Business & Management

EfD-Uganda Advisory Board Emphasises collaboration to increase Centre Competitiveness

Published

3 years ago

March 20, 2023

EfD-Uganda Advisory Board Members pose for a group photo after the meeting on 14th March 2023 in the EfD-Mak Centre Conference Room, Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility, Makerere University.

The Advisory Board for the Environment for Development Initiative (EfD-Mak) Centre Uganda held is second annual meeting on 14^th March 2023 to receive and review the centre progress and strategize how the center can assert its position to contribute to the university vision and Uganda’s National Development Plan.

Top on the agenda was the need to foster collaborations and partnerships locally and internationally, integration of the center into the National Development Agenda to strengthen relations with government line ministries and, institutionalization of the centre within Makerere University.

A section of board members attending the meeting.

The meeting also discussed, resource mobilization and popularization for the sustainability of the centre, integrating the review of environmental policies as a sustainability measure, the representation of the private sector on the board and the centers strategic direction and values among others.

The Board, chaired by Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba who is also Makerere University’s Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, emphasized the need to build more networks and write multi-disciplinary proposals to increase the center’s competitiveness.

Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba chairing the meeting.

Prof. Kakumba said as Makerere strives to become a research–led university, the EfD-Mak has a role to play in realizing this goal as the university celebrates its 100 years of existence and builds for the future.

“The effort is on the shoulders of the Advisory Board in realizing the above by building partnerships with other institutions and the communities and also to build good legacy for the institution”

Board Chair, Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba (Left) and Centre Director Prof. Edward Bbaale (Right) during the meeting.

Prof. Kakumba appreciated the centre Director Prof. Edward Bbaale and his team for the collaborations already started and milestones reached in capacity development and research. He also congratulated Prof. Bbaale upon securing a higher position in the university as Director, Directorate of Graduate Research and Training.

“ I want to thank you for the role you played as Director EfD-Mak Centre which gave you the platform for the position you assumed”, Kakumba commended

One of the Advisory Board members interacts with the Director, Prof. Edward Bbaale (Left) and centre officials after the meeting.

Apart from the Global hub funding, members proposed the need for the centre to identify other areas to mobilise resources to facilitate the centre activities, identify and participate in events done by other institutions, identify entry points into the National Development plan and budgetary process and to tap into opportunities for capacity gaps in government departments and also, collaborate with Uganda Local government agencies in creating entry points to Local governments.

The other strategy was for the center to reach out to institutions, communities and government technical committees to show case what it can offer and to influence policy.

Prof. Edward Bbaale speaking during the meeting.

In addition to government officials, the trainings according to the board members should be expanded to incorporate beneficiaries from other fields like the private sector and civil society organisations and further expand research to other fields like sanitation and waste disposal in the greater Kampala and other urbanities.

Presenting the background to the formation of EfD-Mak Centre, the Director Prof. Edward Bbaale said the mission is to provide high quality research, training and policy engagement responsive to environment and development needs in Africa and beyond with a goal to achieve a sustainable environment for development .

Some of the Advisory Board members attending the meeting.

“The objectives are to strengthen institutional and human capacity of the Centre to deliver its mandate; conduct evidence-based research that informs policy for sustainable development, and to build and strengthen capacity of stakeholders in sustainable environmental management” Prof. Bbaale said

Other objectives according to Prof. Bbaale are to promote policy dialogues and outreach programmes to expand the Centre’s visibility and uptake of the Centre’s research output and to build and enhance collaborations with local and international institutions that support sustainable development.

Prof. Bbaale highlighted key achievements including the establishment of the core team, acquisition of office spaces and assets and major capacity building activities undertaken. Bbaale also reported the strategic workshops and policy dialogues undertaken, research and grants attracted as well as partnerships established.

Members of the Advisory Board in a meeting at the EfD-Mak conference room.

The director also reported the continuing and new EfD activities for the years 2022 and 2023 with their funding mechanism.

The EfD-Mak Advisory Board

The nine member board was inaugurated in on 14^th April 2022 to guide the operations of the Centre. The board was constituted by representatives from government Ministries, Departments and agencies and civil society organisations 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, and the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) Makerere University.

Members include

Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba (Chairperson) and DVC (AA) Makerere University
Magabi Stephen David (Ag. Director Environmental Affairs, MWE)
Mukasa Tom Bukenya (Ag. Director Fisheries MAAIF)
Nsereko Mike (Director Policy, Planning and Information NEMA)
Onesmus Mugyenyi (Deputy ED-ACODE)
Eria Hisali (Principal CoBAMS)
Rebecca Ssabaganzi (Local Government representative)
Sam Mugume Kooja (Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development)
Ronald Kaggwa (National Planning Authority)

Related Topics:ACODE agenda CoBAMS DLG EfD MAAIF MoFPED MoLG MWE National Development Plan NEMA NPA Research sustainability Uganda

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Business & Management

Cementing the Mak-UNISA partnership: Prof. Sarah Ssali meets Dr. Sizile Makola

Published

4 days ago

April 15, 2026

Ritah Namisango

L-R: Associate Prof. Godfrey Akileng, Dean,School of Business, Visiting Scholar-Dr. Sizile Makola, DVCAA-Prof. Sarah Ssali, Ms. Agnes Sansa-PhD Student during the meeting on 13th April 2026.

On 13^th April 2026, Prof. Sarah Ssali, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) of Makerere University, hosted Dr. Sizile Makola, a Visiting Scholar and Senior Lecturer from the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Makerere University and the University of South Africa committed to partnership and collaboration through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Consequently, Dr. Makola, a researcher and an expert in human resource and business management is scheduled to spend two weeks at Makerere University, interacting with the leadership at different levels, researchers, students, as well as staff in the Department of Marketing and Management, School of Business under the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS).

