Agriculture & Environment
SDSN Uganda Network Launched at Mak
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Uganda Network has been launched at Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). The Network was launched virtually on 21st April, 2021 under the theme, “Unlocking the potential of Universities and other non-state actors to foster achievement of SDGs”.
The network is hosted by the Makerere University Centre for Climate Change Research and Innovations (MUCCRI) coordinated by Dr. Revocatus Twinomuhangi from the Department of Geography, Geo informatics and Climatic Sciences.
The workshop held online was attended by over 60 participants comprising state and non-state actors (representatives of government sectors, members of the academia, the private sector, civil society organizations and international development partners) among others.
The e-conference was graced by the President UN SDSN Prof. Jeffrey Sachs who delivered the keynote address, the Vice President SDSN Maria Cortes Puch, the Senior Technical Advisor SDGs Secretariat Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Dr. Albert Byamugisha and the Country Director Cities Alliance Uganda Samuel Mabala .
The conference was also attended by Makerere University’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe who officially closed the ceremony, the Principal CAES represented by his deputy Assoc. Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga who officially welcomed and opened the conference and senior members of staff including the network champion and Makerere University’s long serving Professor Elly N. Sabiiti.
Other dignitaries included representatives from Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Gulu University, Ndejje University, Kyambogo University and the youth wing of the SDSN.
In his keynote address, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs thanked Makerere University leadership for hosting the network and senior government officials represented by the Office of the Prime Minister for the emphasis on how the SDGs were being integrated into the country’s development and vision.
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs is a University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. He is a commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development. Sachs has been advisor to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary- General António Guterres. Sachs was twice named among Time magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders and was ranked by The Economist among the top three most influential living economists.
Prof. Jeffrey highlights universal access to education, digital services, electrification as Uganda’s major development challenges casting doubt on oil and gas prospects.
Prof. Jeffrey pledged that the network was ready to work with and help government of Uganda to work on the development challenges being faced to accelerate progress in achieving the SDGs.
“Uganda as country faces many development challenges and opportunities and we would like to brainstorm with you, strategies with you in government and academic sector and in the specific communities and find ways to accelerate the progress”. the President stated
Prof. Jeffrey explained that SDGS are an important reference point to understand where the big gaps in development occur and therefore directs where the mobilization of energy and resources, creativity and strategy should be applied.
Prof. Jeffrey told participants that looking at the situation in Uganda, there clearly three important development priorities that the network would like Uganda to address. These he said include ;1)Universal access to quality, education; 2)universal access to digital wireless services, applications and tools;3)Universal access to electricity and/or renewable energy sources.
He said universal access to quality education is the single most important aspect of life that can lead to the transformation of live hoods and the different sectors of the economy.
The other most important aspect for government according to Prof. Jeff is to expand access to digital services on grounds that the use of broadband is limited by internet levels; People do not have access to digital tools or internet connectivity.
“The digital technologies are the most important tool that the country like Uganda has to accelerate achievement of the SDGs. Imagine in Uganda if every person had access to quality internet then, we could expand online education, telemedicine, government services, technical training, e-payment services and we could expand environmental management and supervision, .
So I believe that in addition to universal education, we should be aiming at very rapidly for universal digital services including appliances and tools that are needed to use the services”, Prof. Jeff advised.
Noting that there are significant financial constraints, Prof. Jeff expressed the need to think about how development financing can help the Government of Uganda to mobilize resources, and how the private sector, international companies can help to mobilize investments needed to achieve these two goals.
“If we could achieve universal access to Digital services, it will be easier to achieve SDG3 which is universal health coverage because there is twenty years of experience of using telemedicine as a powerful way to expand access to health care.
Now, it is possible to dial patients from a distance, to read x-rays from a distance , to manage symptoms from a distance and if we use the digital platform, we can tremendously expend medicine and health care as well”, The UN SDSN President justified.
The third biggest development challenge for Uganda according to Prof. Jeffrey Sash is that of electrification because electricity is needed in the villages and in cities in order to power the digital networks and appliances.
“And still far too few households and villages have access to electricity services and this raises a question of renewable energy in Uganda. There is a tremendous potential for solar power as an instrument of mass electrification and micro grids and mini grid and even national grid approach through solar power.
This scenario I believe also with financing can make a huge big difference. Households can pay for energy services but not the upfront investment costs for solar panels and wiring and system but can pay overtime to cover the cost of electricity services”, the keynote speaker advised.
He reported that SDSN has developed such micro grid approaches in some parts of Uganda to show that it is possible to have commercial enterprises using a micro grid approach which should be tremendously expanded.
Prof. Jeffrey further raised questions about energy strategy in Uganda, aware that there are major plans and high prospects on the development of the oil sector in Uganda.
Jeffrey said he was rather doubtful about this because it seems to be running against the global trend which is to end the use of oil, coal and natural gas not to expand use of oil, coal and natural gas. He added that this is something that can be analyzed and studied by members of the academia and other stakeholders because it is important for other reasons as well.
“I know there are high hopes for developing Uganda as an oil exporting country but, I am a little skeptical and I have to say this with friends because the expenses will be very high. Petroleum is very waxy and expensive to transmit.
The pipeline goes to many ecological-sensitive regions and villages. The dangers of oil spills are very high and it would be good for Uganda to look ahead to 20 years. I am raising this because I believe in renewable energy and distributed solar power much more than the big oil and gas pipe lines especially because the world is moving to electric vehicles and renewable energy. So this project to me seems to be running against the direction of the global market and the country may become stranded in the future in the development opportunity”, The professor explained.
