Business & Management
EfD-Mak Center Passes Evaluation for Re-Accreditation for the next 5 years
A panel of external evaluators from the EfD Global Hub at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has consented to recommend the re-accreditation of the EfD-Mak Center Uganda for another five years.
Edwin Muchapondwa from the South African EfD centre at the University of Cape town, Precious Zikhali from Nairobi Kenya and Ted Horbulyk from Canada were in Uganda on a three-day evaluation exercise on 23rd – 25th October 2023.
Every five years, the EfD Global hub evaluates its over 15 centres across the world on various parameters including institutional development, capacity building, research, policy engagement and outreach, performance and also on publication as a research output.
The EfD Uganda was established in Honai in 2018 and launched at Makerere University August 2019 funded by Sida.
The panel heard testimonies from the administrative staff, students the research fellows that work with the center, the university administrators, right from the Head of Department to the Dean, the College Principal and the Academic Registrar, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor as the Chief Executive of the university.
The trio visited government ministries, departments and agencies including the National Planning Authority, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the Ministry of Water and Environment, Wakiso district local government, and ACODE-a civil society organization to find out how collaborative engagements with the EfD-Mak center have shaped the policy environment and practice, as well as the plans and areas they felt the centre could serve better to make more impact.
In a closing meeting with the centre administrative staff and researchers, the Lead Evaluator Edwin Mchapondwa gave a glimpse of what the evaluation report will look like outlining some of the themes and pledged to produce the report within a month.
“But the headline is that the panel has agreed that we will make a recommendation that the center should be re-accredited for five more years. Okay, so with this, we have come to the end of the review process. So we thank the colleagues for tolerating all our hard questions, imposing on your time, not allowing you to attend some meetings you should have been attending. That way, it has been good for the center,” Mchapondwa announced.
Under the institutionalization, the team commended Makerere University for its plan to position the center between the two colleges as a good strategy for sustainability and encouraged the staff to maintain the team spirit and dedicate more time to serve the centre.
“With respect to engagement, I am very impressed with the people we spoke to as entry points into getting ongoing collaborations with people in government and civil society and local government and so on. I think the challenge I see is getting good traction with them” Canadian external evaluator Ted Horbulyk said.
The centre also scored highly in terms of its policy engagement with government ministries, departments and agencies, academia, civil society and local governments. The team advised on the need to formalise the collaborations to ensure they are institutionalised within the university.
“I see policy engagement as a great platform, which a lot of work has really been done, that there is a lot of dedication, I think everybody that we spoke to said they are very engaged, I think that presents a very great opportunity. But of course I think that there is also more that can still be done, just to build on the foundation that has been made. I’m really happy about the potential that you have and the links that you’ve established”, the Kenyan external evaluator Precious Zikhali added.
The evaluators also commended the centre for capacity development initiatves for students, researchers and policy makers in a range of aspects in Environment and Natural Resources Economics but advised on the need to narrow down its focus on areas of field.
“…You are doing well with your programs. And we heard the numbers of typical enrollments. And you seem to be inspiring students right from the undergraduate level. I think that is the right way to go. And we also appreciated hearing about this collaborative program you have in particular, the Masters in Environmental and Resource Economics, which is supported by both colleges.
“What you are doing with the policy makers, particularly IGE, and soon RAMP is also quite good. We saw some evidence that there is some impact that is coming across from there.” The team leader, Edwin Mchapondwa stated.
With respect to publications and papers, the evaluators tasked the centre to submit all publications to justify that there is an active body of scholars at the centre who are doing work.
Evaluators further observed the need for the centre researchers tap into each other’s expertise and narrow the scope of the fields into something that is of high impact when it comes to policy engagement.
On the gender side the centre was also advised to continue to think about initiative to expand the meaningful participation of women, both within EfD Uganda and EfD Global collaboratives.
EfD Uganda has created a mark in the country through policy engagements and outreach.
The Director Edward Bbaale said entering the EfD network is a prestigious issue that has contributed to the internationalization agenda as Makerere drives towards the research-led university status.
The center, he reported, was given notice more than a year ago that it was due for evaluation, and requested to conduct a self-evaluation and ranking on a number of parameters for which it is charged to deliver .
Bbaale said, the center has been preparing a document of self-evaluation which involved appending evidence of MoUs, outcomes of the engagements, and caused policy changes in government.
“And we prepared ourselves to receive this evaluation team. And in the three days of evaluation, we have endured a lot of questions, which, to the best of our ability, we responded to very well”, He said
Bbaale described the evaluation exercise and conversations as enjoyable, and one that gave him pride as he observed people give testimonies about the impact that EfD-Mak has made over the years.
“And as a result, we have not been shy at all to interface with this team. Our heads have been high up, confident, and we tried as much as possible to respond to each of those parameters the way we are supposed to deliver”.
