy Director IODeL, Dr. Michael Walimbwa- College of Education and External Studies (CEES), Dr. Cathy Mbidde- Ag. Manager. Makerere University Innovation Pod, Ms. Eunice Rukundo-Deputy Chief-Public Relations and staff from the Office of the Vice Chancellor.

In her welcome remarks, Prof. Ssali thanked the ZAMREN Board for including the courtesy call on their Kampala itinerary and extended warm greetings from the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe. She noted that Makerere as a founding member of RENU has enjoyed a mutually beneficial collaboration, that has benefited both staff and students in the form of supporting growing connectivity needs, as well as training, mentorship, and development of technical skills for both continuing students and graduates.

Prof. Sarah Ssali (R) presents an assortment of Mak Souvenirs to Prof. Mundia Muya (L). Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN) Board led by the Chairperson, Prof. Mundia Muya courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, 14th October 2025, Main Building, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Prof. Sarah Ssali (R) presents an assortment of Mak Souvenirs to Prof. Mundia Muya (L).

Turning to the gist of the courtesy call, the Acting Vice Chancellor noted that the Makerere University through the Centre for Artificial Intelligence (MAK-AI) seeks to harness the transformative power of AI to address society’s most pressing challenges. “Projects undertaken by our Centre tackle real-world challenges in health, agriculture, languages, and beyond.”

Prof. Ssali nevertheless underscored the importance of upholding ethics in all AI undertakings “Mindful of global trends elsewhere, the work of the Makerere AI Centre is guided by the principles of Responsible AI, ensuring that systems are transparent, accountable, fair, and designed to benefit society.”

She therefore called upon the delegation to thoughtfully engage with the ideas presented during their visit with the aim of collectively exploring both institution can better equip staff and students to meaningfully make the most of this fast-evolving trend.

On behalf of the Board, Prof. Muya who is substantively the Vice Chancellor of the University of Zambia thanked Prof. Ssali and Members of Management present for according his delegation a warm reception to Makerere University, “one of Africa’s most distinguished centres of higher learning.

Makerere University is not only a symbol of academic excellence but also a beacon of leadership in higher education on the African continent”, remarked Prof. Muya.

The Chairperson equally expressed the delegation’s keenness to understand how AI is being adopted, and how the academia is embracing the technology as an enabler of teaching and research. “At ZAMREN, we view digital transformation and AI integration as critical enablers of academic excellence, efficiency, and competitiveness across higher education institutions,” he remarked, adding that “We therefore look to Makerere University’s experience to draw practical lessons that can inform and inspire our efforts back home.”

Prof. Mundia Muya headed the ZAMREN delegation. Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN) Board led by the Chairperson, Prof. Mundia Muya courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, 14th October 2025, Main Building, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Prof. Mundia Muya headed the ZAMREN delegation.

Turning to the lessons from Makerere in line with digital transformation and ICT, the Director DICTS shared that owing to the partnership with RENU, internet bandwidth, a vital enabler of AI transformation currently stands at 5 Gbps of monthly consumption, with plans to scale-up to 8 Gbps. He added that RENU has also facilitated Makerere’s access to Open Libraries, and Eduroam – a secure, encrypted Wi-Fi network across to staff and students freely access the internet across partner institutions in Uganda using their University emails.

Furthermore on the enablers of AI integration, Mr. Mugabi noted that in line with digitalization of institutional business process, the University Council took a bold step to develop all information systems in-house, a move that has reduced costs spent on offshore solutions, and hemorrhage of skills. He pointed to the introduction of open source solutions, and AI policy and global collaborations with corporations such as Google as additional enablers.

Addressing AI readiness, Prof. Tonny Oyana pointed out the need for the University of Zambia to start early, citing Makerere efforts which began as far back as 2007, when Dr. John Quinn joined the institution after his PhD. He added that Dr. Quinn together with other former staff from Makerere formed Sunbird AI, a thriving initiative creating practical systems for the benefit of community.

Prof. Oyana also pointed to AI initiatives that have attracted up to USD 5million from Google Awards, staff with specialized skills in the creation and development of sensor technologies, top notch students that win continental and global awards from companies such as Huawei, and active engagements with partners to produce solutions to enhance diagnosis of malaria, tuberculosis and cancer as some of areas that demonstrate Makerere’s AI readiness.