Prof. Jeff described Uganda as an absolutely beautiful country with wonderful ecosystems and biodiversity saying, the UN SDSN treasures the beauty of Uganda and entire ecosystem and the rich biodiversity which is a good resource for the country and a great resource for tourism.
He however said, this natural endowments need to be taken with very good and great care. He reasoned that all the ecosystem of Uganda is under a lot of pressure and this is the major focus of SDG 14 and 15- The stewardship and protection of the ecosystem.
“Uganda’s population has been growing very fast at about now 45 million people compared to 5 million in 1950, an increase of almost 10 times. As the population continues to grow rapidly, the pressure on ecosystem continues to be great and these projects like the Oil and gas pipelines are also a threat to the ecosystem.
Uganda depends on help and cultivation of its remarkable beautiful ecosystems and its endangered species. So, I would hope that the SDGS also will be an important opportunity to redouble the protection and support of Uganda’s ecosystem and to focus on the kinds of projects that preserve the beauty of your country to avoid ecological dangers”. Prof. Jeffrey explained
Demographically, Prof. Jeffrey observed that there will be a shift from the rural areas increasingly to the urban areas and this poses more challenges because of the costs involved like infrastructure, sanitation, transport, power system, the health care system and education are all major costs meaning, the whole transformation embedded in SDG 11 are also a huge challenge.
He said the biggest problem with everything talked about is the requirement of a lot of investments whether in education, health care, digital, energy etc costs money, the money beyond what is available in the national budget.
“ I am very much aware of that and I believe that we should hold strong to the goals and your friends and partners in the UN, international agencies, AfDB , UNCA and other partners should be working together with you to identify how to close financing gap rather than saying we will be without electricity and schools.
I hope Uganda says, no, we must have schools, we must have rural electrification and it is your job as partners to identify financing gaps to help us to do so and this is the spirit and purpose of the SDGs to mobilize partners to get this done”, Prof. Jeffrey advised.
He expressed excitement over the launch of SDSN Uganda and gratified Makerere University for taking up this great role and pledged to work with the university and government to help solve these problems with the speed and urgency they deserve to give Ugandans the future they need and deserve.
The Vice President for SDSN Networks Maria Cortes Puch on Global SDSN programs
The Vice President for SDSN Networks Maria Cortes Puch thanked Makerere University for hosting the network and the efforts put in to organize the launch.
“We appreciate the great work that Makerere has been doing in the past years. SDSN Uganda was scheduled for a launch last year but the plan was cancelled due to the COVID-19. In the meantime, SDSN Uganda has managed to set up a number of priorities to work on which takes some years.
SDSN Uganda has already established a collaborative relationship with government through the OPM and has advised the UN resident coordinator office and UNDP on defining the UN sustainable development cooperation framework in Uganda for the next four years. We can’t call this network a baby anymore, it is already a standing up child and we are really eager to see what comes next”, Maria Cortes said.
She said SDSN was launched in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary General to mobilize scientific and technical expertise from academia, civil society, and the private sector to be part of the debate to diagnose development challenges in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to come up with complex solutions that would incorporate different sections of society.
“Since then, SDSN has been mobilizing academia around the world. We currently have more than 1400 member institutions around the world of which about 75% are universities and the rest are research centers, think tanks or knowledge producing NGOs. We organize our members through our national and regional networks hosted by one or two universities that convene universities in that country in support of the SDGs” She said.
She explained that the SDSN has four priorities:-One is to localize SDGS, by working and bringing together governments, different sectors ,national statistical offices, unions, NGOs, civil society, private sector and universities in workshops to discuss different strategies for SDGS, what the SDGs means for a country or region, challenges unique to individual countries and key opportunities gathered to assess whether the right progress is being made in the achievement of the SDGs.
SDSN also focuses on high quality education for sustainable development for instance a number of programmes on sustainable development, executive training with the private sector including thinking through how the curriculum is developed to ensure that everyone coming out university knows the basic principles of sustainable development irrespective of specialties.
The Vice President also said SDSN also works on sustainable solution initiatives with private sector and different levels of government and are practical solutions that are very specific and unique problems. The networks she said conduct long term path ways for sustainable development, a very technical exercises modelling whether or not the goals are possible to achieve with specific avenues and trajectories to achieve those goals in the country.
She added that sustainable solutions initiative is a technical exercise in a highly interactive process to make sure that the model puts into consideration the realities of the country that ensures no vulnerable group is left behind which creates census in society
“We have 41 networks now that cover 120 different countries around the world. One of the great thing about our networks is that they help one another. So the SDSN Uganda will be working closely with SDSN Canada and SDSN Japan and will be learning from each other and sharing projects and opportunities.”, she said.
She reported that in September 2020, a new guide for accelerating education for SDSN in universities was launched. Currently, she said an open call for case studies is open and in case any university is using innovative method of teaching SDGs or mainstreaming SDGs, SDSN would want to hear about it by visiting the SDSN website and submitting the Case study.
Uganda has made progress on all SDGs, is more than 50% of the way towards achieving SDGs by 2030, ranked 18th position out of 52 African countries with overall score of 58.8
Senior Technical Advisor SDGs Secretariat, office of the Prime Minister Uganda Dr. Albert Byamugisha
Senior Technical Advisor SDGs Secretariat, Office of the Prime Minister Uganda Dr. Albert Byamugisha thanked the organizers for inviting the Office of the Prime Minister to participate and speak at the launch of the SDSN Network Uganda.
While speaking on the Snapshot of Uganda’s journey, Sustainable Development coordination framework, and the integration of SDGs in Uganda’s development and vision process, Dr. Byamugisha said, Uganda was has made progress on all SDGs.
