General
Advisory Board for the EfD-Mak Centre-Uganda Inaugurated
Environment for Development Initiative (EfD-Mak Centre) Uganda on 14th April 2022 inaugurated its Advisory Board to guide the operations of the Centre.
The Board inaugurated at the Centre’s Conference Hall at Makerere University, is chaired by the Deputy Vice chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba.
While inaugurating the Board, the Director, EfD-Mak Centre, Prof. Edward Bbaale said everyone in Uganda has been affected by the environment hence the need for joint efforts to address environmental challenges.
Prof. Bbaale applauded the Vice Chancellor Makerere University for appointing Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba to be the main driver of the Advisory Board saying, this is a sign that the Centre is heading in the right direction.
“I wish to also applaud the different government entities for having entrusted us with their officers to be part of the Advisory Board, “he said.
The Advisory Board is constituted by representatives from government Ministries, Departments and agencies including the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), National Planning Authority (NPA), Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development(MoFPED), Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAAIF), Wakiso District Local Government (DLG) Parliament, ACODE, Swedish Embassy and the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) Makerere University.
Prof. Bbaale said, the Board is aimed at helping in realizing the Centre’s missions, vision and goal and is key in providing and steering strategic direction with guidance from the strategic plan.In order to realize these, the board will sit once every Quarter but the frequency may be adjusted in case of need and urgency of the business.
He highlighted that the board will be responsible for visualizing the EfD-Mak Centre, mobilizing resources and popularizing the centre for Sustainability. It board will establish a roadmap for the centre, building from the Global hub efforts and financial support.
The Board will also play an oversight role in terms of planning and guidance in the implementation of the centre’s activities, set the agenda for each meeting and ensure that agendas and supporting materials are delivered to members in advance of meetings.
In addition, the board is responsible for checking that the Centre is aligned with the National Public Investment Management and other development strategies as well as policies and directions across government and actively participate in meetings and review of minutes, papers and other steering committee documents.
The Principal College of Business and Management Sciences, Assoc. Prof. Eria Hisali observed that since the inception of the Centre, there has been a number of achievements recorded.
“This is a center which is already vibrant and committed to doing a lot related to environment conservation and policy direction. You can continue asking for our full support now that you have a strong team led by an advisory Board.
We now have a chance to benefit from a number of senior colleagues and we look forward to exploiting you to the fullest”, he said.
Assoc. Prof. Hisali called for integration of the centre in activities related to the review of the environmental policies to enhance sustainability.
The interim Board Chair Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba, said the Board intends to foster the strategic objective of the Centre as a research, knowledge and innovation hub on issues to do with environmental research, environmental advocacy and environmental policy.
“As you are aware, environment is something that can never be ignored by any economy. Environmental degradation and vagaries of climate change and variability has affected the economies of the world so much in terms of agricultural food production, but also in terms of creating health disasters which have led to a lot of emerging infectious diseases and other environmental dangers.
As a Board, our role is to provide oversight, continue to grow the confidence of the international partners like the SIDA that has supported the centre to run various activities related to research, capacity building and training for governmental, local authorities and middle level officers.
We also want to show how research can create solutions and policies that can help to protect and safeguard our environment in addition to fostering institutionalization”, Dr. Kakumba explained.
Members speak out on the launch
The Deputy Director, EfD-Mak Centre Prof. Johnny Mugisha who attended virtually said, the Advisory Board was long overdue and expressed happiness that despite the challenges, it was achieved.
Wakiso District Environmental Officer Ms. Rebecca Sabaganzi observed the need to embed the Centre to the National Development Plan III and make the strategic plan measurable to holistically address issues of environment.
She implored the Centre Secretariat to integrate the private sector into their day-to-day operations saying, this will enhance quick customer responsiveness.
“As government we are slow in acting but the private sector is very first. So, including them would make a very big impact,” Sabaganzi said.
The Assistant Commissioner Statistics Macroeconomic Policy Department in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Dr. Sam Mugume Koojo, expressed the need to institutionalize the center in order to make it more relevant and attract government support.
The Assistant Commissioner wetlands in the Ministry of Water and Environment Stephane Mugabi, expressed the need for advocacy for sustainability if Environmental conservation and protection is to be realized.
By Gerald Ochwo
On 25th March 2025, a delegation of Registrars from Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) undertook a benchmarking exercise at Makerere University, with a specific focus on the latter’s pioneering efforts in academic records digitalization. The delegation, led by Dr. Dickson Kalungi, Ag. Deputy Academic Registrar was received by Mr. Charles Ssentongo, Deputy Academic Registrar in charge of Admissions and Records Division, who represented the Academic Registrar (AR), Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi.
The visit was prompted by Makerere University‘s trailblazing achievements in digitalizing academic records, as exemplified by the Digitalization of Academic Records Project (DARP). This initiative has been instrumental in creating a centralized, digital one stop repository of all University’s academic records, thereby enhancing the efficiency, accuracy, and security of academic records management.
In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Ssentongo conveyed the Academic Registrar’s message and highlighted Makerere University‘s efforts to digitalize all its processes and records. He further noted that the university is intentional about creating a digital ecosystem that makes academic records retrieval easy and efficient.
“As a university, we are now intentional with the digitalization of all our processes including, digitization of our manual records that date as way back as the inception of Makerere University. Currently, the DARP project as gone as far as creating a one stop center for both Academic document verification and certification, whereby our former graduates, will only need to access the online verification and certification portal and submit their documents without necessarily having to travel many physical distances to Makerere University” Mr. Ssentongo remarked.
In his appreciation remarks, the MUST head of delegation, Dr. Dickson Kalungi, thanked the Academic Registrar for honoring their request to come and learn from the best practices that exist at Makerere University and particularly commended the Department for the great steps and strides made in pioneering modern Academic records storage management systems.
“I want to sincerely thank the Office of the Academic Registrar for sparing time and organizing this meeting. As a University, we have embarked on a transformative change drive whereby we intend to automate all our registry processes including, the management of Academic Records. The DARP project at Makerere University, has been one project where we draw a number of lessons and we are eager to go and implement some of the best practices we have observed here today”
Conclusion
The benchmarking exercise undertaken by Mbarara University of Science and Technology demonstrates the significance of Makerere University and particularly, the Office of the Academic Registrar’s achievements in academic records digitalization. The DARP project serves as a model for other institutions to follow, highlighting the importance of investing in digital solutions to enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and security of academic records management. It further demonstrates the university’s commitment to sharing knowledge and best practices with other institutions. Makerere University‘s efforts in digitalizing academic records have set a high standard for other universities to emulate, and the DARP project is a shining example of innovation and excellence in academic records management.
Gerald Ochwo is the Liaison Officer, Office of the Academic Registrar
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