On Thursday 12^th October 2023, H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta  Museveni officiated at the celebrations to mark twenty years of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. The celebrations that started in March 2023 were held under the theme “20 Years of NCHE Transforming Higher Education in Uganda” and climaxed at Kololo with a Mini-Exhibition by various institutions, inspected by H.E. President Museveni and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni.

Remarks by H.E. the President and First Lady

Speaking at the celebrations, the President congratulated NCHE upon marking their 20^th Anniversary. The Head of State urged NCHE to insist on a well-tailored modern type of education that seeks to understand nature and its laws as well as understanding the society and evolution of man from hunter-gatherer to domestication of crops, livestock, and commercial farming.

In her remarks, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni thanked God for the twenty years that NCHE has been in existence as an agency of the Ministry of Education and Sports. She applauded NCHE for the leaps that the higher education sector has made in the last twenty years in the form of quantitative increase of higher education institutions from 67 to 265. The First Lady nevertheless urged NCHE to position itself as a catalyst for the transformation of the higher education system in Uganda so as to make the country a hub for higher education in the East African region.

Recognition of Higher Education Institutions

During the celebrations, the NCHE recognised Makerere University for its contribution to the transformation of the higher education sector through provision of relevant and high quality education. Equally recognized were Uganda Christian University as the first private university in Uganda, the 7^th Vice Chancellor and first female Vice Chancellor of Ndejje University Rev. Canon Prof. Olivia Nassaka Banja and the Ernest Cook Ultrasound Research and Education Institute (ECUREI)’s Prof. Micheal Kawooya.

Mak Exhibitors at NCHE@20

Makerere University featured prominently during the Mini Exhibition. Led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the exhibition team showcased research, innovations and services through the following:

• Mak Solar Cooker by Dr. Peter Tumutegyereize (College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) – an appliance that uses electricity generated by a solar panel system to cook food, requiring no add-ons such as charcoal, rocks, gas, kerosene or even mains electricity.

• AirQo by Joel Ssematimba and Priscah Adrine Warigo (College of Computing and Information Sciences) – a custom low-cost air quality monitor that measure particulate matter PM₂.₅ and PM10, the most common pollutants that affect human health deployed across a high-resolution air quality monitoring network in target urban areas in Uganda and across eight African countries.

• Maka Water Purifier – made with a chicken keratin biosorbent,
• Phyto-Nutra Chicken Feed – from indigenous plant species to address Antibiotic resistance and Environmental pollution, and
• Value-Added Nutraceuticals – from indigenous plant species in the form of Veggie Cocktails, Porridge cocktails, Nutra Cakes, Cookies, and Bread by Dr. Alice Nabatanzi’s projects (College of Natural Sciences). Produced with funding from the Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF)

• Makerere Regional Centre of Excellence for Crop Improvement (MaRCCI) represented by Dr. Sharon Tusiime Mbabazi (Seed Specialist and Ag. Deputy Director) and Ms. Fiona Nyanzi (8 Technology Limited, Mak-RIF Project Partner) – showcased a variety of value-added products produced from sorghum and cowpea. Demo video of how to grow cowpea and sorghum. Digital applications for growing cowpeas and sorghum.

• Department of the Academic Registrar represented by Mr. Justus Karegyeya – showcased the Makerere University online application system and programmes that students can apply to from any location as long as they have an internet connection.

Compiled by Mak Public Relations Office