General
Mak Receives Donation of E-learning Equipment from NITA-U
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs)-DVCAA, Dr. Umar Kakumba on Tuesday 13th April, 2021 received a donation of equipment to support e-Learning from the Executive Director (ED) National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U), Dr. Hatwib Mugasa and Huawei Technologies Uganda Managing Director, Mr. Gaofei Gavin. The equipment which included fifteen laptops and two Huawei IdeaHub S 65-inch Smart Boards worth UGX 300million will support operations of the Institute of Open, Distance and e-Learning (IODeL).
Delivering the opening remarks, the Director, Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS). Mr. Samuel Mugabi appreciated NITA-U for the timely donation, noting that as the University continues to implement Online, Distance and e-Learning, more support for technological innovation would be required.
“We are moving into the era of Education 4.0 where advanced technology and innovation are basic requirements and this donation will boost the efforts of our Institute of Open, Distance and e-Learning” remarked the Director DICTS.
He also prayed that this would be the beginning of further collaboration with NITA-U in areas such as lowering the cost of institutional bandwidth, cybersecurity among others.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe reiterated that the Makerere University Strategic Plan (2020-2030) stipulates the need to transform into a 21st century University with four goals. “One of these goals outlines innovations in teaching and learning especially the move of University programmes to the ODeL platform. This is our thrust as Makerere.”
With the ‘new normal’ dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Nawangwe added that the donation was timely as it boosts the operationalisation of e-Learning at Makerere University. “COVID-19 has pushed us to move faster in the quest to translate our programmes into e-Learning modules and as a result, our Institute of Open, Distance and e-Learning has become a model for other institutions to benchmark.”
Prof. Nawangwe thanked ED NITA-U for the major boost to ODeL, noting that the equipment will enable the College of Education and External Studies (CEES) to advance e-learning, e-teaching, e-supervision, e-research, e-monitoring of teaching among other functionalities.
Handing over the high-tech equipment, Dr. Hatwib Mugasa said the donation was testimony to NITA-U’s readiness to support the University in the realization of its strategic vision of becoming a 21st century University. “Makerere is recognized as a Centre of Excellence the world over and when I was approached by our development partners with equipment for donation, the first place I thought of was this institution.”
He thanked the Makerere University under the guidance of the Vice Chancellor for leading the digitization of Uganda’s education sector and for the wealth of knowledge rendered to the NITA-U Board by two staff members thereon. “We are in the process of expanding our Directorate of Planning, Research and Development and will approach you soon for guidance on how we can move forward.”
Following the equipment handover and brief demonstration of the Smart Board features, the DVCAA, Dr. Umar Kakumba noted that the equipment was a great opportunity for Makerere to showcase her readiness to contribute to the National Development Agenda, by implementing innovative teaching and learning responsive to future technological and societal demands.
“The capabilities of this equipment are immense. The setup here at the Multimedia/e-Learning room when implemented across all our ten colleges will greatly enhance the speed at which we generate e-Learning content as well as disseminate it” added the DVCAA.
Representing the Director IODeL, Dr. Jessica Aguti, Dr. Godfrey Mayende expressed extreme gratitude on behalf of the Institute to NITA-U and Huawei for the equipment donation. He thanked the Vice Chancellor, DVCAA and University Management for the support accorded to IODeL that has enabled the Institute to implement its mandate.
“The demand for e-Learning material is still very high and ODeL is here to stay given the ‘new normal’ occasioned by COVID-19. I thank you all for coming to witness this handover ceremony and in particular DICTS for the technical support that has enabled us to conduct our operations smoothly” concluded Dr. Mayende.
On 20th August 2026, Makerere University welcomed another cohort of 258 recipients of the prestigious Mastercard Foundation scholarship for the 2026/2027 academic year with pomp and fanfare. The colourful Scholarship Award Ceremony was presided over by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, who was represented by Prof. Ibrahim Mike Okumu, the Dean of the School of Economics and the Chairperson of the Scholars Selection sub-committee of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University.
While addressing the gathering, Prof. Nawangwe reminded the Scholars that the scholarship was both an honour and a responsibility, and that they ought to make the most of it to improve their lives and communities.
“Now that you have stepped through the gates of Makerere University, remember that a scholarship is both an award and a responsibility. You have been chosen because we believe in your potential to lead, innovate, and serve. Makerere University offers you world-class academic resources, mentorship, and networks—but the impact you make with these resources will depend on your discipline, integrity, and vision,” Prof. Nawangwe remarked.
