The Julius Nyerere Leadership Centre (JNLC) at Makerere University, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), opened a two-day Community Innovation Showcase and Alumni Workshop on 17^th November 2025—an event dedicated to strengthening alumni-led community transformation across Uganda.

Held under the theme “Empowering Alumni for Transformative Community Impact,” the workshop is part of the ongoing JNLC–UNDP Alumni Follow-Up Programme, a long-term initiative designed to track, support, and amplify the work of alumni implementing community-based innovations.

Showcasing Youth-Led Innovations

Day one saw ten alumni presenters demonstrate their community innovation projects before a panel of adjudicators. Hosted at Fairway Hotel in Kampala, the session provided a valuable platform for alumni to highlight their progress, key milestones, and emerging impact within their communities.

According to Dr. Nansozi K. Muwanga, Executive Director of JNLC, the selected alumni have demonstrated remarkable courage and creativity by implementing initiatives that address some of Uganda’s most pressing challenges—climate change, gender inequality, economic exclusion, and digital gaps. Their work, she noted, exemplifies what becomes possible when young leaders are empowered and supported.

Dr. Muwanga emphasized that since 2021, over 600 youth have been trained through the JNLC leadership programmes, cultivating a growing network of ethical, visionary, and community-driven young leaders. However, she also highlighted a persistent gap between leadership training and visible community impact. “Only a limited number of alumni have successfully transitioned from learning to implementation,” she observed, citing challenges related to limited visibility, inadequate mentorship, resource constraints, and weak strategic partnerships.

Introducing the Alumni Impact Activation Strategy

To address these gaps, Dr. Muwanga unveiled the JNLC–UNDP Impact Activation Strategy—a deliberate effort to strengthen post-training engagement, systematically track alumni initiatives, and provide targeted support. She explained that while all alumni would benefit from mentorship and capacity strengthening, three outstanding initiatives would receive seed funding from UNDP based on the assessment of the expert panel. She thanked UNDP, facilitators, and partners for their continued commitment, reaffirming that leadership training must go beyond certificates and translate into real community impact.

A Keynote Rooted in Experience and Inspiration

In a moving keynote address, Mrs. Irene Mutumba—a long-standing advocate for education, social entrepreneurship, and youth-led innovation—reflected on leadership, empathy, and the power of small beginnings.

She shared a personal childhood story of teaching neighbourhood children basic English phrases, which later inspired the creation of a community learning centre on her family’s veranda.

“I realized that small actions could make a difference in people’s lives,” she recalled. “If you make a difference, you can make a difference in other people’s lives.”

Mrs. Mutumba encouraged alumni to see themselves as catalysts for social transformation, reminding them that community innovation presents limitless opportunities to create value and lasting change. She underscored the importance of:

• strategic networking and stakeholder mapping
• collaboration and co-creation
• entrepreneurial and life skills (planning, risk-taking, communication)
• continuous learning, monitoring, and reflection

She urged participants to remain resilient, consistent, and intentional, emphasizing that meaningful impact requires both action and exposure.

Guidance, Acknowledgments, and Key Lessons

Moderating the discussion, Dr. Gardner Herbert Rwakiseta, JNLC Programme Coordinator, acknowledged Ms. Annet Mpabulungi Wakabi, UNDP Team Leader for Governance and Peace, for the strong partnership and sustained support. He noted that effective community impact rests on three pillars: innovation, connection, and nurturing leadership. Using a powerful metaphor, he reminded alumni:

“Think of yourselves as farmers. Each of you has a seed. Our role, together with UNDP and the panel of judges, is to water and nurture these seeds until they bear the impact we envision.”

Reflecting on regional follow-ups across Uganda, Dr. Gardner commended the dedication shown by alumni whose work has transformed communities and whose innovation earned them a place in this showcase. He reiterated Nelson Mandela’s timeless message: “It is in your hands to create a better world,” urging participants to take full responsibility for the change they want to see.

Pitching Sessions and Feedback

During the workshop, each alumnus had ten minutes to pitch their innovation project. The presentations spanned diverse categories including:

• community engagement
• climate change and justice
• gender and economic empowerment
• youth skilling
• urban farming
• political and civic leadership

The ten presenters were:

Mr. Obete Andrew Obonyo, Mr. Simoni Ichumar, Mr. Wetaka Jude, Mr. Moro Boniface, Ms. Itungo Joan, Ms. Khaitsa Allen, Ms. Auma Olivia, Ms. Nadongo Mary, Mr. Onek Charles, and Mr. Bwayo Emma.

In her reflections, Prof. Josephine Ahikire, JNLC Board Member, urged participants to prioritize clarity, simplicity, and audience-awareness in their communication. She emphasized the importance of sequencing ideas effectively and managing time, applauding the JNLC team for steadily nurturing young leaders.

A Platform for Growth and Future Opportunities

The adjudication panel evaluated projects based on impact, sustainability, clarity of vision, and potential for scale-up. The session was rich with feedback, peer learning, and networking opportunities. The atmosphere was filled with enthusiasm and a shared determination to scale up the social innovations already taking root in different communities.

