General
Mak & Semmelweis Sign MoU to Deepen Collaboration
Makerere University and the Medical University of Budapest, “Semmelweis”, Hungary on Monday 25th October 2021 held discussions and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration between the two institutions. The MoU was signed on behalf of Makerere University by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and on behalf of Semmelweis by the Rector, Prof. Béla Merkely and Vice Rector, Prof. Attila Szabó. The visiting delegation was accompanied by the Ambassador H.E. Dr. Janos Tereyi and Staff from the Embassy of Hungary in Uganda.
Welcoming the delegation, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe observed that the visit and MoU signing were timely, as Makerere embarks on the year-long celebrations to mark 100 years of contributing to building the region’s human resource among other milestones.
“We have also recently embarked on the implementation of our 10-year strategic plan which seeks to make us more research-led and so as to contribute to national development and produce more innovations and spinoffs to provide employment for our growing population” remarked the Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Nawangwe noted that Makerere, given its location in the tropics, is a vibrant centre for research in the clinical disciplines particularly infectious diseases, with malaria posing some of the greatest challenges. “Just this morning I addressed ten universities meeting in Entebbe, leading a consortium to eradicate malaria in Africa.”
He added that with funding from the Government of Uganda, Makerere was conducting a lot of research on COVID-19 and had been instrumental in the supporting government’s management of the disease in the country. The Vice Chancellor clarified that despite the dominance by health sciences, the University’s research output cuts across all disciplines such as agriculture, engineering, veterinary medicine, the arts and humanities, among others and is renowned for producing some of the best writers.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation the Rector, Prof. Béla Merkely thanked the Vice Chancellor and Members of Management for the warm welcome to the world renowned Makerere University. Continuing from where Prof. Nawangwe had left off, he added that his University equally played a key role in Hungary’s fight against COVID-19 and as Rector, he is the Main Advisor to the Prime Minister in that field.
The Rector shared that Semmelweis’ staff and student COVID-19 vaccination ratios stand at over 90%, including international scholars who make up over 31% of the total student population, and 52.9% of students in the University’s Faculty of Medicine. Hungary has to date vaccinated 6million (63%) of its population.
Prof. Merkely is a clinician who still performs diagnostic coronarographies, pacemaker, Mitraclip and other implantations reported that Semmelweis University is ranked among the top 100 institutions in the “Cardiology and Cardiovascular System” field.
“Semmelweis University achieved the best ranking this year and improved twenty-five places to become the 87th best higher education institution in the world in this field” added the Rector.
Prof. Merkely shared that Semmelweis University had in the past worked with the Uganda Heart Institute and supported the Hungarian Goverment to implement a project to modernise the Cardiology Department of Mulago National Referral Hospital.
In terms of potential collaboration, Prof. Merkely said that Semmelweis has a strong PhD programme and has over the years developed a lot of innovations in the health sciences and trained the majority of its staff in specialised fields of medicine. This, he attributed to the presence of a University-owned 2,100-bed teaching hospital that offers continuous professional development to staff.
Prof. Nawangwe concluded the discussions by acknowledging that we had the rare opportunity to collaborate with a Rector who is a clinician. He added that the Government of Uganda was fully aware of the importance of Makerere University having its own teaching hospital and was keen to address the matter.
Present during the discussions and MoU signing ceremony were the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs)-Dr. Umar Kakumba, University Secretary-Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, Director Human Resouces-Dr. Davis Malowa Ndanyi, University Bursar-Mr. Evarist Bainomugisha, and Academic Registrar-Mr. Alfred Masikye Namoah.
Also present were the Director Internal Audit-Mr. Walter Yorac Nono, Director Research and Graduate Training-Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi, Dean of Students-Mrs. Winifred Kabumbuli, Ag. Director Quality Assurance-Prof. Sarah Kiguli, Manager Procurement and Disposal Unit-Mr. Paul Agaba, Deputy Principal College of Health Sciences-Prof. Isaac Kajja and Principal Legal Officer-Ms. Esther Kabinga. The visit was coordinated by the International Relations Officer-Ms. Martha Muwanguzi.
Prof. Edward Bbaale, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at Makerere University, on November 10 2026 welcomed a delegation from the International Water Association (IWA), led by Mr. Keith Robertson, the Learning and Events Director at International Water Association (IWA). Mr. Robertson, in his remarks, highlighted their visit to Makerere University as a fact-finding mission regarding the potential establishment of a new regional IWA office in Africa to support the continent in solving challenges relating to water.
The International Water Association is a leading global nonprofit organisation and knowledge hub for the water and sanitation sector. Connecting more than 10,000 individual members and 500 corporate entities across 140 plus countries, the association bridges the gap between scientific research and practical engineering to solve global water crises, improve sanitation, and secure clean water systems. Currently, IWA is evaluating potential host cities in Africa; Makerere University in Kampala is the first they have visited out of their three countries and venues earmarked.
This meeting held at Makerere Main Administrative Building, was attended by university leadership, faculty from College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), and representatives from the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC). Discussions explored possibilities of the yet to be established office bridging the gap between academic research and practical application in the water sector not only in Uganda but also on the continent.
On behalf of University Management, Prof. Edward Bbaale underscored this engagement that focused on possible Water and Sanitation advancement partnership as one that aligns well with the strategic direction of the University.
Projected Impact of a Kampala-Based IWA Office
Dr Philip Nyenje, Head of Department, Civil and Environmental Engineering (DCEE), expressed optimism about the collaboration, saying, “this is a very good opportunity for us to grow our interest in the sector of water and sanitation.”
In addition, Dr Seith Mugume, a Senior Lecturer at DCEE, noted that the regional office would unlock research and innovation opportunities in the real world for our students and also provide incentives for them to pursue projects within local research and innovation angles.
Eng. Zainab Mpakiraba, Acting Senior Manager at NWSC framed Kampala as a very unique venue for the centre and highlighted Makerere as one of the core academic partners for the regional Eastern and Southern Africa hub of the Global Sanitation Graduate School. Eng. Mpakiraba further endorsed Makerere, saying that, as a top-notch university in Uganda and in the region, when it leads on any aspect, it is able to pull most of the other universities.
Makerere’s Strategic Initiatives and Activities so far in the Area of Water
Dr Nyenje noted that his Department has a very strong base in water and sanitation, covering disciplines like water resources, environmental, structural, and highway engineering. Dr. Mugume added that they are conducting research on “modeling of water resource systems, hydrological and hydraulic modeling,” “water quality management,” and “fecal sludge management, sanitation in low-income and peri-urban areas.”
The two also mentioned that the department has introduced a “master’s in sanitation, and also a postgraduate program… a diploma in sanitation” to address growing interest in the sector.
All these strategies have been made possible through good will and funding from the Government of Uganda, strategic partnerships, and International Collaborations that have positioned Makerere as a key player in the region.
Concluding the session, Prof. Edward Bbaale reaffirmed Makerere’s ability to run this Office when established as the University has human resources in multidisciplinary research, global credibility and working relationships with many organisations and institutions on the continent and far.
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