General
Finance Dept. & DICTS to Digitize Requisitions and Vouching System
The Finance Department and Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS) are in the final stages of developing a system to electronically manage the hitherto manual process of generating requisitions and vouchers. Code-named RAVIS (Requisitions and Voucher Information System), the system will upon completion also enable the Finance Department and Management to monitor budget performance and generate reports at the click of a button.
Addressing staff from the Finance Department, DICTS and other units in the Council Room on 28th March 2023, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), Prof. Henry Alinaitwe commended the Project Coordinator and Manager Accounts and Reporting, Mr. Lubowa Gyaviira upon the progress made on RAVIS. He noted that automation of these processes will facilitate seamless transactions and provide a digital backup of all transactions.
“As a key stakeholder, I want to see this system operational as it will help us to efficiently track balances on various votes, reduce on procurement delays due to missing vouchers and enable the units at the centre to efficiently monitor their budget lines” added Prof. Alinaitwe.
The University Secretary, Mr. Yusuf Kiranda commended the initiative and advised that the system should make it as simple as possible for users to attach all supporting documents. He also cautioned the Finance Department Staff at Units to ensure that originators of the requests provide hard copies of the same for reference and future audit purposes.
As with all Information Systems, notifications are generated with each transaction to alert users of the system of pending actions on their part or to update on actions taken. Owing to the number of transactions a system processes, these can turn out to be too numerous to the point of being overwhelming. In light of this, Mr. Kiranda advised the developer DICTS to ensure that all notifications remain on RAVIS and not be sent via email as is the case with some systems.
The University Bursar, Mr. Evarist Bainomugisha welcomed the intervention, noting that it would not only automate but also proved a fallback position in the event damaged or missing physical vouchers. He added that unlike the physical requisitions and vouchers, their digital equivalents will be easier to backup and search in the event of follow-up.
“This system is going to great help us and our hope is that it will be implemented efficiently and effectively. I thank DICTS for stepping forward and working with the Finance Department to develop the system” added the University Bursar.
The Project Coordinator, Mr. Lubowa thanked members of the University Management for sparing time to attend the meeting, noting that development of RAVIS was an important milestone in the University’s financial management initiatives. He added that the system will facilitate the smooth management of budgets, especially for units at the centre where it will be pioneered.
“With this system in place, each unit especially at the centre will be able to monitor its budget performance and quickly address any mischarges or promptly provide any supporting documents that can aid quick processing of requisitions” added Mr. Lubowa.
Representing the Director DICTS, Mr. Samuel Mugabi, the Principal Systems Administrator, Mr. Juma Katongole shared that the system was developed after several interactions with the Finance Department and users at the Colleges. “These back and forth interactions were aimed at ensuring that we have a true record of requirements from the user units so as to develop a fitting system.”
He added that DICTS looked forward to more interactions with users of the system as part of the current baseline assessment of all information systems at Makerere University. DICTS in partnership with some developers from the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) is at the heart of digital transformation of university business processes. This is one of the core objectives of the Makerere University Strategic plan 2020-2030.
The partnership between DICTS and CoCIS has over the last six years led to the automation of a number of fourteen business processes such as: Human Resource Management, Student Academic Business Management, Student Electoral Business Management, Integrated Financial Management, Electronic Learning Management, Library Business Management, Grants Management, Student Documents Management, Customer Relationship Management, Hospital Business Management, Motor Vehicle Management, Requisitions and Payment Management, Teaching Time Table Management and Alumni Management.
Makerere University has officially launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030, marking a major milestone in its commitment to strengthening research, innovation, and human capital development in line with Uganda’s national development priorities.
The launch brought together senior government officials, university leadership, and development planners, including the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, and a representative from the National Planning Authority (NPA), alongside the University Vice Chancellor.
A Vision Anchored in National Transformation
Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor underscored the University’s ambition to significantly expand graduate training and strengthen its contribution to national development. He noted that the institution is targeting a return to pre-COVID enrolment levels and a substantial increase in postgraduate numbers by 2030, with a focus on producing highly skilled graduates, innovators, and researchers.
He emphasized that the Strategic Plan positions the University as a key driver of Uganda’s transformation through knowledge generation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligned with national priorities.
