General
MCF Scholars Program Honours Mentors, Builds Momentum for Phase Two
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars’ Program (MCFSP) at Makerere University on Thursday 12th May, 2022 held a symposium at Hotel African during which Mentors were honoured for their role on the program and briefed about the upcoming Phase Two of the same. The symposium was presided over by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) and Chairperson MCFSP Steering Committee, Prof. Umar Kakumba. On the same occasion, Mrs. Susan Opok Tumusiime, the Executive Director, Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Uganda chapter delivered a keynote address on staying inspired during the mentoriship journey.
The Program Coordinator, Dr. Justine Namaalwa informed participants that the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University started in 2013 and has to date recruited 1,032 beneficiaries. 438 of these have so far graduated and approximately 58 are set to graduate during the 72nd Graduation Ceremony later this month.
“I extend our sincere personal gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation for the invaluable thoughts and generosity to the African child. This initiative is leading to transformative change in hundreds of African children, their parents, and we their teachers and mentors” remarked Dr. Namaalwa.
She added that over the last eight years MCFSP has upheld the pillars of; identifying the vulnerable, recruiting them into the university and providing them with valuable education.
“Beyond the education they receive, we are supposed to prepare them for the world of work, and that is where you our dear mentors have played a significant role. You are their instructors; you participate in providing their education, but are also the mentors that prepare them for their professional careers.
“We chose this day to publicly express our appreciation. I know we have always done this electronically but today, we are here to share a meal and appreciate you but above all, to create fresh momentum for networking because we haven’t seen each other in close to two years” added the Program Coordinator.
Briefing mentors on the upcoming Phase Two of the Program, Dr. Namaalwa shared that the Vice Chancellor had appointed a special seven member committee headed by Professor Emeritus Nelson Sewankambo from the College of Health Sciences (CHS) to oversee the expression of interest. The new phase is expected to commence in August 2023.
She added that the Phase Two expression of interest proposes to double the number of beneficiaries from 1,000 to 2,000. And in the spirit of inclusivity, 25% of the slots will be allocated to refugees, while 15% will be allocated to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and 7% to international students.
Furthermore, in the spirit of supporting scholars who have excelled and are desirous of pursuing a career in academia or research, 3% of the slots will be allocated to support graduate training. Another 30% will be allocated to beneficiaries drawn from vulnerable populations as defined by the Uganda Vulnerability Map of 2020. The 30% will also cater for minority tribes such as the Benet, Ik and Batwa, among others. The remaining 20% will be availed to any other vulnerable youth in Uganda including the urban poor.
“I am sharing this early enough to prepare you as mentors. We have been in a phase of 1,000 (scholars), a phase of no special categories, but we are walking into a different phase… I welcome you dear mentors to roll up your sleeves and together, we are going to co-create this phase” reassured Dr. Namaalwa.
Speaking on behalf of the MCF Steering Committee, Prof. Mulumba Bwanika Mathias the Dean School of Education, College of Education and External Studies (CEES) applauded the Program Coordinator, Implementation Team and Mentors for the support that enables the scholars to achieve their goals.
“In about two weeks’ time, the majority of our scholars in their final year are going to graduate and the credit goes to you the mentors. We are aware that you frequently interact with our scholars and most importantly, you maintained this during the most difficult time of the lockdown when we had the COVID-19 pandemic. We really do appreciate the kind of work you do” said Prof. Bwanika.
Touching on the upcoming Phase Two, Prof. Bwanika said, “we have submitted the proposal and highly believe that it will go through and we look forward to remaining with you our mentors because we value you. The kind of work you have done to guide these young men and women is massive, and we would like to encourage you and support you in any possible way to ensure that you continue doing this great work.”
The symposium itinerary would have been incomplete without voices from MCFSP Mentors, Scholars and Alumni. These came in from Mentors – Dr. Nina Olivia Rugambwa and Mr. Aloysius Kwitonda, Alumna – Ms. Marion Apio and Scholar – Ms. Sandra Mukoya.
Some of the lessons shared by the Mentors from their experience included;
- It takes understanding, broad knowledge and patience to mentor scholars
- Mentees need sound financial advice to help them adopt a saving culture and avoid wasting their stipends on expensive items
- Mentees are under a lot of pressure to support their families back home and in some cases are viewed as sole providers of school fees for siblings owing to the stipends they receive.
