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Rt. Hon. Kadaga Sensitises Mak on EAC Integration Agenda

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On 16th June 2022, Makerere University welcomed the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community (EAC) Affairs Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga to her Alma Mater to deliver a Keynote on the EAC Integration Agenda. The Speaker Emeritus of the 9th and 10th Parliament of Uganda and distinguished Alumna of the School of Law was received upon arrival by Dr. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala who represented the Chairperson of Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.

Also in attendance were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of EAC Affairs (MEACA) Mrs. Edith N. Mwanje, Members of Council, Senate and Management, Principals and College Academic Leadership, as well as Professors and the Student Guild.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe makes his remarks.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe makes his remarks.

Originally founded in 1967 by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, the EAC was dissolved in 1977. It was revived on 7th July 2000 after the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community came into force. The EAC is made up of six Partner States namely; Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania. On 29th March 2022, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was admitted into the EAC as its seventh member and is expected to be full member by September 2022 after completion of the ratification process.

Rt. Hon. Kadaga in her Keynote address noted that the strategic importance for EAC integration is guided by four factors namely;

  1. Creation of a Large Regional Market
  2. Strengthening the Security of the Community
  3. Enhancing Fraternal Relations
  4. Political Unity
The  Permanent Secretary, Ministry of East African Community Affairs (MEACA) Mrs. Edith N. Mwanje addresses the congregation.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of East African Community Affairs (MEACA), Mrs. Edith N. Mwanje addresses the congregation.

Furthermore, she outlined the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and Political Federation as four pillars of the EAC. She shared that apart from Political Federation, each of the other three pillars has a signed Protocol that provides a framework of cooperation. The Minister nevertheless said that the Partner States are in the final stages of discussing the critical aspects of Political Confederation as a transitional stage of Political Federation.

To date, the following have been achieved in line with the Political Confederation.

  1. A regional team of constitutional experts is drafting the EAC Political Confederation Constitution
  2. The EAC has continued to Monitor and observe elections in all Partner States
  3. National Early Warning Centres have been put in place
  4. Women and Youth have been engaged in peace and security initiatives in line with EAC Youth and Gender Policies
  5. A major EAC Armed Forces Integrated Field Training Exercise is conducted annually

Rt. Hon. Kadaga concluded by stating that the expanded membership of the EAC will provide a big market that will not only increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) but also employment opportunities especially for the for the youth. Additionally, the integration would lead to better management of shared natural resources of Partner States such as Lake Victoria, Mountain Elgon and the Rwenzori Mountains.

Members of Council, Senate and Management, Principals and College Academic Leadership, as well as Professors and the Student body listen to the Keynote Address.
Members of Council, Senate and Management, Principals and College Academic Leadership, as well as Professors and the Student body listen to the Keynote Address.

Furthermore, the First Deputy Prime Minister noted that integration would lead to adoption of the new Common External Tariff that will increase protection of local industries. Citing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Project as an example, she added that integration will help exploit economies of scale and combine resources to invest in transboundary infrastructure. Estimated to cost USD 3.55 billion the 1,443km EACOP Project will ferry crude oil from Kabaale, Hoima in Uganda to the Indian Ocean Port of Tanga in Tanzania.

She concluded by noting that most importantly, integration will give Partner States a bigger voice when negotiating with giants like China, the European Union (EU) and Russia on matters such as mitigating the negative effects climate change.

In her remarks, Dr. Nkabala thanked Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga for commencing her Ministry’s senstisation programme at her alma mater and paid tribute to the leadership of the EAC Partner States for their vision and commitment to integration and federation.

Representative of the Chairperson of Council-Dr. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala (R) and the Vice Chancellor-Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (L) present an assortment of Makerere University souvenirs to Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga (C) after her Keynote Address.
Representative of the Chairperson of Council-Dr. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala (R) and the Vice Chancellor-Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (L) present an assortment of Makerere University souvenirs to Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga (C) after her Keynote Address.

She shared that through her College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Makerere University was contributing to the Integration Agenda by training men and women in the armed forces on the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1325, 1820 and 2250. UNSCR 1325 urges all actors to increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all United Nations peace and security efforts while UNSCR 1820 condemns the use of sexual violence as a tool of war. UNSCR 2250 emphasises the importance of youth as agents of change in the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.

Dr. Nkabala concluded by underlining Makerere University‘s readiness and willingness to undertake a formal agreement with MEACA to carry out research that informs responses to challenges that we are facing as a regional bloc.