Dr. Byamugisha said the SDGs were endorsed in 2015 and adopted in 2016 and during that time, Uganda was the front runner because it helped the presidency of the General assembly at the time, and Uganda prepared the first national voluntary report 2016 which indicated that out of the 169 targets, Uganda had covered 70% in the NDP II.
He said, Uganda has a dedicated Minister in charge of SDGs and recently last year, Uganda prepared the second voluntary national report. Organizationally, he said government has developed a coordination framework to implement SDGs and a roadmap to operationalize SDGS developed in 2018 cooperating with different stakeholders to make sure that no one is left behind. Dr. Byamugisha reported that recently an MoU was signed with CSOs. “ In 2016 we developed a frame work which is fully functional in the office of the Prime Minister which was sent to the Minister of General Duties who is in charge of SDGs.
The SDG secretariat has been established with full support of development partners especially the Subsystem to support the coordination function and all level technical groups functioning progressively to address different aspects of the SDGs.
The framework has been operationalize through the roadmap which was established in 2018 and aligned with NDP II and now that of NDP III.”, Dr Byamugisha explained.
Dr. Byamugisha said there is a national coordination framework which is used in the implementation of SDGs. The first one is the policy coordination committee, chaired by the Prime Minister and members include cabinet ministers, heads of cooperation’s and agencies. Then, the implementation steering committee chaired by the head of public service and membership include all permanent secretaries, heads of missions, cooperation and agencies.
The other coordination framework according to Dr. Byamugisha is the national SDG task force chaired by the permanent secretary OPM and attended by chairpersons of the five technical working groups namely monitoring evaluation and reporting on SDGs chaired by the OPM, planning and administration chaired by national planning authority, resource and resource mobilization technical working group chaired by Minister of finance , data aspects chaired by Uganda Bureau of statistics and communication and mobilization of technical working groups to support development goals
“SDSN was looking for collaboration with SDG Secretariat OPM and I can tell you right away that you are most welcome and you will be participating in those working groups. We have the Minister for SDGs, with the secretariat with roles and responsibilities but most importantly steering the coordination of SDGs”, he said.
Dr. Byamugisha explained that the national planning frameworks are very accommodative of the 2030 agenda and the government of Uganda is well positioned to achieve its ambition to achieve the 2040 vision and establish a planning framework which is also to deliver national development plans.
He stated that Uganda has a National Development Plan for five years which promises to increase the average household incomes and improve quality of life and effectively deliver the national vision.
The NPDIII according to Dr. Byamugisha in part emphasizes the need to identify and utilize and integrate innovative financing options with the public and private sector and also identify development opportunities which include advancing mechanisms for fully aligning a planned budget, reporting frameworks and strengthen public investment management.
He said, Government of Uganda has demonstrated commitment to align financing to development citing that government issued the certificate of compliance gauging the level of alignment to the level of the budget of the Sustainable plans and so far, there has been an improvement from 54%, 60% in 2017/2018 while in 2018/19 government had issued the gender and equity compliance certificate to mainstream as a pre-condition for budget appropriation.
Dr. Byamugisha informed participants that Government has commenced implementation of a program based budgeting and had a comprehensive public management reform strategy from 2018-2023 which was developed to enhance resource mobilization including planning and public investment management.
He also explained that they were able to seal partnerships with the UN system to develop and implement integrated financing framework for strengthening a complementary, independent and a mutually financing mechanism.
Dr. Byamugisha stressed that Government continues to build evidence to guide planning and, with support from UNDP, undertook an assessment of institutional gaps in SDG implementation and also took analytical work on specific SDGs on zero hunger, peace and justice on SDG16 and 11 to resume planning and review SDG 2.
He further said, they have developed an integrated SDG Model for Uganda and through the model, there are three categories of interventions and SDG accelerators which include environment, governance and industry.
Dr. Byamugisha was happy to note that in SDSN was focusing on environment and climate change and already the they government has as one of the key accelerator.
He explained that Government together with stakeholders and partners have initiated strategies and actions of engagement and implementation such as integrating SDGs into the national scientific and statistical framework , integration of SDGs into the M and E Strategy, found a coalition of a youth initiative with a section of the youth at the secretariat.
According to Dr. Byamugisha, government has formed a youth coalition expecting to have one million youth for one million solutions, and gone ahead to the localization of SDGs into district and local government plans and conducting local reviews in local governments .
He said they have started working towards engagement of the private sector by establishing private sector platform. On 4th may 2021, Dr. Byamugisha said, the Prime Minister will be launching the private sector platform and Makerere University will be invited.
Dr. Byamugisha reported that they have embarked on popularization of SDGs with so many media campaigns and production of information education communication materials.
“Tracking SDGs through Uganda national voluntary report was done in 2020 where Uganda participated in a high level UN political forum in July 2020 and this was the Minister delivering Uganda’s report to the UN and, overall, Uganda’s SDG progress according to SDSN, is more than 50% of the way towards achieving SDGs by 2030 .
In the 52 African countries Uganda ranked 18th position with overall score of 58.8 and based on the voluntary national report 2020, Uganda had made good progress on all SDGs with several policies and strategies to facilitate the SDG implementation and key of them are social protection programmes for women,, youth and elderly, youth and job creation and empowerment, the establishment of Universal Primary Education and secondary education, gender equality and women empowerment among others”, Dr. Byamugisha reported.
Mak Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe decries the declining number of children joining university, the increasing population and high rate of urbanization
The Vice Chancellor Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe thanked the CAES team particularly MUCCRI leadership for organizing the conference. He also appreciated Prof. Jeff Sash for gracing the occasion.