“The staffing distribution is shown here. Under the approved establishment, we intended to have 419 Professors, but we currently have only 75. We planned for 473 Associate Professors, but currently have only 144. This clearly demonstrates that we still have considerable room for growth in strengthening our academic staff profile,” the VC said.
The VC appreciated researchers and research centres, that continue to attract substantial research funding. He highlighted the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and the Makerere University Walter Reed Project which attracted approximately US$70 million in international research funding into Uganda.
“When you combine the grants won by all our researchers through competitive international funding, the total exceeds US$200 million,” he said.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Lorna Magara, described the Strategic Plan as more than an institutional roadmap, calling it “a public covenant with the people of Uganda.”
She noted that the Plan marks “the launch of Makerere University’s next chapter,” adding that decisions taken over the next five years will shape not only the future of the institution, but also Uganda’s development trajectory through graduates, research, innovations, and leadership.
Dr. Magara emphasized Makerere’s unique national role as Uganda’s premier public university, entrusted with public resources and public confidence.
“Every investment made in Makerere must produce measurable value for the people of Uganda,” she said, underscoring the need for accountability, integrity, and impact.
Ambitious Targets for Transformation
The Council Chairperson and the Vice chancellor outlined bold performance targets under the Strategic Plan, including doubling postgraduate enrolment, increasing STEM enrolment from 30% to 55%, improving PhD completion rates from 10% to 35%, and more than doubling peer-reviewed research output, alongside a significant rise in patents and innovations.
Dr. Magara stressed that these targets are not aspirations alone but binding commitments against which institutional performance will be measured.
“Ambition is precisely what this moment demands. A strategic plan is not measured by the elegance of its language, but by the lives it transforms,” she said.
Call for Stronger Governance and Legal Reform
Dr. Magara also highlighted the need for reform of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap. 262, noting that the current legal framework has not kept pace with the evolving realities of university governance and innovation.
She called on Government and Parliament to support a timely review of the Act to enable universities to better optimise knowledge systems, productive assets, and innovation capacity in support of national development.
Government Endorsement and Strategic Alignment
Hon. Henry Musasizi commended the University for developing a forward-looking Strategic Plan aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which serves as the foundation for the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
He explained that Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about USD 50 billion to USD 500 billion requires accelerated growth driven by productivity gains, innovation, and strong human capital development.
“Universities are central actors in national transformation. They are engines of knowledge creation, innovation, and human capital development,” he said.
The Minister stressed that government priorities include strengthening research, promoting industrialization, and ensuring that knowledge generated in universities is translated into practical solutions that support economic growth. He further highlighted the importance of accountability, efficiency, and value for money in public investments in higher education.
Universities as Drivers of the Tenfold Growth Strategy
In his presentation, the Senior Planner at the National Planning Authority, Samuel Kasule, emphasized that the Strategic Plan is firmly anchored in Uganda’s comprehensive development framework under Vision 2040 and NDP IV.
He noted that the Tenfold Growth Strategy seeks to accelerate Uganda’s economic growth into double-digit territory, enabling the country to achieve structural transformation and reach upper middle-income status.
Kasule underscored that universities play a critical role in this transformation through labour productivity, research, and innovation. He pointed out that priority sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals, oil and gas, and ICT depend heavily on skilled graduates and strong research ecosystems.
He also highlighted the importance of competency-based education, alignment of academic programmes with national human resource needs, and strengthening postgraduate training and research outputs.
A Shared Commitment to Transformation
Across all speeches, a strong message emerged: universities are central to Uganda’s development agenda and must evolve into research-intensive institutions that directly contribute to economic transformation.
The Strategic Plan 2025-2030 was widely commended for its focus on innovation, industry collaboration, digital transformation, and the commercialization of research outputs.
Government leaders reaffirmed continued support for higher education institutions through research funding, innovation ecosystems, and strengthened university–industry partnerships.
Conclusion
The launch of the Strategic Plan 2030 signals a renewed commitment to positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda’s development journey. With strong alignment to national priorities, the Plan is expected to accelerate research, innovation, and skills development necessary for achieving Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions. The Strategic Plan may be accessed at: https://mak.ac.ug/about/strategic-plan
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