- Scholars are very knowledgeable especially about technology and should never be underestimated
- Mentors should always have a listening ear and never be quick to judge
- Mentors should relax their own boundaries to facilitate interaction and encourage mentees to open up
- Where possible, mentors should invite mentees to celebrations of personal goals achieved as a way of inspiring them
The Alumna, Ms. Marion Apio appreciated the Mastercard Foundation for sponsoring her education and giving her a platform through which she can reach out to other underprivileged girls. She heartily thanked her mentors for being patient with her endless ’emergencies’. Marion is the CEO of Girls Alive Uganda, an initiative aimed at addressing the lack of sanitary materials for girls in rural communities as well as Head of the Debunk Show, a programme aimed at fact-checking news reports under the Media Challenge Initiative.
Scholar, Ms. Mukoya a finalist of the Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration. Programme equally expressed her appreciation to the MCFSP, wisely noting that “everyone is a product of mentorship”. She added that mentorship does not only impact the immediate beneficiary but in the long run, helps build a nation. She paid tribute to her mentor for being everything she could have ever asked for in a father.
Prior to delving into her address, the Keynote Speaker Mrs. Opok Tumusiime painted a shocking picture of the state of teenage pregnancy occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns.
“As FAWE we undertook a study and what came through is the increase in pregnancy of girls aged ten (10) to twenty-four (24) at 22.5% in the three months of March to June of 2020. And when we were looking at the ten (10) to fourteen (14) year olds, the incidence of pregnancies had increased by 366.5%. This is our country, what are we doing?” she pondered to the hushed audience.
To help prevent this grim reality from getting worse, Mrs. Opok Tumusiime urged participants to actively contribute to the “Protect the Girl, Save the Nation” campaign that was initiated by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni. “As FAWE, we are fundraising and would like to send 2,000 girls back to school.”
Turning to the day’s theme, the Executive Director shared that mentors can become more motivated by;
- Passion: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle” Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO.
- Self discovery through helping others
- Seeking knowledge especially in areas not otherwise known and deep-diving in areas known.
- Fostering close relationship, trust and communication at all levels. Communication is not instruction but ought to be guided by cordiality.
- Being self aware and knowing how to present what needs to be presented.
- Celebrating mentees’ advances (however small) along the journey to attaining the full goal.
Mrs. Opok Tumusiime concluded by urging mentors to be the change they want to see. “You and I are responsible for this country and to make our young people better, and whose potential can be attained.”
Acknowledging the Keynote Speaker’s delivery, Prof. Umar Kakumba emphasised that “it is important for everybody to have a mentor in life, regardless of your age, regardless of what stage you are, even post-retirement, you still need a mentor.”
Sharing his own touching story, Prof. Kakumba paid tribute to the mentor who steered him back to the path of education, when the temptation to drop out of school was intense, despite the fact that his family could afford to meet all the associated costs.
“My mother passed on when I was seven…but even back then, there were many challenges that young people faced staying in school, in my case it had nothing to do with fees, money or provision… but today I am a Professor and Deputy Vice Chancellor thanks to the words of some people that touch our lives.
“One of those people, an old man said to me, ‘young man, your mother may have passed away but it was her heart’s desire that you and your siblings should go to school and get a good education’, I felt that I should share this to make all of us appreciate the role of mentorship” counseled Prof. Kakumba to rousing applause from the audience.
He therefore paid tribute to they symposium organisers for creating a platform where mentors could be honoured and further sharpened through sharing life-changing experiences on mentorship.
“I would therefore like to thank the Mastercard Foundation for the generous support, without which we would not have been here today. I extend special thanks to the Program Implementation Team for the wonderful work done in managing our young people” added Prof. Kakumba.
In the words of the day’s emcee, the Principal Public Relations Officer, Member of the MCFSP Steering Committee and Mentor, Ms. Ritah Namisango, “good mentors never tire or retire”. In appreciation of their tireless efforts, the MCFSP presented certificates to the mentors, who are drawn from the ten colleges of Makerere as well as organisations outside the University. They include; DFCU Bank, FAWE, BRAC Uganda, Refugee Law Project (RLP), Family Life Network (FLN), ACCA Uganda, Africa Careers Network (ACN), among others.
An appreciation award was also presented to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, in recognition of his outstanding and strategic leadership that has enabled the Program Implementation Team to deliver effectively and efficiently.