Prof. Nawangwe congratulated the SDSN group at Makerere University, the Uganda chapter, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and other partners for working with Makerere University on issues of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Vice chancellor said Makerere University has a new strategic Plan (2020-2030) and everything being done under this strategic plan is supposed to practically address the SDGs with a core effort of providing quality education and research and therefore addressing SDG4.
“As a country and university we have a big task. We must find out why we have such a huge exodus of children both at primary and secondary level. The number of children qualifying to join the university has been declining in the last three years. That is contradictory because our population is just skyrocketing and at the same time the number of children who qualify to join the university is decreasing. It is a big challenge and as Makerere University, we must take every necessary effort to address this issue.” The Vice Chancellor decried.
Prof. Nawangwe said with the increasing population, the country has two major issues to deal with. The first issue is food security with the question of how the increasing population is going to be fed.
The second issue according to the Vice Chancellor is the high rate of urbanization. Prof. Nawangwe noted that Uganda was a very low urbanizing country for many years but this has changed. He explained that urbanization rate is putting pressure on soils that will affect the country’s capacity to produce food and the provision of good facilities for good life in the cities. Otherwise, he said, the country will end up with huge slums with no resources and poor services which must be addressed by all.
He reported that the university has many different fields of knowledge addressing different SDGs and that everybody has a role to play.
The Vice Chancellor pledged that the university will rise up to the challenge and take the leadership in ensuring the attainment of the SDGs.
CAES Principal’s opening remarks and the role of MUCCRI in promoting SDGs
The Principal College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) represented by his deputy Assoc. Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga welcome participants to the launch of the Sustainable Development Solutions (SDSN) Uganda National network organized by the global SDSN and SDSN Uganda in collaboration with CAES and Makerere University Centre for Climate Change Research and Innovations (MUCCRI).
In a special way, the Deputy Principal welcomed and equally thanked the global UN SDSN for choosing Makerere University to host the SDSN Uganda National network and for collaborating with the national network to organise this launch.
Dr. Nabanoga saluted the CAES staff who championed the crusade for the university to join the SDSN network following the UN call in July 2017 and conveyed special gratitude to Makerere University Management for the buy-in and support to this initiative.
She reported that SDSN Uganda’s secretariat is hosted at the Makerere University Centre for Climate Change Research and Innovations (MUCCRI), a semi-autonomous unit in the CAES that was launched in 2013 to enhance climate change knowledge generation and dissemination. The Centre engages in Training, Research and Policy Interventions.
Through MUCCRI, Dr. Nabanoga said, the University brings together researchers and scientists from within and outside Makerere University, government officials, civil society, and private sector actors to collaboratively and locally address climate change, share information, and problem solve on adaptation technologies and research.
“We are also using MUCCRI as a vehicle to improve and support undergraduate, graduate, diploma, and postgraduate education in climate science, meteorology, climate change adaptation and mitigation. The Centre therefore contributes greatly to the achievement of SDG 13 on climate action.
I am happy to note that the theme of the launch event, “Unlocking the potential of Universities and other non-state actors to foster achievement of SDGs”, is in line with the global development and climate change agendas agreed upon by world leaders to foster sustainable development and build resilient societies”, the deputy principal said.
She reported that SDSN Uganda will focus on six themes: agriculture and food security, improve health, natural resources and ecosystems, renewable energy and efficiency, sustainable cities, and climate change, with gender equality as a cross cutting theme.
She said the university has a fully-fledged College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, a College of Health Sciences, a College of Engineering and Technology, a School of Economics, a School of Women and Gender Studies, and we are looking forward to partnering with institutions of the same agenda to promote gender-responsiveness achievement of SDG targets under these themes through training, research and innovations, community engagement, capacity building and working with Government on SDGs – (OPM SDGs Secretariat).
Dr. Nabanoga expressed hope that through the SDSN forum, participant will explore how to unlock sustainable agro-industrialization to respond to the pressing socio-economic development priorities of food security, wealth and job creation and expansion of macro-economic growth through country owned processes.
On behalf of the college management the Deputy Principal reaffirmed that SDSN Uganda will continue bringing together SDSN members in the country to identify, develop and implement transformative solutions for sustainable development.
In addition Dr. Nabanoga pledged that SDSN Ugnda network shall mobilize universities, research and knowledge centers, civil society, private sector, and special interest groups to promote the achievement of 2030 sustainable development agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
SDSN Uganda Network Manager Dr. Revocatus Twinomuhangi speaks on the network objectives and structure
The Coordinator Makerere University Centre for Climate Change Research and Innovations (MUCCRI) also Manager, SDSN Uganda network Dr. Revocatus Twinomuhangi said, SDNS Uganda network was approved by the Networks Strategy Council of the UN SDSN in Nov. 2019 and appointed Makerere University to host the national network coordinated under College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), with its Secretariat in Makerere University Centre for Climate Change Research and Innovations (MUCCRI) led by Dr. Revocatus Twinomuhangi as Network Manager, and Hakimu Sseviiri as Network Assistant.
Dr. Twinomuhangi said the Vision of the network is mobilizing universities, research and knowledge centers, civil society, private sector, communities and special interest groups to identify and implement transformative solutions to achieve the 2030 sustainable development agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change in Uganda and the East African region.
He said there are five objectives of the network.:1) is to build awareness and knowledge on SDGs, through supporting high-quality, free, online education via the SDG Academy, short term trainings; Supporting SDSN in production and disseminate SDG reports (global African SDGs index reports and SDSN has led thinking on the SDGs with the reports) Others are delivery short term and professional trainings in member universities; Supporting participation in online education e.g. massive open online courses –MOOCs – through the SDG Academy and Supporting experiential learning
The second objective according Dr. Twinomuhangi is to conduct Research on sustainable development solutions by building partnership and conducting multi-stakeholder dialogues, Support dialogues and provide advice to policy and decision-makers.