Please see below for the full Keynote Address

Mark Wamai

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Call For Abstracts: National Symposium on Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda

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Call For Abstracts: National Symposium on Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda. Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026

Makerere University, in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Tufts University, and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), invites researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community actors to submit abstracts for the National Symposium on:

Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda: Local Voices for Policy Impact

Date: Wednesday, 12th August 2026
Venue: Makerere University Main Hall

The symposium will examine the drivers, patterns, and impacts of climate-induced youth migration in Uganda, while advancing evidence-based and community-informed policy responses.

Theme: Climate-Induced Youth Migration and Urban Futures in Uganda: Evidence, Voices, and Pathways for Action

Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026

Submit Abstracts To: citiesofyouth@musph.ac.ug

Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to contribute research findings, case studies, policy analyses, and practice-based experiences. Abstracts will be considered for oral and poster presentations.

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Call for Research Support Applications from Master’s Students who have Completed their First Year of Taught Classes at Makerere University

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Call for Research Support Applications from Master’s Students who have Completed their First Year of Taught Classes at Makerere University. Photo: Nano Banan 2

Makerere University, in partnership with Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Independent University of Bangladesh, Eduardo Mondlane University, and Pokhara University, with funding from Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED), is implementing a project: ‘Co-creating Knowledge for Local Adaptation to Climate Change in LDCs (COLOCAL).

The expected outputs of the project include strengthened educational and research capacity, improved knowledge on inclusive Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) and Community Based Adaptation (CBA) including delivering skilled knowledge co-creators, and partnerships to support needs-driven, locally-based and contextually sensitive adaptation. The outputs are anticipated to influence policy, planning and practice around LLA and CBA through collaborative learning and knowledge translation.

In line with targets and activities for 2026/2027, COLOCAL project is offering research support for three (3) Master’s students who have completed their first academic year of taught classes at Makerere University and are interested in undertaking research under one of the following thematic areas. The students MUST have undertaken the course offered under the auspices of the project on Disability, Social Justice and Climate Resilient Development.

Requirements:

  • A first degree from a reputable university in a field related to the focus of the project
  • Ugandan citizen below 35 years
  • Good command of English (spoken and written)
  • Demonstrated interest in inclusive and climate resilient development
  • Evidence of practical experience in conducting relevant research during and after undergraduate level
  • Evidence of full payment of all university fees for the first academic year
  • The Masters programme being undertaken MUST have explicit content on climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • Special consideration will be given to students with disabilities, financial challenges, students from ethnic minority groups, internally displaced students, among others

Scholarship and study/research conditions

Availability to complete all research activities in a maximum of 10 months.

Scope of the scholarship

The project will specifically cover stipends and support for field activities only. Support with tuition fees, for the research year, will be provided for students who will complete and submit the research thesis for examination within 10 months from the date of receiving the scholarship offer letter.

How to apply

Interested and eligible candidates should submit the following documents: Application letter, research concept note of not more than 2 pages, academic transcripts/certificates, an updated CV (including contacts of at least two referees) and two recommendation letters.

Send applications via email to: colocal.caes@mak.ac.ug, not later than 20th May, 2026. This contact can as well be used for inquiries, where necessary.

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Request For Consultancy Services: Training & Digital Solutions Expert

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Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Request For Consultancy Services: Training & Digital Solutions Expert. Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa

The Makerere University Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Limited implemented a Gates Foundation training program dubbed “Principle of Management Excellence for Research training” PRIMER in francophone countries, namely, Mali, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This training was delivered by content experts and experienced practitioners, not professionally trained experts. As such, limiting the quality of slide decks, which were largely fragmented with text rather than graphical and infographic elements that suit a mature audience. To effectively deliver a research training program, advanced, engaging, and efficient tools are critical for fostering audience engagement and participation, and for learning and assessment in research management excellence. To achieve this, IDI seeks to hire an expert to:

  1. design and deliver a set of integrated advanced slide decks combining text, visual learning materials (graphical and infographics) and case scenarios
  2. develop a virtual bilingual community learning platform (VBCLP), i.e. with in-built French and English to engage alumni,
  3. develop and automate a pre-course assessment system that potential trainees fill out, and it automates results that are presented in statistical form for easy interpretation and decision making.

Details: https://shorturl.at/Rzn8d

Apply to: EAkankwasa@idi.co.ug

Deadline: 5 June 2026, 5 PM EAT

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