Additionally, the visit accords Dr. Makola the golden opportunity to finalise her comparative studies with members of staff from the Department of Marketing and Management on behalf of Makerere University for the Ugandan context.

The meeting between the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) and Dr. Sizile Makola was attended by Associate Professor Godfrey Akileng-the Dean, School of Business, and Ms. Agnes Sansa from the Department of Marketing and Management.

Welcoming the Visiting Scholar, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) urged Dr. Makola to solidify the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both universities through academic exchanges and deepening scholarship on African-centred leadership.

Prof. Ssali shared a brief trajectory that has shaped Uganda’s workspace. She mentioned the critical role of three pillars that have fundamentally influenced the human resource development landscape in Uganda namely: Cultural practices, Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP), and Spirituality/Religion. She also acknowledged the distinct historical differences between Uganda and South Africa.

Dr. Makola’s discussion with the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) also featured the ongoing comparative study that Dr. Sizile Makola and Ms. Agnes Sansa are conducting in relation to how organizational and human resource management conditions shape the recognition and conversion of women leadership resilience in Uganda and South Africa.

The study is titled: Ubuntu/Obuntu Bulamu, Emotional Capital and Women’s Leadership Resilience: A Comparative Study Across Public and Private Sectors in South Africa and Uganda.

Impressed by the ongoing study, Prof. Ssali implored the visiting faculty-Dr. Sizile Makola to share with her the findings in due course.

Prof. Ssali expressed the readiness of the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) to work with the different units within Makerere University, and the University of South Africa, to support programmes aimed at strengthening collaboration, partnership, research, and internationalization.

On 10^th April 2026, Dr. Makola delivered a captivating guest lecture titled,Re-Imagining Human Resource Management in Africa, targeting undergraduate and postgraduate students pursuing human resource management courses at Makerere University.

Emphasizing the need to integrate indigenous knowledge and organizational practice, Dr. Makola argued that researchers should theorize from African contexts, treat indigenous knowledge as a source of theory, use methodologies capturing moral, communal, and context-bound dimensions of work, and build concepts from African languages, values, and institutional histories.

She stressed the need for African-centered human resource management thinking, rather than just adding local case studies to Western frameworks. Dr. Makola’s argument was informed by limitations of Western human resource management frameworks, which assume autonomous individuals, formal institutions, and technical organizations, which are separate from family and community.

Related articles:

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Business & Management

Call For Applications: Student Mobility – University of Padova, Italy (Oct 2026-Jan 2027)

Published

6 days ago

April 14, 2026

Mak Editor

Group Photo of the trainers and trainees that took part in the workshop on multivariate statistics and time series analysis, held 11th-20th June 2024 between the School of Statistics and Planning, CoBAMS and University of Padova, Italy. Makerere University School of Statistics and Planning-University of Padova, Italy dynamic workshop on multivariate statistics and time series analysis, 11th to 20th June 2024, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Arising from an existing Memorandum of Understanding (until September 2028) between University of Padova, Italy (UniPd) and Makerere University (Mak), the two institutions partnered and will jointly implement the Bilateral Agreement for the mobility for students between 2026 and 2027. At Mak, the Departmental Flow Coordinator is Symon Peter Wandiembe (PhD) and the project Principal Investigator and Contact Person is Saint Kizito Omala (PhD), both of Department of Statistical Methods and Actuarial Science (DSMAS).

In this regard, the Department of Statistical Methods and Actuarial Science wishes to announce opportunities for student mobility to the Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy for the Winter Semester, October 2026 – January 2027.

The selection process shall entail five-steps:

Step 1: Submission of documents by candidates for nomination, with an internal deadline of April 20^th, 2026, 05.00 p.m. (EAT) to allow for time to process nomination applications;
Step 2: Meeting of the Nomination Committee to review documents received from applicants;
Step 3: Submitting the list of nominated candidates, by April 30^th, 2026, to the International Projects and Mobility Office of the University of Padua, Italy;
Step 4: Eligibility check and communication to successful candidates by the International Projects and Mobility Office of the University of Padua, Italy; and
Step 5: Application for the Mobility opportunity by successful candidates.

Please see download for detailed call.

Inquiry

S.K. Omala via +256 772 491545 before April 20^th, 2026.

Advert Bilateral UniPd_Mak_Agreement_for Student Mobility Download

Business & Management

Mak CoBAMS Hosts UNISA’s Dr. Sizile Makola

Published

2 weeks ago

April 8, 2026

Ritah Namisango

L-R: Dr. Zaina Nakabuye, Dr. Jude Mugarura, Dr. Agnes Sansa, Dr. Sizile Makola, Prof Edward Bbaale and Dr. Anthony Tibaingana at the 8th April 2026 meeting in the Office of the Principal. Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Prof. Edward Bbaale welcomes Dr. Sizile Makola, a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA), to the College and Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa, 8th April 2026.

On Wednesday 8^th April 2026 the Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Prof. Edward Bbaale received and welcomed, Dr. Sizile Makola, a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA), to the College and Makerere University.

The interaction meeting held in the Office of the Principal brought onboard the following members of staff from the Department of Marketing and Management, School of Business: Dr. Jude Mugarura, Dr. Zaina Nakabuye, Dr. Agnes Sansa, and Dr. Anthony Tibaingana.

Dr.Sizile Makola is visiting Makerere University for two (2) weeks to cement the MoU between Makerere University and UNISA and to finalise her comparative studies with staff from the department of marketing and management on behalf of Makerere University for the Ugandan context.

Dr. Makola is scheduled to deliver an interactive guest lecture to undergraduate and postgraduate human resource management students on Friday 10^th April 2026 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm in the School of Business, Conference Hall.