The network will also support a vibrant SDSN Youth Network in Uganda and conduct research on sustainable solutions by promoting multi-disciplinary research that will generate evidence-based solutions for enhancing the achievement of SDGs at the national and local levels.
The network he said, will create platforms for building partnerships and dialogues ie thinking spaces for academia, think tanks, government, researchers, private sector, business and civil society and work closely with GoU – the SDGs Secretariat at OPM to mobilize action,
“The other objective is to support dialogues and provide advice to policy and decision-makers . The network will offer evidence-based advice to decision-makers engaged in politics, government, business and society to fill SDG policy gaps and motivate positive change towards implementation and achievement of SDGs.
To empower the youth, we will have a youth wing, the SDSN Uganda Youth empowering the youth to create sustainable solutions that address development challenges. The Youth Wing will focus on; Educating young people about the SDGs and create pathways; Connecting young people to global networks to collaborate to achieve the SDGs in Uganda and; Supporting young people in developing and scaling innovative solutions for the SDGs”, The network manager explained
He said the approved SDSN members in Uganda are:- Makerere University – hosts SDSN Uganda, Ndejje University, Uganda Christian University, National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI)/National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), African Climate change Leadership Program, Uganda Technology and management University and the School of Hygiene – Mbale
Dr. Twinimuhangi said, the Mobilisation of potential members is ongoing. These include Kabale University, Kyambogo University, Busitema University, Makerere University Business School , Economic Policy Research Centre, Agakhan University, Kampala International University and Bishop Stuart University.
He explained that the Vital roles of Universities in the network is through their “business as usual” activities, i.e. research, teaching, operations, community leadership.
He said universities can provide SDG policy support, SDG-oriented research and development (R&D), incubation of new sustainable development businesses, SDG-based education and Multi-stakeholder convening.
The seven thematic focus areas for the network according to the network manager include: Agriculture and food systems, in support ending poverty and hunger (SGDs 1 &2); Improved Health – SDG 3; Natural resources and ecosystem health: SDG 6 (water and sanitation) and SDG15 (life on land) and Renewable energy and energy efficiency: to end energy poverty – SDG7 affordable and clean energy. Others are: Sustainable Cities: Inclusive, Resilient, and Connected (SDG 11); Climate compatible development (SDG 13) and Gender equality responsiveness (SDG 5) – cross cutting
Dr. Twinomuhagi reported that the network has so far recorded achievements including the establishment of a fully functional secretariat in place at MUCCRI with skeleton staff; SDSN Uganda website designed and launched – live and functional – https://sdsn-uganda.org and engagement with members and recruiting potential members.
The centre he said, started dialogue on SDGs with the Government – SDGs Secretariat in Office of the Prime Minister (OPM); MUCCRI/SDSN Uganda participates in SDGs coordination meetings organized by Government and UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (and UNDP) including work in progress on formation of Leadership and Governance Councils.
Dr. Twinomuhangi said the next for SDSN Uganda is approaching proposed members for the National Leadership Council; identifying first priorities and activities; recruiting members and partners and rganize a solutions conference and mobilizing resources.
On Governance and Organization, Dr. Twinomuhangi said SDSN Host: Makerere University convene universities and institutions in the country, and promote the work of the national/regional network.
The Leadership Council: Along the lines of the global SDSN Leadership Council, SDSN Uganda establishes a National LC to mobilize sustainable development leaders from around the country while the Secretariat: CAES/MUCCRI has a dedicated secretariat to organize the work of the network, to ensure communication, and to coordinate with the global SDSN.
Key criteria for membership revolves on engagement, substance, reputation, experience and resources while special cases include other Networks, the Private sector and public institutions.
Agriculture & Environment
Makerere University, Uganda Red Cross Society Sign MoU to Advance Research, Training & Humanitarian Action
Makerere University and Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening collaboration in research, training, innovation, and humanitarian service delivery.
The agreement, signed on 19th May 2026, establishes a strategic framework through which the two institutions will jointly address pressing national and global challenges by combining academic research with practical humanitarian action.
The MoU was endorsed by Prof. Henry Alinaitwe Mwanaki, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), on behalf of Makerere University, and Mr. Robert Kwesiga, Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross Society.
Purpose of the Partnership
The partnership brings together Makerere University’s expertise in research and higher education with the Uganda Red Cross Society’s experience in disaster response, emergency health services, and community outreach, to strengthen efforts in addressing humanitarian and public health challenges. Under the agreement, the institutions will collaborate on joint research projects, academic programmes, staff and student exchanges, and grant applications.
Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing
Building on this foundation, the two institutions will also work together to strengthen humanitarian assistance, volunteerism, health, and disaster risk management in Uganda through joint capacity-building initiatives. These will include short courses, training programmes, workshops, seminars, conferences, and other professional learning events, as well as the exchange and dissemination of case studies, best practices, and research findings.
Institutional Collaboration and Resource Mobilization
In addition, the partnership will deepen institutional collaboration through the development of strategic alliances, support for advocacy on capacity development action plans, and the promotion of stakeholder participation in each other’s programmes. It will further provide for joint resource mobilization- including co-development of funding proposals, and mutual access to institutional platforms that enhance skills development, methodological expertise, and knowledge transfer.
Student Engagement and Experiential Learning
The collaboration will also provide opportunities for Makerere University students to participate in humanitarian initiatives such as blood donation campaigns, volunteer services, and disaster response activities. In addition, students and staff will benefit from field-based training, internships, and experiential learning opportunities through the Uganda Red Cross Society.