The meeting in session. Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN) Board led by the Chairperson, Prof. Mundia Muya courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, 14th October 2025, Main Building, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
The meeting in session.

Addressing academic and research innovation, Prof. Robert Wamala pointed out that Makerere, in recognition that the institution cannot achieve its vision alone is intentional about seeking and nurturing mutually beneficial partnerships. Furthermore, he shared that Vice Chancellor’s Annual Research Excellence Awards reward and recognize the efforts of staff who have excelled in publication, teaching and winning grants.

The Director DRIP equally underscored the need for dissemination of research produced by staff and students, pointing out the annual research and innovation week as a flagship event for not only showcasing research but also forging meaningful partnerships with stakeholders. In line with technology transfer, Prof. Wamala said that the University through the Intellectual Property Management Office ensures that innovations developed by staff and students packaged for adoption by other individuals or organisations.

Addressing the use of technologies in academic work, Prof. Birevu noted that IODeL conducts capacity building in instructional design, online facilitation, use of AI in teaching and digital assessments. “We have also advised the University on ODeL and Distance Education strategies, for instance, we have developed a ten-year masterplan for distance education with support from the Korean Government to outline how Makerere University is going to integrate distance education within its offering” he added.

At the close of the deliberations the ZAMREN expressed sincere appreciation to the Ag. Vice Chancellor and Members of Management for the free sharing that pointed out a number of priorities.

Mark Wamai

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General

Call for Applications: Government Sponsorship 2026/27

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Makerere University -Main Building

The Academic Registrar, Makerere University informs all Head Teachers of Advanced Level (UACE) Schools with UNEB Centre Numbers that applications for admission to Public Universities and other Tertiary Institutions for 2026/2027 Academic Year for government sponsorship will be done electronically/online using the Academic Management Information
System (ACMIS) from 15th October, 2025 to 31st December, 2025. The Public Universities include:
(a) Makerere University
(b) Makerere University Business School
(c) Mbarara University of Science and Technology
(d)Kyambogo University
(e) Gulu University
(f) Busitema University
(g) Muni University
(h) Kabale University
(i) Lira University
(j) Soroti University
(k) Mountains ofthe Moon University

NB: The list of Other Tertiary Institutions is provided on the online application portal.

Other Important documents:

Mak Editor

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Business & Management

PIM Centre Holds 9th Steering Committee Meeting, Set to Benefit from World Bank Support

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Mak PIM COE Steering Committee

The Public Investment Management (PIM) Centre of Excellence at Makerere University today, October 10th, 2025, held its 9th Steering Committee Meeting to review progress made in the first quarter of the financial year and plan for the months ahead.

The meeting was chaired by Ms. Getrude Basiima, who represented Mr. Hannington Ashaba, Director Budget at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED). Ms. Basiima commended the Centre for its continued commitment to strengthening public investment management capacity across government institutions.

In her remarks, Ms. Basiima applauded the Centre for successfully hosting the Public Investment Management Conference held in August at Makerere University. The conference attracted key policymakers, development partners, and academics who deliberated on how to enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and impact of public investments in Uganda.

She further shared exciting news that the Government of Uganda has secured funding from the World Bank to support the public investment management function. The PIM Centre, she announced, will be among the key beneficiaries of these funds — receiving support for the construction and acquisition of a permanent home to enhance its institutional sustainability and training capacity.

Reviewing the Centre’s quarterly performance, Ms. Basiima congratulated the team for successfully conducting three specialized trainings in the first quarter, reaching officials from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. These trainings continue to strengthen the technical competencies required for effective project preparation, appraisal, and implementation in line with Uganda’s National Development Plan.

The PIM Steering Committee in a meeting held at Emin Pasha Hotel

She encouraged the Centre to integrate climate change considerations into its future training programmes, noting that sustainable public investment must now account for environmental resilience and climate adaptation.

The centre team presented the proposed  structure/ organogram, the financial performance of 2024/2025, research areas for 2025/2026 and the strategic plan for 2025 – 2030.

The Steering Committee reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the PIM Centre’s vision of becoming a regional leader in building capacity for efficient, transparent, and sustainable public investment management.

Betty Kyakuwa
Betty Kyakuwa

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