“And then the D-Day, and the awaited hour was at 4 o’clock today 25th October 2023 where the evaluation team chose to give highlights of what they have observed. They highlighted a a number of strengths and gaps to be worked on.”
“But finally, what made us very proud this afternoon is that the EfD evaluation team, all the three panelists agreed that the EfD-Mak Center is worthy to be accredited for the next five years, which was a great thing we celebrated and are still celebrating,” the Professor remarked.
Lessons from the evaluation and way forward
Bbaale appreciated evaluators for pointing out different perspectives and great opportunities to engage more with line ministries.
“We should always be in the corridors of the Ministry of Water and Environment to show case of what we are and what we can do, to let them know that in the EfD-Mak Center resides great expertise that can give answers to a number of questions that the government workers may not have answers to.
“We are going to write a profile about what we are as EfD-Mak, our research team, what we have done over the years, and tell the ministry that we are ready to offer solutions to some of the things they have been grappling with”. He pledged.
The other lesson, he said, is interesting students to like environment and natural resource economics right from undergraduate and graduate students that come as freshers and creating a pool of fellows to offer supervision as well as participating in the EfD Global Hub competition for the best dissertation.
On international collaborations, the Director clarified that the center belongs to the Forestry collaborative where center researchers Peter Babyenda and Patrick Byakagaba are having a forest project. Babyenda and a representative from the National Forestry Authority under the same collaborative will be travelling to Nepal under the same arrangement for a study on how the country has succeeded in the forestry policy. The center is active in SETI collaborative, that deals with energy and the very first center’s project was on electricity, which was done by Dr. Nicholas Kiliman followed by Dr. Aisha Nanyiti.
In addition to providing a write-up on each of those collaboratives that exist and encouraging people to always be part, Bbaale promised to submit a detailed list of publications from the research fellows.
On the question of gender and ensuring women full participation in the centre activities, Bbaale said Makerere University has been deliberate and intentional to balance gender and to protect women in general including against sexual harassment.
“With government addition of 1.5 points to women, its fruits have been seen after very many years. Now we graduate 52% female. We are yet to see the fruits translate into graduate programmes and when that happens, we shall be sure that we are in the position to have more women researchers in the center.” He said.
Audit process as a reflection for improvement while re-accreditation offered confidence
Delivering the vote of thanks, the Dean, School of Economics Dr. Ibrahim Okumu described auditing as a way that allows institutions to reflect for purposes of improvement.
Okumu was happy that the evaluators engaged with a number of stakeholders,
“And the outcome tells me that it’s been a really positive engagement. And of course, the last strong point that I got out of this was the positive feedback we got from the policy arena that we are positively contributing to their area of work.
“And of course, the greatest thing today was the fact that we have an additional five years of contributing to the development of environment, economics, within our space and within the global space. All the areas of strengthening would indeed come through as positive as you suggested.” The Dean noted.
Jane Anyango is the Communication Officer EfD Uganda
Business & Management
Public Lecture on Research Collaboration across borders presents enormous opportunities to researchers, faculty and students
Delivering the public lecture, titled: Research Collaboration across borders, Prof. Ken Kamoche from Nottingham University, urged researchers at Makerere University, to undertake research that will strengthen and empower Africa, including fields that are ignored.
“My research has focused on those pertinent issues and fields that are always ignored. I call upon you to re-consider undertaking research in the fields of knowledge management, innovations, indigenous knowledge, identity, artificial intelligence (AI) and Africa at large,” said Prof. Kamoche.
Acknowledging that he had undertaken tremendous research and publication in human resource management and organizational studies, Prof. Kamoche testified that he took a paradigm shift to focus on the values that underpin the organizational behaviour.
Held at Makerere University Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility Auditorium on 3rd March 2026, the public lecture attracted faculty from Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Uganda Christian University, administrators, researchers, and students. Before heading to the public lecture, Prof. Kamoche held a discipline-specific meeting with academic staff at the School of Business under the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) at Makerere University.
The Africa Research Group: Fostering Global Scholarly Engagement and Capacity Building
Prof. Kamoche highlighted the establishment of the Africa Research Group to address the gap in engagement between scholars in Africa and their counterparts in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Established in 2012, the Africa Research Group at Nottingham University Business School provides a platform to spur knowledge transfer across disciplines and continents.
“I am here to inspire you to do research. If you are looking for a platform, I invite you to utilize the Africa Research Group. We have been able to give researchers from Africa a voice. We welcome research students at all levels,” Prof. Kamoche said.
He pointed out that the Africa Research Group provides mentorship to postgraduate and early-career researchers, supports doctoral supervision, joint publications, and funding applications. Prof. Kamoche encouraged students and faculty members to participate in future activities and pursue collaborative research opportunities.
What inspires Prof. Kamoche?