Remarks from Makerere University
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Prof. Alinaitwe commended the Uganda Red Cross Society for its long-standing humanitarian service and strong international reputation. He explained that Makerere University, as a leading research institution, has a responsibility to strengthen humanitarian efforts through evidence-based research, innovation, and professional expertise. “This partnership demonstrates the university’s commitment to applying academic knowledge to real-world humanitarian challenges affecting communities across Uganda and beyond.”
Prof. Alinaitwe highlighted the role of young people in advancing humanitarian action, saying Makerere University’s large student population presents an opportunity to strengthen volunteerism, disaster preparedness, and community engagement initiatives. “Empowering students and young professionals through such partnerships not only contributes to national development but also nurtures a culture of compassion, civic responsibility, and leadership among the next generation,” he noted.
Highlighting potential areas of collaboration between the two institutions, including health services, emergency response, disaster risk management, research, training, and capacity building, Prof. Alinaitwe reaffirmed Makerere University’s strong commitment to humanitarian work. He expressed confidence that the partnership would foster meaningful opportunities for knowledge exchange, innovation, and joint initiatives aimed at improving the wellbeing and resilience of vulnerable communities across the country.
Remarks from Uganda Red Cross Society
Reflecting on the long-standing collaboration between the two institutions, URCS Secretary General, Mr. Robert Kwesiga, expressed gratitude to Makerere University for its continued support toward the organization’s humanitarian work. “The signing of the MoU marks a significant milestone in our partnership and serves as a renewed commitment to deepen collaboration in areas that directly advance public health, disaster preparedness, and community resilience, while enhancing the overall impact of humanitarian service delivery across the country.”
Mr. Kwesiga explained that the formal agreement will provide a structured framework for joint initiatives such as research, student engagement in humanitarian fieldwork, capacity building for staff and volunteers, and knowledge sharing in emergency response systems. According to him, this alignment between academic expertise and humanitarian practice is essential in addressing Uganda’s evolving social and health challenges.
“Makerere University’s role as a leading academic institution brings valuable technical and scientific capacity to the partnership, while the Uganda Red Cross Society contributes practical, field-based experience in disaster response and community support. Together, the two institutions are better positioned to design evidence-based interventions that save lives and strengthen vulnerable communities. The MoU will not remain a symbolic document, but will translate into tangible outcomes that benefit students, researchers, and the wider public through impactful programmes and sustained collaboration,” he noted.
Implementation and Duration
The agreement will run for an initial period of five years and is expected to strengthen Uganda’s capacity in research-driven humanitarian response and sustainable community development. At Makerere University, implementation of the MoU will be coordinated by Prof. Yazidhi Bamutaze, Deputy Principal of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and member of staff in the Department of Geography, Geo-Informatics and Climatic Sciences, while Dr. Harriet Rachel Kagoya Kibuule will coordinate on behalf of the URCS.
Pictorial of the MoU signing ceremony: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCUigt
Agriculture & Environment
CAES Engagement with Mak Senior Management: VC Calls for Expansion of PhD Training to Accelerate Development in Africa
Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, has called for a renewed focus on graduate training, research excellence, and innovation-driven scholarship as key pillars for Africa’s socio-economic transformation.
During a strategic engagement with staff at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) on 11 May 2026, Prof. Nawangwe, accompanied by members of the University’s senior management, commended the College for its significant contributions to research, innovation, and postgraduate training. “CAES is one of the most productive colleges at the University and continues to play a pivotal role in generating scientific knowledge and innovations that directly respond to societal and development challenges facing Uganda and the wider African continent,” he noted.
The meeting formed part of the University Leadership’s ongoing college-based consultation series aimed at strengthening collaboration across academic units and accelerating the institution’s research-led transformation agenda.
Call for Expansion of PhD Training in Africa
Prof. Nawangwe emphasized the central role of universities in addressing Africa’s development challenges through advanced research and human capital development, urging a significant expansion of doctoral training across the continent.
“In Africa, we have a duty to produce at least 1,000 PhDs annually if we are to meaningfully contribute to lifting our people out of poverty,” he said, calling on universities to become “engines of transformation through research, innovation, and the production of highly trained human capital.”
He challenged academic staff to prioritize multidisciplinary, high-impact research targeting critical issues such as food security, climate change, environmental sustainability, agricultural productivity, public health, and youth unemployment.
Research Funding and Institutional Capacity
Reaffirming Makerere University’s research standing, the Vice Chancellor noted that the institution has substantial capacity and funding to support large-scale research initiatives.
“As a one of the best universities in Africa, we must take the lead in research and graduate training. Makerere is not short of research funding. Our research portfolio exceeds 250 million US dollars,” he said.
He, however, stressed the need for stronger coordination and strategic planning to ensure research outputs translate into tangible societal impact.
Innovation, Patents, and Commercialization
On matters of innovation, patents, and commercialization of research outputs, Prof. Nawangwe informed staff that the University had established a dedicated office to support researchers in managing intellectual property rights and patent processes. He encouraged academic staff and researchers to fully utilize the facility in order to safeguard innovations emerging from the University and enhance their potential for commercialization and societal application.
The Vice Chancellor reaffirmed the University’s commitment to supporting colleges in improving graduate completion rates, strengthening research systems, and enhancing the quality and impact of higher education at Makerere University.
Industry Collaboration
In her remarks, the First Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Sarah Ssali, emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration between the University and industry to enhance practical training opportunities and ensure the relevance of graduate education. She encouraged academic staff to develop strategic niche areas of expertise, noting that deliberate specialization would sharpen research identities while significantly enhancing the College’s visibility, competitiveness, and influence at regional and international levels.