In a landmark event symbolizing Uganda’s stride towards sustainable transportation, Hon. Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, commissioned the first Electric Fast-Charging Station at Makerere University on Friday 13th March 2026. The ceremony, held at the Senate Building Parking Lot, marks a pivotal moment in the nation’s e-mobility journey, blending academic innovation with industrial application and governmental support.
The station, a DC Fast Charger C6-180 installed in collaboration with Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC), is designed to power electric vehicles efficiently, supporting Uganda’s shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. This setup ensures high-power DC charging ideal for fleet operations.
Hon. Dr. Musenero, in her keynote remarks, highlighted the profound significance of the occasion, tracing its roots back to 2011 when Makerere unveiled the Kiira EV – Uganda’s first electric vehicle prototype. “This infrastructure is the physical manifestation of a journey that began on this very hill nearly two decades ago,” she stated, emphasizing how the university’s initial proof-of-concept challenged skepticism about Africa’s role in automotive technology.
The event, she noted, completes a narrative full circle, with the birthplace of the Kiira EV now hosting the infrastructure to sustain a modern electric fleet. The commissioning aligns seamlessly with Uganda’s National E-Mobility Strategy, which aims to localize 65% of the e-mobility value chain by 2040 and create over 500,000 high-quality green jobs.
Hon. Dr. Musenero underscored the strategy’s focus on reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels while enhancing environmental well-being. “We are transforming Uganda into a net source of e-mobility solutions,” she declared, pointing to the potential for Ugandan intellect to produce vehicle parts and charging systems domestically.
In his remarks at the event, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe described the launch as a “multi-faceted achievement,” not only advancing the institution’s inclusive agenda but also setting an example for public institutions in adopting e-mobility. In so doing, Makerere University has positioned itself at the forefront of this transition.
On September 26, 2025, President Yoweri Museveni commissioned the Kiira Vehicle Plant in Jinja and handed over three Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) buses to Makerere University to enhance staff and student mobility. The fleet included two diesel-powered Kayoola Coaches and one electric Kayoola EVS 8.5m bus donated by KMC specifically to aid the movement of differently-abled staff and students. This move demonstrates academia’s capacity to integrate home-grown solutions into daily operations, impacting the economy through practical science.
The commissioning of the fast-charging station is rooted in a long history of collaboration. The Kiira Electric Vehicle Project, hatched in the former Faculty of Technology, has evolved into a national movement for automotive manufacturing. Hon. Dr. Musenero praised this progression: “We have moved beyond proving that an electric vehicle can be built in Uganda. We are now ensuring our electric vehicles are deployed across the continent, solving Africa’s mobility problems.”
Academia’s role remains central, as Hon. Dr. Musenero elaborated. While government provides policy frameworks and the private sector offers capital, universities supply the essential knowledge. The E-Mobility Skilling Programme at Makerere University‘s Innovation Pod (Mak-UniPod) is training the next generation of electric vehicle engineers, who are tackling “moonshot projects” to redefine urban transport. Research into optimizing local resources, such as Uganda’s lithium and cobalt deposits for battery production, is also underway.
A key environmental highlight of this development is Uganda’s renewable energy advantage. With over 95% of the national grid powered by hydroelectric dams, every charge at this station utilizes clean energy. “We are using our own water to power our own vehicles, keeping our wealth within our economy rather than exporting it to purchase foreign oil,” Hon. Dr. Musenero remarked, framing the launch as Uganda plugging into the global renewable shift. She pledged the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Secretariat’s continued collaboration with Makerere University, KMC, and partners to proliferate such stations across Kampala and beyond.
Addressing Makerere students, Hon. Dr. Musenero issued a challenge: “See this charging station as a symbol of your own potential. The engineers who built the first Kiira EV were once sitting exactly where you are. They did not wait for permission to be great.” She urged them to leverage available resources to innovate, building on a legacy that has shifted national conversations.
The event drew distinguished guests, including Members of Management, Eng. Paul Isaac Musasizi, KMC’s CEO and his management team, private sector partners, development agencies, and university faculty.
Looking ahead, this launch propels Uganda towards a “Qualitative Leap” in its economy, as Hon. Dr. Musenero described. By fostering innovation and investing in young minds, the nation aims to lead in technological advancement. The station not only powers vehicles but ignites progress, ensuring Uganda remains at the forefront of Africa’s e-mobility revolution.
As the ceremony which was intermittently “blessed” by drizzles drew to a close, the feeling of hope for a cleaner, self-reliant future – one charged by Ugandan ingenuity, was unmistakable.