A Call for Responsible Living
The Vice Chancellor further urged the new recruits to embrace university life responsibly and form lasting bonds that will support future networks.
“I encourage you to engage fully and responsibly in University life, build lasting bonds with your peers, and, equally important, keep your home communities close to your heart. Let the knowledge and skills you gain here become the seed for innovative solutions to the challenges facing your communities, our country, Uganda, and the African continent.” Prof Nawangwe emphasised.
Prof. Nawangwe further expressed his gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation for recognising Makerere University as a worthy partner and pledged to continue supporting all the Mastercard Foundation’s initiatives at Makerere University.
Leadership starts with self
Mr. Adrian Bukenya, the Senior Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program globally and the Country Director for Uganda, urged Scholars to embrace leadership, particularly through self-leadership. He emphasised that the Scholars Program is fundamentally a leadership development program.
“The Scholars Program offers more than just a scholarship; it is a leadership development Program. I encourage you, Scholars, to embrace leadership, and leadership starts with leading yourself, then your community, your country and the continent,” Mr. Bukenya emphasised.
Mr. Bukenya expressed his gratitude to the Management of Makerere University for partnering with the Mastercard Foundation on various initiatives. He emphasised that the Foundation is committed to continuing this partnership to educate young people and nurture the next generation of leaders on the African continent.
Selection Process Highlights
On his part, the Chairperson of the Scholars Selection Committee, represented by Mr Charles Ssentongo, the Deputy Academic Registrar responsible for Undergraduate admissions, congratulated all the Scholars who had made it through a very competitive and watertight selection process. To illustrate how tight the selection process had been, he shared compelling statistics that clearly demonstrated its competitiveness.
“We received 3,664 Applications for the Scholarship; 2,904 Undergraduates and 760 master’s students. Of these scholarship applicants, 1,440 Undergraduates and 280 Master’s students were admitted to Makerere University on private sponsorship, and they were all eligible for the Scholarship,” Mr Ssentongo pointed out.
Mr Ssentongo informed the attentive audience that one of the biggest challenges the Committee faced was the very high number of applicants, while the number of scholarships available was always very small. Mr Ssentongo then highlighted further statistics that characterised the tedious selection process.
“For the Undergraduates, 650 applicants were shortlisted for interviews, while 58 Master’s applicants were also shortlisted. Of these, 245 undergraduates and 13 Master’s students were selected for the final award,” Mr Ssentongo highlighted.
Celebrating A Diverse Cohort
The Program Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere, Prof. Justine Namaalwa, used the occasion to highlight achievements made in the years gone by.
“Today, we are overjoyed to have successfully recruited 258 Cohort 9 Scholars—bringing us to the mark of 546 Scholars, 54.6% of the target recruitment of 1,000 Scholars under Phase II of the Program. To date, a total of 1,596 Scholars have been recruited since 2013, when the Scholars Program started at Makerere University,” Prof. Namaalwa announced.
Prof. Namaalwa showcased the diversity created by the Scholars Program, highlighting the arrival of international students from across the African continent at Makerere University through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
“For Cohort 9 Scholars, it’s time to celebrate our diversity in the Program. Let me call out the nationalities represented in the room: Lesotho (1 Scholar), Malawi (1 Scholar), Ghana (1 Scholar), D.R. Congo (13 Scholars), Cameroon (7 Scholars), Burundi (3 Scholars), Rwanda (10 Scholars), South Sudan (40 Scholars) and Tanzania (1 Scholar).” Prof. Namaalwa revealed.
Scholars Speak Out
Nathan Tamba, an international student from Cameroon, conveyed his enthusiasm regarding the opportunities afforded by the scholarship, particularly the prospect of pursuing his studies at Makerere University, recognised as one of the leading institutions on the continent.
“On behalf of my fellow scholars, I would like to express our gratitude to Makerere University and the Mastercard Foundation for awarding us this scholarship. It has given me the opportunity to study at this prestigious university and to experience Uganda for the first time.” Tamba remarked.
Tamba, clearly delighted like his fellow scholars, committed to using the scholarship opportunity to gain knowledge and skills he will use to benefit himself and his community.
The function was punctuated by entertainment from the Makerere University Choir, networking, and plenty of joyous celebration.
Bernard Buteera is Principal Communications Officer for the Scholars Program at Makerere University.
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