Responding to a question from the students who admired his commitment to research, publication, authorship, Prof. Kamoche said: “The desire to make a difference and share knowledge with others, and make an impact.”
Research collaboration
During the public lecture, Dr. Christopher Muganga, Dr. Seperia Wanyama, and Dr. Anthony Tibaingana from the School of Business, and Dr. John Mushomi from the School of Statistics and Planning, emphasized the importance of research and collaboration in the transformation of countries and societies in general. The members of faculty stressed the importance of knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas, authorship and publication, mentorship, joint research undertakings and networking.
Global academic collaboration
Dr. Seperia Wanyama highlighted the significance of the public lecture in creating opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the collective advancement of academic and societal understanding.
“The event serves as a platform for fostering diversity in academia, bringing together researchers, students, and administrators to engage in shared learning,” he said.
He applauded Prof. Ken Kamoche for his distinguished contributions global academic collaboration and research. He credited Prof. Kamoche for his willingness to share valuable insights on research collaboration across borders. He urged participants to remain active and engaged throughout the session.
Talent Management and Cross-Continental Collaboration
Prof. Kamoche commended Makerere University for hosting him, reflecting on the golden opportunity to engage with students, faculty, and researchers. He shared insights from his extensive academic journey, research contributions, and initiatives to strengthen collaboration across Africa, Asia, and the West.
Reflecting on talent management and organizational leadership, Prof. Kamoche noted that he has maintained a strong focus on leveraging his international experiences to foster cross-continental academic collaborations and address challenges relevant to both African and global contexts.
Focusing on talent management, Prof. Kamoche shared insights from his extensive research, explaining how organizations often take an “exclusive” approach, concentrating resources on a small group of high-performing individuals seen as the main drivers of value. He also highlighted a different perspective: the “inclusive” approach, which recognizes that every employee has unique skills that can contribute to the organization’s success.
Using recent research in Kenya’s banking sector, published in the South African Journal of Human Resource Management, Prof. Kamoche illustrated how talent management connects closely with innovation, employee engagement, and confidence. His findings indicated that while high performers are essential, sustainable success comes from balancing focus on star performers with developing the wider workforce.
Prof. Kamoche reflected on earlier studies conducted in Hong Kong, which examined the experiences of employees identified as “high potential.” He noted that being labeled talented can be a double-edged sword, creating pressure, high expectations, and sometimes causing employees to rethink their career priorities over time.
Comparative Insights on Asian Management and Strategic African Partnerships
Prof. Kamoche shared insights from his comparative research on Asian management practices, tracing his academic interest in Asia back to his graduate studies at Oxford. There, he examined Japanese management systems at a time when Japan’s economic model was admired worldwide. Through interviews with senior human resource executives in major Japanese corporations, he sought to understand the foundations of their organizational success.
Prof. Kamoche observed that while African countries are familiar with Western business systems, their understanding of Asian management philosophies remains limited. His research highlighted key differences in operational practices, particularly in areas such as time management and efficiency.
“Some Chinese infrastructure projects run continuously, reflecting a highly results-driven approach,” he noted. He acknowledged challenges raised by local employees regarding cultural differences, labor practices, and the need for more equitable engagement.
Prof. Kamoche emphasized that Chinese investment in Africa is far from uniform, encompassing state-owned enterprises, private firms, and long-term individual entrepreneurs. “African countries must strategically leverage these partnerships to maximize both economic and social benefits while protecting local interests,” he argued.
Dr. Anthony Tibaingana commends Prof. Kamoche’s Scholarly Impact
The Acting Dean of the School of Business, Dr. Anthony Tibaingana, lauded Prof. Kamoche for delivering an insightful lecture at Makerere University, describing the presentation as an exceptional exposition of knowledge and scholarship.
Dr. Tibaingana highlighted the significance of Prof. Kamoche’s return to Africa, describing it as a meaningful reconnection with his roots and a contribution to the continent’s intellectual growth.
The Acting Dean commended the depth of the presentation, particularly its insights into human resource management, leadership, and talent development. He emphasized that Africa, with its youthful population, presents both opportunity and responsibility for scholars to generate research-based solutions to the continent’s challenges.
He underscored the need for academia to address pressing issues such as leadership gaps, institutional weaknesses, and talent retention within universities and organizations.
Dr. Tibaingana encouraged faculty and students to continue engaging through research networks and ongoing conversations facilitated by the Africa Research Group at Nottingham University Business School.
He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to teaching, research, and community outreach, noting that such engagements contribute to long-term academic partnerships and future institutional growth.
Moderated by Dr. Christopher Muganga from the School of Business, the public lecture concluded with the presentation of Makerere University Souvenirs to Prof. Kamoche and networking engagements with students.