General
Makerere University and International Partners Sign MoU for the 9th Kampala Geopolitics Conference
Makerere University, on 10th March, 2026, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Embassy of France in Uganda, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), and Alliance Française de Kampala to organize the 9th edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference (KGC), scheduled to take place on 15–16 April 2026 at Makerere University.
The signing formalizes the continued partnership that has established the Kampala Geopolitics Conference as one of the region’s leading platforms for dialogue on global affairs, bringing together scholars, policymakers, civil society leaders, and students to debate the major geopolitical and socio-economic transformations shaping the world.
The conference, inspired by the Nantes Geopolitics Conference in France, was first launched in Kampala in 2018 and has since grown into a unique intellectual space for cross-continental exchange between Africa and Europe.
A Platform for Ideas, Dialogue, and Youth Engagement
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, emphasized the importance of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference as a platform that connects academic discourse with global policy conversations while empowering students to engage with the complex challenges shaping the international system.
The Vice Chancellor noted that hosting the conference reflects Makerere University’s long-standing commitment to fostering intellectual exchange and positioning the institution as a hub for regional and global dialogue.
“Makerere University is proud to host the Kampala Geopolitics Conference because it creates an important platform for debate and exchange on the global issues shaping our world, while giving our students the opportunity to engage directly with leading thinkers and policymakers,” said Prof. Nawangwe.
Prof. Nawangwe further commended the Embassy of France in Uganda, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Alliance Française de Kampala for their continued collaboration with Makerere University in organizing the conference over the years. He expressed confidence that the 2026 edition will once again provide a dynamic platform for dialogue, bringing together scholars, policymakers, and students to examine the geopolitical trends shaping Africa and the wider world.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, H.E. Virginie Leroy, Ambassador of France to Uganda, highlighted the significance of the conference as a platform that encourages dialogue on global issues while empowering young people to participate in shaping the future.
Since its inception, the Kampala Geopolitics Conference has created opportunities for students, researchers, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to engage with some of the most pressing global debates. The Ambassador noted that the curiosity and engagement of Ugandan students have become one of the defining features of the conference.
“This conference has become a unique space where students, researchers, policymakers and civil society exchange ideas on the major transformations shaping our world,” Ambassador Leroy said, adding that the event demonstrates the intellectual vitality of Uganda’s youth and the strength of the partnerships that sustain it.
Strengthening Partnerships for Global Dialogue
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a long-standing partner in the initiative, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting platforms that foster meaningful discussions on international affairs and regional dynamics.
Speaking during the ceremony, Anna Reismann, Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Uganda, emphasized the importance of the conference in connecting local perspectives with global debates.
She noted that Africa has increasingly become a focal point in global geopolitics, attracting engagement from a wide range of international actors through investments, trade, security cooperation, and diplomatic partnerships. While these engagements create new opportunities for economic growth and technological advancement, they also raise important questions about sustainability, governance, and the terms of international cooperation.
According to Reismann, the conference provides an important forum to examine these issues and to encourage dialogue that bridges academic perspectives with practical policy considerations.
The 2026 edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference will focus on key global and regional issues shaping international relations and development.
Among the themes to be explored are the future of development cooperation, particularly as global aid dynamics evolve and countries explore more sustainable and balanced partnerships. Another panel will examine youth and public policy in Africa, recognizing the critical role that young people play in shaping governance, innovation, and development across the continent.
With Africa home to the youngest population in the world, discussions will highlight the importance of ensuring that young people are not only beneficiaries of public policies but also active contributors to their design and implementation.
Makerere University at the Centre of Global Conversations
Hosting the conference reflects Makerere University’s continued commitment to fostering intellectual exchange and positioning the institution as a hub for regional and international dialogue.
Through its partnerships with global institutions such as the Embassy of France, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Alliance Française de Kampala, Makerere continues to create platforms that connect academic knowledge with policy discussions and real-world challenges.
The Kampala Geopolitics Conference is expected to once again bring together leading experts, scholars, and practitioners from across Africa and Europe, while providing students with a rare opportunity to engage directly with global debates.
As preparations for the 2026 edition gather momentum, the partners expressed confidence that the conference will continue to inspire critical thinking, encourage dialogue across disciplines and generations, and strengthen cooperation between Africa and its international partners.
Caroline Kainomugisha is the Communications Officer, Advancement Office, Makerere University.
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