Staff members from the Department of Population Studies, within the School of Statistics and Planning at Makerere University, have successfully completed a comprehensive three-day training on Doctoral Supervision. The training, held from June 28 to June 30, 2024, was meticulously conducted by esteemed faculty from the College of Education and External Studies, alongside experts from the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training.
The initiative, aimed at enhancing the supervisory skills of doctoral advisors, underscores Makerere University‘s commitment to academic excellence and robust research mentorship. The Deputy Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences, Prof. James Wokadala, officiated the closing ceremony, commending the participants for their dedication and active engagement throughout the training sessions.
“We are committed to fostering a supportive and rigorous research environment for our doctoral candidates. This training is a testament to our dedication to academic excellence and effective mentorship,” remarked Prof. Wokadala in his closing address.
He said the college has got plans to improve PhD graduation levels, some of which include appointing two PhD coordinators per school. He asked the staff to exhibit high ethical standards while supervising the students.
The training program was generously funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, secured by Dr. Patricia Ndugga. The grant facilitated a series of interactive workshops, case studies, and collaborative discussions, designed to equip the faculty with advanced supervisory techniques and strategies to support doctoral students effectively.
Dr. Patricia Ndugga expressed her gratitude for the support, stating, “This training is a significant step towards enhancing the quality of doctoral supervision at Makerere University. We are grateful to the Carnegie Corporation for their continued support in our quest to improve research training and mentorship.”
The participants, who included both seasoned and emerging academic staff, have expressed their enthusiasm for applying the new skills and knowledge gained to their supervisory roles, thereby enriching the academic journey of their doctoral students.
Makerere University remains steadfast in its mission to provide top-tier education and research training, continuously seeking avenues to enhance the capabilities of its faculty and the academic experience of its students.
On 13th April 2026, Prof. Sarah Ssali, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) of Makerere University, hosted Dr. Sizile Makola, a Visiting Scholar and Senior Lecturer from the University of South Africa (UNISA).
Makerere University and the University of South Africa committed to partnership and collaboration through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Consequently, Dr. Makola, a researcher and an expert in human resource and business management is scheduled to spend two weeks at Makerere University, interacting with the leadership at different levels, researchers, students, as well as staff in the Department of Marketing and Management, School of Business under the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS).
Additionally, the visit accords Dr. Makola the golden opportunity to finalise her comparative studies with members of staff from the Department of Marketing and Management on behalf of Makerere University for the Ugandan context.
The meeting between the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) and Dr. Sizile Makola was attended by Associate Professor Godfrey Akileng-the Dean, School of Business, and Ms. Agnes Sansa from the Department of Marketing and Management.
Welcoming the Visiting Scholar, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) urged Dr. Makola to solidify the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both universities through academic exchanges and deepening scholarship on African-centred leadership.
Prof. Ssali shared a brief trajectory that has shaped Uganda’s workspace. She mentioned the critical role of three pillars that have fundamentally influenced the human resource development landscape in Uganda namely: Cultural practices, Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP), and Spirituality/Religion. She also acknowledged the distinct historical differences between Uganda and South Africa.
Dr. Makola’s discussion with the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) also featured the ongoing comparative study that Dr. Sizile Makola and Ms. Agnes Sansa are conducting in relation to how organizational and human resource management conditions shape the recognition and conversion of women leadership resilience in Uganda and South Africa.
The study is titled: Ubuntu/Obuntu Bulamu, Emotional Capital and Women’s Leadership Resilience: A Comparative Study Across Public and Private Sectors in South Africa and Uganda.
Impressed by the ongoing study, Prof. Ssali implored the visiting faculty-Dr. Sizile Makola to share with her the findings in due course.
Prof. Ssali expressed the readiness of the Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) to work with the different units within Makerere University, and the University of South Africa, to support programmes aimed at strengthening collaboration, partnership, research, and internationalization.
On 10th April 2026, Dr. Makola delivered a captivating guest lecture titled,Re-Imagining Human Resource Management in Africa, targeting undergraduate and postgraduate students pursuing human resource management courses at Makerere University.
Emphasizing the need to integrate indigenous knowledge and organizational practice, Dr. Makola argued that researchers should theorize from African contexts, treat indigenous knowledge as a source of theory, use methodologies capturing moral, communal, and context-bound dimensions of work, and build concepts from African languages, values, and institutional histories.
She stressed the need for African-centered human resource management thinking, rather than just adding local case studies to Western frameworks. Dr. Makola’s argument was informed by limitations of Western human resource management frameworks, which assume autonomous individuals, formal institutions, and technical organizations, which are separate from family and community.
Arising from an existing Memorandum of Understanding (until September 2028) between University of Padova, Italy (UniPd) and Makerere University (Mak), the two institutions partnered and will jointly implement the Bilateral Agreement for the mobility for students between 2026 and 2027. At Mak, the Departmental Flow Coordinator is Symon Peter Wandiembe (PhD) and the project Principal Investigator and Contact Person is Saint Kizito Omala (PhD), both of Department of Statistical Methods and Actuarial Science (DSMAS).
In this regard, the Department of Statistical Methods and Actuarial Science wishes to announce opportunities for student mobility to the Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy for the Winter Semester, October 2026 – January 2027.
The selection process shall entail five-steps:
Step 1: Submission of documents by candidates for nomination, with an internal deadline of April 20th, 2026, 05.00 p.m. (EAT) to allow for time to process nomination applications;
Step 2: Meeting of the Nomination Committee to review documents received from applicants;
Step 3: Submitting the list of nominated candidates, by April 30th, 2026, to the International Projects and Mobility Office of the University of Padua, Italy;
Step 4: Eligibility check and communication to successful candidates by the International Projects and Mobility Office of the University of Padua, Italy; and
Step 5: Application for the Mobility opportunity by successful candidates.
Please see download for detailed call.
Inquiry
S.K. Omala via +256 772 491545 before April 20th, 2026.
On Wednesday 8th April 2026 the Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Prof. Edward Bbaale received and welcomed, Dr. Sizile Makola, a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA), to the College and Makerere University.
The interaction meeting held in the Office of the Principal brought onboard the following members of staff from the Department of Marketing and Management, School of Business: Dr. Jude Mugarura, Dr. Zaina Nakabuye, Dr. Agnes Sansa, and Dr. Anthony Tibaingana.
Dr.Sizile Makola is visiting Makerere University for two (2) weeks to cement the MoU between Makerere University and UNISA and to finalise her comparative studies with staff from the department of marketing and management on behalf of Makerere University for the Ugandan context.
Dr. Makola is scheduled to deliver an interactive guest lecture to undergraduate and postgraduate human resource management students on Friday 10th April 2026 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm in the School of Business, Conference Hall.