Monica Meeme contributed to this story as a Guest Writer
Business & Management
Thirty Public Officers Certified in Integrated Regulatory Cost-Benefit Analysis
Thirty public officers from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have successfully completed a two-week intensive training in Integrated Regulatory Cost-Benefit Analysis (IRCBA), culminating in the award of certificates at a closing ceremony held on 27th February 2026 at the Pearl on the Nile Hotel in Jinja.
The training was jointly organized by the Public Investment Management Centre of Excellence at Makerere University and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), in collaboration with the Infrastructure and Social Services Department (ISSD) and the National Planning Authority (NPA). It focused on operationalizing the Revised Guidelines for the Issuance of Certificates of Financial Implication (CFIs), which came into effect on 1st July 2025.
A Strategic Reform for Fiscal Credibility
In closing remarks delivered on by Commissioner Paul Patrick Mwanja behalf of the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury, participants were commended for undertaking the training during a demanding budget cycle, when many MDAs are simultaneously preparing the FY 2026/27 Budget, executing the FY 2025/26 Budget, and implementing the National Development Plan IV and the Tenfold Growth Strategy.
The PS/ST emphasized that the revised Guidelines mark a significant shift toward a more transparent, data-driven, consultative, and analytically rigorous approach to evaluating policy and legislative proposals. Participants were equipped to assess fiscal implications, evaluate economic and socio-economic impacts, analyze distributional effects, and address uncertainty using structured analytical tools.
They were reminded that training alone is not sufficient, the real test lies in consistent application. As members of the third cohort, they were challenged to serve as reform ambassadors, championing evidence-based policymaking and strengthening analytical standards across government.
Bridging Academia and Public Service
Delivering the official closing remarks, the Director of the PIM Centre of Excellence, Prof. Edward Bbaale, commended participants for their active engagement and unwavering commitment throughout the training.
He described the programme as both timely and strategic, designed to equip officers with practical tools to prepare robust Statements of Financial Implication (SFIs) that support credible issuance of CFIs. He noted that strong financial analysis enhances fiscal discipline, policy coherence, and the overall quality of legislation and public policy in Uganda.
Prof. Bbaale underscored the longstanding partnership between Makerere University and the Ministry of Finance, highlighting how it continues to bridge academia and public service by combining analytical rigor with practical policy experience. He emphasized that the collaborative model — bringing together faculty from the College of Business and Management Sciences and practitioners from Government, reflects the core vision of the PIM Centre of Excellence: strengthening national systems through evidence-based policymaking.
During the two weeks, participants gained hands-on experience in applying cost-benefit analysis across four critical dimensions: budgetary analysis, socio-economic analysis, distributive impacts, and risk assessment. Prof. Bbaale encouraged them to return to their institutions as agents of transformation, improving evaluation frameworks, strengthening regulatory decisions, and ensuring that public interventions deliver value for money and long-term development impact.
He also reaffirmed the Centre’s broader mandate beyond training, noting its recent support to the revision of Development Committee Guidelines, assessment of public investment performance since NDP I, and hosting of the Second Public Investment Management Conference in August 2025.”
Building from “Zero Kilometre”
Earlier, the Manager of the PIM Centre of Excellence highlighted the practical approach adopted during the training. Participants began with blank Excel sheets and built analytical models from scratch, likened to the engineering concept of starting at “zero kilometre,” where construction begins from the very starting point and progresses step by step.
The interactive sessions enabled participants from diverse disciplines, including policy analysts, planners and statisticians, to interrogate assumptions, refine costing approaches, and debate implementation and enforcement frameworks. Their sector-specific insights enriched the learning process and strengthened the analytical models developed.
The Manager noted that excellence is not about knowing everything, but about bringing together the right expertise. Facilitators from MoFPED, NPA, the Office of the President, and Makerere University ensured that theory remained grounded in practical government realities.
Participants Applaud Practical and Engaging Sessions
Speaking on behalf of the cohort, a participant described the training as highly engaging and transformative. The combination of theory and practical application, coupled with patient facilitation, allowed officers from varied professional backgrounds to learn from one another.
The participant highlighted the final day’s discussions as the most impactful, expressing confidence that the knowledge gained would enhance policy analysis and improve the quality of programmes and projects across MDAs.
Certificates Awarded
The ceremony concluded with the award of certificates to all 30 participants in recognition of their successful completion of the IRCBA training. The certification marks another milestone in Government’s effort to build a critical mass of experts capable of institutionalizing rigorous financial and economic analysis in public policy processes.
As the workshop was formally declared closed, participants were encouraged to apply their newly acquired skills consistently, mentor colleagues, and contribute to strengthening fiscal governance across Government.
The PIM Centre of Excellence reaffirmed its commitment to continuous research, policy advisory support, and capacity building as Uganda advances toward more credible, transparent, and sustainable public decision-making.
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