General
VC Hosts Heads of Partner Organisations ahead of 6th Kampala Geopolitics
By Ritah Namisango
On Tuesday 2nd May 2023, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe hosted the Heads of Partner Organisations’ meeting to plan and formulate strategies for the upcoming 6th Edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference scheduled to take place mid-October 2023 at Makerere University.
The Heads of partner organisations’ meeting including the French Embassy in Uganda, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, UN Women, Makerere University and Alliance Française Kampala, aimed at fostering a high-level reflection on the conference, discussing strategic plans, commitments, high-quality debate and involvement of other regional and international partners. Another partner namely IRIS (Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques) will join in due course.
The Kampala Geopolitics Conference is an annual academic, public event organised at Makerere University to discuss current geopolitical trends and hot topics. The conference started in 2018 and has become a regional flagship bearer for Geopolitical debates. It complements global conversations with regional and African perspectives, sets the course for a balanced discourse and places sustainable development, the new scramble for Africa, global peace and international cooperation in the limelight.
The 6th Edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference will bring on board researchers and academia at the national and international levels, professionals in different spheres of life, diplomatic missions, the government, private sector, civil organisations, the media, staff, alumni and students. During the meeting, the Head of Partner Organisations also resolved to focus on attracting panelists, speakers and participants beyond Uganda to include the East African region and countries in Europe.
The Vice Chancellor re-affirmed the commitment of Makerere University to host and participate in this discourse that presents an opportunity to researchers, scholars, staff and students to share ideas through intellectual debates.
Prof. Nawangwe stressed the need to mobilise, engage and involve students from Makerere University and other Universities to participate in the 6th Edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference. “The topical issues to be discussed will equip our students and youth who end up taking on various leadership positions in the country with knowledge and a balanced perception and appreciation of national and global affairs,” said Prof. Nawangwe.
As the 6th Edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference takes shape, the Heads of Partner Organisations highlighted some of the potential topics to be included in the conference programme. These include: The New Scramble for Africa – emerging geopolitics and international relations in Africa; Rapid population growth and implication for the growth and stability of Africa; Closing the Global Digital Divide: Advancing Digital Inclusion and Economic Opportunities for All; Gender and Climate Security: Implications for Women’s Rights and Security; Empowering Youth for Effective Leadership and Participation in African politics and development: Opportunities and Challenges; The refugee crisis in Africa; Water governance – the transboundary water peace and democracy; Cultural and creative industry as an influential tool for East African Countries; The African Union Mission in Somalia; The East Africa as part of the “Indo Pacific Theatre”; The effectiveness of the East African Community Regional force as security provider, the case of Congo.
The following personalities attended and participated in the high-level Heads of Partners meeting at Makerere University: Mr. Jean-François Hasperue – Embassy of France, Mr. Yves Mercier –Embassy of France; Gregory Meyer – Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Nils Wörmer – Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Paulina Chiwangu – UN Women, Lisa Dardis – UN Women, Valentine Corbel – Alliance Française Kampala, Mr. Victor Petit – Alliance Française Kampala, Awel Uwihanganye – Mak Advancement, Ritah Namisango – Mak Public Relations, and Ayub Kiranda – Representative of Mak on the Planning Committee.
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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