Research
Rt. Hon. PM to Amplify Mak Call for Govt. to Invest More in Graduate Training
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja represented by the Government Chief Whip, Hon. Denis Obua has reiterated Government’s readiness to continue supporting bankable research projects at Makerere University that are in line with national development priorities. Hon. Obua made the remarks as Chief Guest at the Annual Doctoral Convention organised by the PhD Fellows at Makerere (PF@Mak) together with the Directorate for Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) on 28th February 2023. He, in his personal capacity, further pledged to amplify the clarion calls by the Vice Chancellor, Director DRGT and President PhD Fellows for the Government to invest more in graduate training.
“Today I join you Vice Chancellor and your team as an Ambassador in carrying forward this message, and you can rely on that” reassured Hon. Obua.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe had in his remarks drawn parallels between China’s astronomical economic progress and the Nation’s heavy investment higher education, and appealed to Government to establish either a dedicated graduate student scholarship or loan scheme.
“The whole world is living in a knowledge economy and those who have the knowledge will prosper and leave behind those who do not have the knowledge” he explained.
On the knowledge front, the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister commended Makerere researchers for contributing immensely to National priorities of food security, governance and community welfare and mindset change.
“Go to National Agricultural Research Organisation and see the new crop varieties. Go to Uganda Coffee Development Authority and see the progress. Visit our Uganda Virus Research Institute, Makerere Infectious Diseases Institute” he rallied, before adding “We welcome more resource persons of your caliber with the appropriate skillset to carry on with the mantle.”
Turning to the Convention, Hon. Obua commended the PhD Fellows for undertaking research projects covering topics such as health, governance, technology, innovation, environment, food security and bio-safety, noting that their findings will help improve policy and practice. He reassured researchers of Government support for projects that address challenges such as environmental degradation, climate change effects as well as the need to improve tourism, education, rural development, transport and communication, which all require vigorous research.
The Vice Chancellor noted that the Leadership had taken a strategic decision to use UGX 1.5 Billion of the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) to support PhD students to conduct research. This move, he said, was aimed at creating a critical mass of researchers that provide solutions responsive to development challenges, such as the drought resistant cassava varieties produced by researchers that helped prevent the re-occurrence of severe famine in Eastern Uganda approximately fifteen years ago. “You cannot put a value to that.”
He therefore commended the PhD fellows for organizing the convention and making their contribution to the University’s goal to become research-led. Citing examples such as the Graduate Training Lounge at the Sir Albert Cook Library, College of Health Sciences (CHS), the Vice Chancellor applauded Colleges that had set aside designated spaces for PhD students.
“As Management, we are making every effort to establish a dedicated building for the School of Graduate Studies… and I hope that this will greatly improve the conditions of work for the PhD Students” he added.
The Director DRGT, Prof. Edward Bbaale thanked the Government of Uganda for funding research at Makerere through Mak-RIF, and appreciated the Vice Chancellor for his leadership that has identified graduate training and research as being instrumental for societal transformation and development. He added that in young, energetic and enthusiastic students that seek to undertake graduate studies as well as well qualified staff committed to their duty, Makerere is more than ready to double efforts in as far as graduate training is concerned.
“The Directorate of Graduate Training is committed to continuously building an environment that is conducive for research and graduate training to flourish at Makerere. We shall continue working with Colleges, Schools and Departments to ensure an improved research and graduate training environment” added Prof. Bbaale.
He noted that the 2023 doctoral convention is one of the platforms for Fellows to share expertise and experiences as well as challenge each other to produce outputs for societal transformation. “It is upon you, dear doctoral candidates, to undertake research with this theme [Positioning Research for National Development] in mind because all we are doing is trying to unlock the potential of graduate studies to respond to national and regional development challenges.”
