Front row: The Vice Chancellor-Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (C) and Registrar General-Mr. Bemanya Twebaze (3rd L) with R-L: Dr. Robert Wamala, Dr. Umar Kakumba, Ms. Mercy Kainobwisho, Can. Goddy M. Muhumuza, Ms. Ritah Namisango and Members of Management and URSB Staff (Back row) after the meeting on 1st December 2020, CoBAMS, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda.
A team from Makerere University headed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe on Tuesday 1st December, 2020 met with the Registrar General, Mr. Bemanya Twebaze and a team from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and held discussions aimed at operationalising the Intellectual Property Management Office (IPMO) at Mak. The meeting held in the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) Conference Room was attended by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Dr. Umar Kakumba, Acting (Ag.) Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), Dr. Josephine Nabukenya and Ag. University Secretary, Mr. Yusuf Kiranda.
Also present were the Ag. Director Legal Affairs, Mr. Hudson Musoke, Interim Chairperson Intellectual Property Management Committee and Principal College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, Deputy Director, Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT), Dr. Robert Wamala and Interim Manager IPMO, Can. Goddy Muhanguzi Muhumuza. URSB Staff-Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho, Mr. Agaba Gilbert and Mr. Dominic Ddamulira were also in attendance.
Acknowledging Intellectual Property (IP) as a vital component of the knowledge economy, the Interim IPMO Manager, Can. Muhanguzi Muhumuza applauded the Vice Chancellor and Members of Management for recognizing the need to protect and commercialize Mak‘s research and innovations by setting up the office. He thanked the Registrar General and his team for sparing time to be part of this initiative right from the start and pledged to do his part to ensure that the office takes off.
In his welcome remarks, Prof. Nawangwe congratulated the Mr. Twebaze upon his recent election as Director General of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) for a five year period. He also applauded him for making the URSB brand more visible nationally and internationally.
He noted that whereas the University has since inception been acclaimed as a beacon of research and innovation in Africa, the amount of IP and startup companies attributed to the institution were still very low. “Makerere University staff and students are highly innovative. The IPMO will therefore help us to commercialise these innovations into ventures that can create much-needed employment for our exploding young population.”
The Vice Chancellor in this regard appreciated the Registrar General for sparing time to personally attend the operationalisation meeting and his willingness to help commercialize IP at Makerere University. In the same breath, he thanked the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MoSTI) for offering to support the IPMO and second experienced staff to the Mak unit where necessary.
“The University has allocated ample office space to the IP Management Office and Resource Centre as an asset not only for Makerere but other Universities as well. Makerere has highest concentration of PhDs in the country and we have absolutely no reason why we cannot transform this country” said the Vice Chancellor.
Introducing the Registrar General, URSB’s Director IP-Ms. Kainobwisho shared that Mr. Twebaze is not only the incoming Director General ARIPO but also a Member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and President of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Advisory Committee on Enforcement. She added that Mak‘s IPMO will greatly benefit from the Registrar General’s national and international experience.
Mr. Twebaze in his remarks thanked Prof. Nawangwe his invitation, noting that it was a great honour and privilege for him as an alumnus from the School of Law and proud Lumumbist to visit his alma mater. “I am happy to always introduce myself as an alumnus of Makerere everywhere I go in the world and I thank the Vice Chancellor and his leadership for the great visibility they have brought to this University in so many ways.”
He applauded the Vice Chancellor for recognising that the IPMO will not only serve Makerere but also other established and upcoming Ugandan Higher Education Institutions. The Registrar General expressed happiness that his alma mater had taken the lead nationally by formulating an institutional IP Policy. The Makerere University Intellectual Property Management Policy was approved by the University Council on 13th March 2008.
“The National Intellectual Property Policy was launched by His Excellency the President in September 2020 but the only way we shall be able to demonstrate that IP actually works is by translating our good ideas and innovations into solutions that solve local problems, create jobs and wealth and enable the people to thrive” shared Mr. Twebaze.
The Registrar General equally took note of the recognition accorded by the President during the aforementioned launch to Ugandan scientists and Makerere University for taking the lead in finding solutions to societal problems, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Makerere University has been at the forefront of Uganda’s response to COVID-19 and I commend the leadership and researchers for this.”