As participants exchanged experiences and stories of change, the two-day workshop affirmed a central message: when young people are encouraged, guided, and supported, they can transform their communities in profound and lasting ways.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the unseen links of global health risk are growing stronger. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are on the rise, fueled by humanitarian crises, conflict, fragile health systems, weak surveillance, and the ceaseless movement of people and goods. The World Health Organization now processes more than 100,000 health signals each month, each one a potential sign of an unusual illness pattern or outbreak in the making. Between 1996 and 2023, more than 3,000 global outbreak events were reported, affecting millions and revealing the vulnerabilities of even the most advanced health systems. Many of these diseases are zoonotic, capable of leaping from animals to humans and igniting epidemics or pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 laid bare how swiftly such threats can upend societies, economies, and entire ways of life, and how urgently the world must strengthen its capacity to predict, detect, and respond.

It is within this complex and evolving landscape that Makerere University has convened the second Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health Africa Conference from November 6–7, 2025, bringing together researchers, technologists, policymakers, and health leaders to explore how AI and digital innovation can redefine the continent’s disease surveillance and health resilience. Building on the momentum of its 2024 inaugural edition, this year’s conference advances the mission of accelerating responsible AI adoption across African health systems. Last year’s gathering sparked key collaborations, among them, partnerships between Makerere University’s AI Lab and the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), and deeper engagement with the Health AI for All Network (HAINET), laying the foundation for transformative, data-driven health ecosystems. From Sunbird AI, which supports real-time health data analytics, to AirQo, a platform using AI to monitor air quality and its health impacts, and the Makerere AI Health Lab, pioneering intelligent diagnostic and decision-support tools, these initiatives illustrate the tangible potential of African-led innovation.

As the second conference unfolds, it reflects not only a regional awakening to the power of AI but also a continental commitment to shaping the global health future from within Africa. These existing health risks demonstrate the urgent need to change the status quo and tackle these challenges decisively. However, doing so requires that resources, intensified surveillance, and capacity building be urgently prioritised across the continent, particularly to address regional bottlenecks and support countries that are ill-prepared to detect and contain disease outbreaks. Universities have a fundamental role to play in these processes as centers of innovation, research, and capacity building.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza, Uganda’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, underscored the government’s commitment to fostering technological growth through the Life Sciences Innovation Centre. The centre, she explained, was established to support technology-based enterprises that possess scalable innovations but face challenges in expanding their reach.

Dr. Musenero emphasized that “this is the season for Uganda to make its mark globally” by actively engaging in the development and production of artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to enhance service delivery across sectors. She commended Makerere University for its ongoing AI-focused initiatives and urged the institution to continue positioning itself at the forefront of research and innovation in the field. Dr. Musenero further pledged the Government of Uganda’s continued support towards efforts that strengthen the country’s capacity to contribute meaningfully to the global AI ecosystem.

Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi highlighted the central theme of the conference addressing the needs of vulnerable communities that continue to face the burden of infectious diseases and limited access to quality healthcare, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. He observed that artificial intelligence (AI) in health presents a powerful equalizer, offering innovative solutions to bridge gaps in access and service delivery.

Prof. Buyinza further emphasized that progress in AI should not be driven by competition but by collaboration and knowledge sharing. He called on researchers, innovators, and policymakers to work collectively toward ensuring that advancements in AI serve the greater good of society.

The conference also show cased a range of innovative AI-driven solutions addressing critical challenges in health and development across Africa. Among the highlights was the Sam Photo App, an ethical and scalable AI platform designed for child nutritional monitoring, promoting sustainable approaches to early health intervention. Another innovation, the AI-Augmented Monitoring and Evaluation System, aims to redefine data utilization for building resilient and sustainable health systems on the continent. From Kenya, ICUConnect demonstrated the potential of machine learning through its web-based dashboard that streamlines referrals and ICU bed coordination, complete with time-series forecasting of bed demand in public hospitals. Additionally, a team of Ugandan researchers presented a project on Integrating GeoAI and Spatial Machine Learning for Malaria Prediction, show casing how data-driven insights can support proactive disease management.

Dr. Musenero’s message was clear, that Uganda’s moment to lead in technological innovation has arrived. With government support and academic collaboration, the country is poised not only to adopt emerging technologies but to shape them to transform local challenges into global contributions through the power of AI.

Welcome to this comprehensive reflection on the remarkable milestones achieved by the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) throughout the second half of the 2024/2025 financial year. This dynamic period was marked by various achievements, strategic collaborations, and a steadfast commitment to advancing knowledge for national development. From capacity-building initiatives such as equipping PhD students with vital skills in crafting policy and issue briefs to supporting several project dissemination activities, Mak-RIF further demonstrated its dedication to fostering panoramic and impactful research.

The pinnacle of the period was the vibrant Research and Innovations Week, officiated by His Excellency, President Yoweri K. Museveni. During this landmark event, our researchers showcased the tangible impact of Government investment in research through Mak-RIF, and Makerere’s innovative strides and research excellence.

Beyond this event, the period saw meaningful benchmarking visits from the Ministry of Public Service and Lira University, deepening inter-institutional collaboration in research management and knowledge translation. We were also privileged to host Prof. Christine Suniti Bhat from Ohio University, exploring partnerships in mental health, psychosocial support, and capacity building.

In the second half of the financial year, Mak-RIF also launched its 6^th round of grants award and inducted the RIF6 grantees, marking yet another chapter of impactful research ahead.

I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the Government of Uganda and the University Management for their support towards Mak-RIF. I further appreciate researchers, the Mak-RIF Grants Management Committee and the Secretariat whose hard work and dedication continue to elevate Uganda’s research and innovation ecosystem. Together, we continue to position Makerere University as a beacon of research-led national development.

Prof. Fred Masagazi-Masaazi
Chairperson, Mak-RIF Grants Management Committee (GMC)