The Deputy Director DRGT, Prof. Julius Kikooma who doubled as the Convention’s Co-emcee reiterated that the Directorate’s mandate to coordinate, monitor and provide an enabling environment for quality graduate training is at the heart of attaining Makerere’s research-led goal. Graduate training especially at Doctoral and Postdoctoral levels, it is envisaged, will play a cardinal role in achieving this goal, due to its identified potential for knowledge production that responds to national, regional and global development challenges.
PhD Fellows President, Mr. Gerald Ahabwe Zihembire appreciated the Government for the support received through Mak-RIF, noting that it was a positive trend in ongoing efforts to secure funding for doctoral training at Makerere University. He thanked the Vice Chancellor for championing a collaborative agenda that had benefited various Fellows through exchange visits to partner universities that Makerere had entered into MoUs with. He appreciated the Fellows for submitting abstracts to Convention, adding that it will provide visibility for their work.
Please click below to access the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister’s Keynote address.
Uganda’s latest national HIV survey reveals lower viral suppression among adolescents and young adults living with HIV than among older adults, even as the country records substantial improvements in controlling the virus. The findings come from Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA 2025), a national household survey examining HIV prevalence and whether people living with the virus know their status, receive treatment, and achieve viral suppression.
Releasing the preliminary UPHIA 2025 findings at the Uganda Media Centre on 1 October 2026, Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Chris Baryomunsi called for earlier prevention and testing, particularly among adolescent girls and young women, alongside support for treatment adherence. “We must reach out to the young people, ensure that they have information, they test, take treatment, and adhere to the treatment guidance,” he urged.
Hon. Baryomunsi recalled how fear had discouraged testing during his university years: “I remember when we were at university, we went for testing at the university hospital. We sat there for three hours. Some of us left without even testing because it was scary.” Today, he explained, “even if you test HIV positive, you can be initiated on treatment, and you live normally like the rest of those who don’t have HIV.”
UPHIA 2025 was locally led under the Ministry of Health’s overall leadership, with Makerere University School of Public Health serving as the prime implementer, a role ICAP at Columbia University held in the previous two surveys. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics led sampling, while the Uganda Virus Research Institute and National Health Laboratory and Diagnostic Services led laboratory operations. Regional referral hospitals and local governments supported implementation, and the U.S. government provided US$10 million through PEPFAR, along with technical assistance from the U.S. CDC.
UPHIA collected data from July to September 2025 among people aged 15 and above, including those outside routine treatment services. Of 6,283 eligible households, 94.4% completed interviews. Researchers interviewed 13,801 people and tested 13,477 for HIV.
Testing followed Uganda’s national algorithm, with laboratory confirmation of positive samples, viral-load measurement, and checks for antiretroviral medicines to establish treatment use. Researchers weighted the estimates to account for the sampling design. Participants received counselling and results, and those who tested positive were referred for treatment.
Hon. Baryomunsi thanked participants and their families for welcoming survey staff and contributing their time, information and samples, without which the national evidence would not have been available.
National progress and the youth gap
The survey estimated HIV prevalence, which means the proportion of people living with HIV, at 5.9% among those aged 15 and above, corresponding to about 1.496 million people in this age group nationwide. Prevalence was 7.3% among women and 4.1% among men, ranging from 1.3% in Karamoja to 8% in the South Western region.
Among people aged 15 and above living with HIV, 86% had achieved viral suppression, meaning a low amount of HIV in the blood, measured in UPHIA as fewer than 1,000 copies per millilitre. Suppression stood at 69.3% among adolescents and young adults aged 15–24 living with HIV, compared with 89.9% among those aged 50 and above. These estimates cover people living with HIV regardless of whether they know their status or receive treatment.
HIV prevalence among people aged 15–24 was 1.5%, including 2% among young women and 1% among young men. Among young women, prevalence was 1.3% at ages 15–19 and 2.8% at ages 20–24. These differences support attention to earlier prevention and testing, although they do not establish when infections occurred.
