General
Mak Launches Project to Aid Remote Health Facilities
Makerere University on 8th December 2021 officially unveiled an African project to Benefit Health Facilities across the continent. The Project is called sustainable Off-grid solutions for Pharmacies and Hospitals in Africa (SophiA).
The launch was presided over by the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University Professor Barnabas Nawangwe. The SophiA project will benefit both Makerere and the Health system in remote parts of the country by granting access to off-grid carbon-neutral electricity, heating and cooling of food and medicines, storage of vaccines up to -70°C as well as access to safe and clean drinking water.
Makerere is partnering with 13 organizations across Europe and Africa in the project funded by the European Union to ensure extended support to Health Centre Fours (HC IVs) across four African countries. It will be a 4-year multi-disciplinary project with activities in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, and Uganda.
Makerere University will take the lead in two of the project’s nine work packages. Work Package 1 (WP 1) is aimed at assessing the needs of several health facilities in the above mentioned countries in order to identify and match in each country ONE most significant and suitable health facility. The facility, which must be located in a rural remote region of the country will then be served by a SophiA system on a pilot basis.
Makerere will also take the lead in work package 7 (WP 7), which will investigate the environmental, economic, and social aspects to demonstrate the benefits of SophiA solutions.
During the launch, Vice Chancellor congratulated the team upon winning the grant adding that it is projects of this nature that will help Makerere implement its new strategic plan.
“First of all, I want to congratulate the team of Dr. Kiggundu, Dr. Bimbona, and Dr. Muhangi upon winning this grant. Makerere has a strategic plan which seeks to make the University even more research-intensive and we are only going to succeed in that if we have got the requisite human resource that not only applies for and wins grants but also does the research and disseminates the findings”. Prof Nawangwe stated.
“This is a very good example of the capacity built by Makerere University over the years to improve its capacity in doing research and also wining grants. At the moment more than 50% of all the money for research that is coming into Makerere is either by individual researchers or groups of researchers or consortia like the one we are seeing here. I therefore want to believe that Makerere has really has reached the capacity of doing research of the highest standard with big grants won competitively at an international level and I want to congratulate you once again” the Vice Chancellor added.
In the same spirit, Professor Nawangwe acknowledged the European Union for considering Makerere‘s application for the grant and supporting the University in the implementation of the project. He also applauded the researchers and their partners for joining efforts to see that this project is a success.
“I thank the European Union for the grant, as well as the other partners of the project and all researchers for their efforts. It’s now my honor to launch the SophiA project.” Professor Nawangwe said.
Dr. Nicholas Kiggundu the project team leader from the Department of Agricultural and Bio systems Engineering, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) made it clear that the project will focus on four major areas including availing electricity to health facilities, preservation of medicine, water purification and improving hospital room temperatures.
“You may have heard in the past that Uganda might not get certain vaccines for COVID-19 because most of our facilities don’t store such vaccines, so this project will restore that possibility. We have a challenge of purified water whereby when you go to the hospital and are given some medicine to swallow but the water is not safe. And so we shall be able to purify water in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way without mixing the chemicals such as chlorine. We shall also make sure that the rooms in the hospital are cool”. Dr. Kiggundu said.
Dr. Denis Muhangi from the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) noted that this project will be multidisciplinary so as to find comprehensive solutions for health challenges in Uganda.
“If this project provides refrigeration to the health centres in remote parts of the country, solar energy, as well as all these water treatment and safe storage facilities, we will for sure have solved the bulk of challenges facing health centres in this country.” Dr. Muhangi said.
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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