Prof. Ssali further stressed the importance of deliberate planning, accountability, and prudent management of research resources. She noted that effective management of research funds is central to sustaining innovation ecosystems, attracting future funding, and ensuring that research outputs translate into tangible benefits for communities, and the broader economy.
The engagement also provided an opportunity for staff to raise concerns affecting graduate training and research productivity, while proposing practical recommendations aimed at strengthening supervision, improving research infrastructure, enhancing funding accessibility, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration.
Graduate Training and Innovation
Briefing the team on graduate training and research activities at the College, the Principal Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga emphasized the central role of graduate training in shaping innovators and problem solvers capable of responding to Uganda’s development challenges, including climate change, food insecurity, environmental degradation, low agricultural productivity, and unemployment.
She commended the Vice Chancellor for initiating college-based engagements, describing them as timely, strategic, and essential for strengthening institutional performance.
“These engagements demonstrate leadership that is not confined to management offices, but leadership that walks into the engine room of the University to understand what is working, what is struggling, and what must urgently improve,” she said.
In her presentation, Prof. Nabanoga emphasized the College’s strategic role in Uganda’s transformation agenda. She highlighted major strides made by the College in expanding graduate programmes in climate-smart agriculture, food systems, environmental management, renewable energy, agribusiness, and biodiversity conservation, with students increasingly contributing to scientific innovations, policy development, and community transformation.
CAES Transformation Initiatives
She also updated the team on the progress made in the implementation of the “CAES Transformation Pact,” unveiled in 2022, which prioritizes excellence in teaching, learning, research, innovation, and practical-based education. The initiative seeks to reposition the College to better respond to evolving national and global demands in higher education and sustainable development.
As part of these reforms, the College has revitalized practical training through enhanced field-based learning, internships, laboratory work, and research activities. With support from the Mastercard Foundation, CAES has also established a state-of-the-art digital studio laboratory to strengthen blended and digital learning.
The College is also promoting practical and field-based research through stronger utilization of the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK), which is envisaged to become a world-class hub for applied research, climate-smart agriculture, and innovation incubation.
Partnerships and Graduate Training Systems
Prof. Nabanoga noted that strategic partnerships with organizations such as RUFORUM, Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa, Mastercard Foundation, and MakRIF have expanded opportunities for scholarships, research funding, international exposure, and innovation support.
She said CAES had adopted deliberate strategies to improve graduate training, including the rollout of the CAES GradCARE digital management system to streamline supervision, student tracking, and examination processes, alongside reforms aimed at strengthening graduate mentorship, interdisciplinary research, and innovation-driven learning.
Despite the progress, she cited growing pressure on supervision capacity, laboratory infrastructure, ICT systems, and graduate examination processes due to rising enrolment and limited staffing.
She called for stronger institutional investment, faster administrative systems, and enhanced infrastructure to support high-quality graduate education and research.
“The future of this University will be determined by the researchers, innovators, and leaders we nurture,” Prof. Nabanoga said, reaffirming the College’s commitment to advancing Makerere University’s vision as a globally respected research-led institution.
Alignment of Research to National Development Priorities
Highlighting the key challenges in graduate training and research, the Deputy Principal, Prof. Yazidhi Bamutaze, emphasized the need to better align research activities with community priorities as well as national and global development agendas. He further underscored the importance of strengthening graduate research output by increasing enrolment by 30% and improving completion rates to 70%. In addition, he called for improved staff efficiency to ensure more effective supervision, training, and mentorship, ultimately boosting overall research productivity and academic output.
Increasing Graduate Training
The Director of Graduate Training at Makerere University, Prof. Julius Kikooma reiterated the importance of expanding postgraduate education, in line with the University’s Strategic Plan, which targets raising graduate students to 40 percent of total enrolment.
Agriculture & Environment
MakCAES Develops Agroecology Curriculum to Drive Food Systems Transformation in East Africa
By Damali Mukhaye
Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) is developing an agroecology curriculum to address mounting pressures on agri-food systems in sub-Saharan Africa, including poverty, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, and climate change.
Curriclum development is part of the requirements under the Regional Multi-Actor Research Network for Agroecology in East Africa (RMRN-EA) Project led by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, in collaboration with three African universities, including the University of Nairobi (UoN, Kenya), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA, Tanzania), and Makerere University (MAK, Uganda).
CAES hosted a two-day Stakeholder Validation Workshop for the Agroecology Curriculum in East Africa at Protea Hotel between 5th and 6th May 2026. The workshop brought together researchers, scientists, policymakers, and educators from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to critically review and validate a landmark baseline study on agroecology in Uganda.
At the heart of the workshop was a presentation by Dr. Kenneth Balikoowa, Programme Assistant on a comprehensive assessment of agroecological integration across 28 CAES curricula 14 undergraduate, 13 postgraduate, and one PhD programme, alongside other presentations delivered by regional experts and academics.
Dr. Balikoowa noted that agroecology, as defined by FAO through 10 elements and 13 principles, provides a proven pathway for smallholder farming transformation by applying ecological and social principles to food systems design.
He emphasised that higher education is central to scaling agroecology, as embedding it in curricula builds a critical mass of change agents equipped to drive Uganda’s agri-food transformation, with establishing a curricular baseline at CAES as the first step under RMRN-EA interventions.
Using a rigorous six-stage mixed-methods approach, the assessment carried out by CAES, scored each programme against FAO’s 13 agroecological principles and 8 agroecological elements, conducted contextual analysis of 11 key agroecology-related terms, and benchmarked findings against international standards, including FAO and High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) frameworks.
The findings revealed that while CAES has solid technical, practical, and scientific foundations, agroecological integration remains partial, fragmented, and mostly implicit across 26 of the 28 programmes reviewed.