The highest prevalence estimates occurred among middle-aged adults: 15.7% among women aged 40–44 and 11.7% among men aged 45–49. Lower suppression among young people therefore requires attention alongside the higher HIV prevalence among middle-aged adults. Comparing the same age group across both surveys, viral suppression among people aged 15–64 increased from 74.9% in 2020–21 to 86.1% in 2025, while HIV prevalence remained at 5.9%.
Diagnosis and the path to 2030
The treatment results identify diagnosis as the main national gap. Among people aged 15 and above living with HIV, 85.3% knew their status. Of those aware, 99.1% were receiving treatment; among those receiving treatment, 96.5% had achieved suppression.
The 95-95-95 targets aimed for 95% of people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of those diagnosed to receive treatment, and 95% of those receiving treatment to achieve viral suppression by 2025. Among people aged 15 and above, Uganda exceeded the treatment and suppression targets, while diagnosis remained below target. UNAIDS’s Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031 retains these targets towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
According to WHO, viral suppression protects health and helps prevent HIV transmission. Uncontrolled HIV weakens the immune system, increasing the risk of serious illness. With continued treatment as prescribed, sexual transmission risk is negligible when HIV remains suppressed but detectable, and zero when undetectable. The Uganda AIDS Commission estimated over 34,000 new HIV infections in 2025, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis, timely treatment, and sustained suppression alongside other prevention measures.
The demographic stakes are substantial. People aged 15–24 constituted 21.2% of Uganda’s population in the 2024 census. The country’s Fourth National Development Plan, covering 2025–2030, prioritises a healthy, knowledgeable, skilled and productive population and reducing HIV through primary health care. Protecting young people’s health, therefore, supports their participation in education, work, and national development; UPHIA helps identify where services need greater attention.
Turning evidence into action
The study’s conclusions identify three priorities: sustain treatment outcomes, find people unaware of their status, and improve suppression among younger people. Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine connected the findings to the Ministry’s planning.
“We do believe that these results are a true reflection of what is happening in our country as far as the HIV status is concerned, and we do believe that it will give us a very clear direction and the roadmap that we are going to take in the next five years to target and to get our targets achieved.”
Acting on these priorities requires funding for services and research. Hon. Baryomunsi outlined plans to target resources where needs are greatest, strengthen district services and align partner support with government priorities. Responding to journalists’ questions, he noted the government’s intention to increase domestic funding for the HIV response, including research.
“The HIV/AIDS response, including research and surveys such as this one, has largely been funded by partners in the past. The government of Uganda is committed to allocating more resources from our domestic budget to support the response and research,” he noted.
For the first time in the UPHIA series, the survey assessed selected noncommunicable disease indicators among people aged 15 and above: 15.5% had elevated blood pressure, 24.8% were overweight or obese, and 0.9% had raised random blood glucose. These screening findings align with the Ministry’s integration agenda and Hon. Baryomunsi’s call to bring HIV and chronic care services together to address people’s wider health needs.
Speaking at the release of the preliminary results, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Mikael (Mika) Cleverley described UPHIA 2025 as the first Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment worldwide fully led and implemented by the country itself.
“The study was led by Ugandan scientists, Ugandan managers, Ugandan public servants, Ugandan field teams, from design to data collection to analysis. And this is what two decades of focused strategic U.S. foreign investments in the public health sector was meant to produce, is to reinforce Ugandan leadership and Ugandan-led efforts.”
At the survey launch on 29 May 2025, MakSPH Dean Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze highlighted the partnership’s contribution: “The partnership between Makerere University and CDC has not only helped build national capacity in surveillance and epidemiology, but has also strengthened our ability to lead high-quality, large-scale national surveys.”
The Dean added: “After two decades of joint work, we are proud that UPHIA is now a fully Ugandan-led effort. This is critical to the sustainability of the skills and knowledge generation to inform our local response.”
UPHIA 2025 shows how far Uganda’s HIV response has advanced and where gaps remain. As the country works towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, reaching young people with testing, treatment, and continued care will be essential to extending those gains.
Read the full UPHIA 2025 summary results here:
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