General
Hon. Musenero urges Universities to Forge Stronger Linkages for National Development & Community Transformation
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Hon. Dr. Musenero Monica Masanza has urged Universities to build stronger linkages and focus on specialization to harness science, technology and innovations in transforming Uganda.
Speaking to representatives of over 50 Universities during the Uganda Vice Chancellor’s Forum held at Makerere University on Friday 11th March 2022, Hon. Musenero emphasized that the Head of State, H.E President Yoweri K.T. Museveni envisions Universities playing a fundamental role in delivering a science driven economy, social development and industrialization.
In the same spirit, Hon. Musenero has a strong conviction that universities that create, generate and disseminate knowledge have a crucial role to determine the destiny of a country. “I am here to dialogue and mobilise all of us to rise and harness the vast resources, knowledge and talent in universities. If you impact on universities, you will have quicker interventions,” she remarked.
She however noted the need to change the mindset of leaders and staff in Universities including the way of conducting business if universities are to measure up to the task as well as expectations. For instance, universities should play a central role in addressing poverty and underdevelopment. She highlighted that this strategic direction can only be realized if universities come up with deliberate efforts to link research and innovations to national development.This should be coupled with formation of think tanks at universities with linkages to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations under the Office of the President.
Additionally, Universities should reposition themselves and align several programmes to national development. “I would request that all universities craft a course, maybe one course credit unit or two but in the first year of study to teach the national development plan.” Hon. Musenero said she would be happy to be among the people who would be willing to take part in lecturing students on the national development plan.
If students are taught and understand the national development plan, she said they can be part of the force that is working tirelessly to transform Uganda from a peasant to a modern country in the next three decades.
Hon. Musenero told representatives of universities that her ministry has aligned science, technology and innovation systems and come up with an ecosystem that is focusing on improving industrial value chains. “We want to create a science, technology and innovation ecosystem that facilitates rapid movement of things along the value chain,” she said. If Uganda is to transform, Musenero said universities should focus on research that will help farmers to increase farm productivity.
Instead of focusing on competition, the Minister advised universities to focus on specialised teaching and research and then create strong linkages in which they can benefit from each other.
“How can we make relays? I have been to different universities and found that we are not connected to each other. We may have some MoUs but they are not being implemented. Makerere has certain technologies that could fit into Ndejje and then Ndejje has certain things that could fit into Busitema. If we can create that free flow, then all of us are going to be succeeding together,” Hon. Musenero remarked.
On teaching technology and innovation, the Minister said universities should teach the business of innovation and business opportunities that the science industry presents to Uganda. For instance, Hon. Musenero said she has been to several universities where she found that some of the innovations lack business plans.
On teaching, Hon. Musenero gave an example of the pharmaceutical industry which is one of the three big global industries. Whereas universities teach pharmacy, the Minister said they are not teaching the business opportunities that the sector presents for Uganda.
“You can hardly find in our pharmacy curriculum anyone teaching students how to industrialise around pharmaceuticals. We teach them how to use, how to dispense, to regulate, etc. We don’t teach them how to develop, how to manufacture, or how to develop business around them. We are turning that around,” she said.
In the execution of her Ministry’s mandate, Hon. Musenero will concentrate on working with universities to harness the vast resources, proiritise strategic communication and science communication, evolution of think tanks and community engagements.
Hon. Musenero is optimistic that in the financial year 2022/2023, she will focus on taking science, technology and innovations to the market.
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.
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.
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. 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.
“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.
“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.
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
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