In 2018, URSB set up a Technology Innovation Support Centre (TISC) at the Mak Main Library to help promote quality research and innovations by providing access to patent information, scientific journals and training on Intellectual Property (IP) laws and patents. Mr. Twebaze shared that URSB has since then set up over 20 other TISCs in Uganda and urged the Interim IPMO Manager and Deputy Director DRGT to help popularise the facility.
In the interactive session that followed, Dr. Robert Wamala shared the proposed IPMO process flow. The steps include; Sensitization, Disclosure, Audit, Application (Form Filling and Submission to URSB), Grants Management, Commercialization and Enforcement. The URSB team pledged to support the IPMO along every step of the proposed process and reiterated the need for students and staff to make the most of the TISC if they were to come up with innovations that can be commercialized.
The meeting agreed to; establish a fully fledged resource centre at the IPMO manned by a team that can undergo further training by ARIPO and WIPO, share the Mak IP Policy currently under review with the URSB team for input, and periodically review the use of the TISC, applications for IP and other goals.
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 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.
Hon. Henry Musasizi unveils the Makerere University Strategic Plan (2025-2030).
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.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.
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. Lorna Magara.
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.
Hon. Henry Musasizi (3rd R) and Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (2rd L) display an autographed dummy of the signed Strategic Plan as L-R: Hon. Kadondi Gracious, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, Rt. Hon. Daniel Kidega, Dr. Lorna Magara, H.E. Mubiru John Bosco and Prof. Sarah Ssali witness.
“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.
Hon. Henry Musasizi.
“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.
Mr. Samuel Kasule.
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
Visionary Blueprint to Drive Excellence, Innovation, and National Development.
Kampala, Uganda – July 2, 2026. — Makerere University today officially launched its Strategic Plan 2026–2030, outlining a bold roadmap for academic excellence, research innovation, and transformative impact on Uganda and the region. The high-profile launch event, held at Makerere University Main Campus, brought together government leaders, university stakeholders, development partners, and academia.
The Chief Guest, Hon. Henry Musasizi, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, presided over the official launch. In his presentation, Vice Chancellor Prof. Nawangwe Barnabas highlighted the University’s past achievements and the new Plan’s strategic vision. “This Strategic Plan builds on our rich legacy while positioning Makerere University as a leader in addressing contemporary challenges through cutting-edge research, quality education, and innovation,” he stated.
The Plan was developed through an inclusive process led by the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, with input from across the University community. It aligns closely with national development priorities, as affirmed by Dr. Joseph Muvawala, Executive Director of the National Planning Authority.
University Council Chairperson Dr Lorna Magara emphasised the Council’s oversight role and commitment: “The University Council is fully committed to providing the strategic leadership and oversight necessary for the successful implementation of this Plan. It will strengthen Makerere’s role as a driver of Uganda’s socio-economic transformation and ensure we remain a beacon of excellence in higher education across Africa.”
Development partners, Vice Chancellors from other public universities, college principals, deans, professors, and student representatives attended the event, underscoring broad stakeholder support.
Key Pillars of the Strategic Plan 2026–2030 include enhancing excellence in teaching and learning, advancing research and innovation, strengthening infrastructure and sustainability, promoting inclusivity, and deepening engagement with industry and government. Following the formal proceedings, guests participated in a networking breakfast and media engagement session.
Additional Quotes:
“Makerere University remains Uganda’s flagship institution. This Strategic Plan will further harness our intellectual capital to contribute meaningfully to the National Development Plan and Vision 2040.” — Hon. Henry Musasizi, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
“We are excited to embark on this new strategic journey. With the support of our dedicated staff, students, alumni, and partners, we will achieve even greater heights in the next five years.” — Prof. Nawangwe Barnabas, Vice Chancellor, Makerere University
Makerere University is Uganda’s oldest and largest public university, established in 1922. It is a world-class institution recognised for academic excellence, groundbreaking research, and cross-disciplinary innovation. With over 35,000 students and a strong alumni network, Makerere continues to shape leaders and solutions for Africa and beyond.
For more information, contact:
Ms. Eunice Rukundo, Deputy Chief, Public Relations