Two standout programmes including the Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Extension and Rural Innovation (BARI) at undergraduate level, and the Master of Science in Agricultural and Community Development (MACD) at postgraduate level demonstrated that comprehensive agroecological integration is entirely achievable within CAES and should serve as design templates for broader curriculum redesign.
Among undergraduate programmes, BARI emerged as the top performer with an average score of 3.8, recognised for comprehensive participation and co-creation approaches, while BAGR, BEVS, and BHOR performed strongly, with solid soil health and biodiversity coverage. At postgraduate level, MACD led with an average score of 4.1, with agroecology woven centrally across its curriculum.
Across both levels, the assessment found that programmes consistently score higher on agroecological elements than on principles, indicating that operational concepts such as efficiency, diversity, and resilience are more readily absorbed than value-laden principles such as fairness, social values, and farmer participation.
Soil health emerged as the most integrated principle, present as a core component in nine programmes, while animal health, input reduction, and land and resource governance were the least integrated.
Critically, the assessment identified people-centred dimensions as the most consistently underrepresented areas across all programmes. Farmer agency, social equity, indigenous and traditional knowledge (ITK), and participatory methodologies,all central to FAO’s agroecological framework were largely absent.
Uganda’s rich indigenous agricultural knowledge was found to be almost entirely invisible in the curricula reviewed, representing both a significant gap and a major opportunity for culturally relevant curriculum development.
Going forward, the assessment recommends a foundational agroecology course common to all programmes as the single highest-impact, lowest-complexity action, deliverable within the next academic year. Full curriculum transformation is envisioned as a five-year commitment requiring sustained investment in faculty development, infrastructure, and community partnerships, but a phased roadmap makes it achievable.
Designing Curricula That Create Value
Assoc. Prof. Anthony Egeru, Principal Investigator, Makerere University (Uganda), underscored that the PhD programme in Agroecology goes beyond traditional notions of soil health and yield, placing sustainability at its very centre.
“The centrepiece is really sustainability. The conversation has now shifted from isolated discussions about soil or animal health to an integrated agroecological approach that ensures nature remains healthy while sustaining agricultural production and productivity,” Prof. Egeru said.
Prof. Egeru emphasised that productivity must be understood broadly encompassing income, animal health, circular economy, and value creation and directly linked to Uganda’s ambition of building a $500 billion economy (ten-fold).
He noted that Makerere is currently at stage three of the curriculum development process, with stakeholder validation now underway to refine and strengthen the programme. He anticipated that once the internal process of submitting the programme to the School, College, and the University Senate is complete, it will be submitted to the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), with the first set of students expected between the 2027 and 2028 academic years.
Tanzania’s Experience
Prof. Japhet Kashaigili, Principal Investigator for Tanzania and Director of Postgraduate Studies at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), shared that Tanzania is ahead in the curriculum development journey.
According to him, Sokoine already runs a PhD programme in agroecology that has been active for seven years. He added that a newly developed Master’s programme has been submitted to the Tanzania Commission for Universities for accreditation, with enrolment expected in the next academic year. Programmes targeting extensionists and tertiary-level winter schools are also in the pipeline.
However, Prof. Kashaigili sounded a strong warning on job market absorption.
“We don’t see government hiring agroecology experts, or other institutions like big NGOs hiring agroecology experts,” he cautioned, calling it a critical gap that must be urgently addressed.
He called on governments across East Africa to actively buy into agroecology programmes and create deliberate employment pathways for trained graduates, warning that training without absorption is an investment without a return.
Kenya’s Journey
Prof. Richard Onwonga, Principal Investigator from the University of Nairobi and Professor in the Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, noted that Kenya is making steady progress, with several universities, including Murang’a, Chuka, and the University of Nairobi, at advanced stages of developing agroecology programmes.
He noted that the University of Nairobi had completed desktop reviews, needs analysis, surveys, and stakeholder validation, and is now developing content for identified course units.
Prof. Onwonga argued that agroecology is fundamentally a return to farming systems that existed before the Green Revolution introduced chemicals that degraded soils, the environment, and human health.
He emphasised that training agroecology-equipped extension agents will be transformative for smallholder farmers across East Africa.
He also highlighted agroecology’s potential for youth employment through circular economy enterprises from composting crop residues to engaging at every node of agricultural value chains.
“These are money-minting enterprises that the youth can get involved in,” he said.
Resolutions from the Workshop
While giving the project overview on day one, Dr. Frank Chidawanyika, Principal Investigator of the RMRN-EA Project, noted that the key outcomes from the Agroecology Validation Workshop include the development of an agroecology curriculum, a regional curriculum framework, defined competencies, and an action plan for implementation.
He also indicated that the workshop was slated to evaluate the status of the curriculum and competencies for teaching agroecology in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, noting that the outputs would guide training, research, and policy engagement across East Africa.
At the end of the workshop, stakeholders agreed that the PhD in Agroecology and Agri-food Systems will be anchored in four thematic areas, including Science of Agroecology, Practice of Agroecology, Knowledge Co-creation and Management, and Social Movement.
Project Summary
Agri-food systems in Africa have long been plagued by a multitude of challenges, including poverty, social exclusion, food insecurity, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Agroecology offers sustainable pathways for transforming these agri-food systems using locally and context-specific solutions, following participatory approaches that foster co-creation of solutions.
Through funding from the EU DG-INTPA, the establishment and operationalisation of the Regional Multi-Actor Research Network for Agroecology in East Africa (RMRN-EA) Project strengthens the practice, education, knowledge generation, and data management of agroecology through a multi-pronged approach involving curricula development (universities), data management (NARES), bottom-up participatory living labs (multi-stakeholders), and an Agroecology Policy Working Group (APWG).
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