On Tuesday 10^th September 2024, a powerful delegation from the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) held a strategic meeting with Makerere University Management aimed at strengthening partnerships and building a strong research network on the African continent.

Both parties underscored the need to tap into internationalization of higher education, building global students through co-teaching, digitization of education and learning different cultures, leveraging on existing competencies in member institutions to raise the research profile in Africa, as well as conducting trainings and mentorship programmes to empower researchers to acquire relevant and competitive skills and knowledge aligned to the demands of the research environment.

The call to action for AAP Consortium Members focuses on ensuring that the valuable research networks contribute to research impact, which entails research uptake so that research benefits communities in Africa.

About AAP and the Meeting

Founded by Michigan State University (MSU) in 2016 in collaboration with African colleagues, the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) is a consortium of 10 leading African universities, a distinguished research network for African research institutes, and Michigan State University (MSU) that builds on MSU’s over 60-year history of collaborating with African institutions. Its goal is to co-create innovative solutions to global challenges with its members working collaboratively with other international partners to transform lives in Africa.

This year, Makerere University– a member of AAP hosted the AAP Consortium Meeting from 9^th to 11^th September 2024. As part of this agenda, a strategic meeting involving AAP Consortium participants and Makerere University Management was scheduled. The aim of the meeting was to have a focused and interactive discussion on deepening collaboration in areas of interest namely research, teaching and learning, research funding opportunities, winning and attracting research grants, and re-committing to the AAP Priority areas.

The AAP Priority Areas include: Education; Agri-food systems; Water, Energy and Environment; Youth Empowerment; Health and Nutrition; Science, Technology and Innovation; Gender and Inclusion; and Culture and Society.

The Mak-MSU Strategic Meeting

Highlighting that AAP, Michigan State University and Makerere University have been working together for long time, Dr. Amy Jamison, Co-Director, AAP said the strategic meeting presented an opportunity to anchor the spirit of partnership across the different colleges and disciplines.

“We are here at Makerere University to strengthen our partnership, re-commit to working together and to ensure that Makerere University leadership across the Colleges are aware of the AAP work.”

To supplement this submission, Dr. Jose Jackson another Co-Director emphasized that AAP facilitates research growth among consortium members, presents mentorship opportunities and has special programmes targeting early career researchers.

Prof. Titus Awokuse, Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Partnerships, International Studies and Programs, MSU stated that AAP provides a platform to develop research of faculty through provision of mentorship opportunities to early career faculty on how to publish their research in internationally recognized journals and how to apply for external grant funding. He further urged Makerere University to harness its leadership of the higher education sector to remain at the forefront of advocating for research.

The Vice Chancellor’s Remarks

The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe also Chair of the AAP Advisory Board welcomed the delegates to the special session with Management. He articulated that the work of AAP is aligned to the internationalization agenda of the University and its strategic direction of being a research-led institution.

Prof. Nawangwe asserted that through enhanced research collaboration, AAP and Makerere University will continue to provide evidence based solutions to the development challenges in Africa.

“Through the AAP, we are convinced that we will be strong in building valuable research networks in Africa and be in position to respond to the World Bank recommendation of producing 100,000 PhDs in Africa in the near future,” said Prof. Nawangwe.

Sharing his lived experience with the AAP delegates, Prof. Nawangwe explained that the world expects research from universities to impact their day to day lives. He then revealed a question that he was asked during one of the engagements with the Government of Uganda. “If we have a number of people with PhDs, why are Ugandans still suffering from hunger?” Prof. Nawangwe who admitted that this question still challenges him to-date, underscored the need for PhDs that contribute to the transformation of the agricultural sector.  He added that research networks such as the RUFORUM and AAP are empowering researchers and faculty to respond to this question and solve the puzzle.

Responding to the discussion on research impact and the need for Makerere to be at the forefront of advocating for research, the Vice Chancellor informed the AAP delegates that the University is committed to leveraging the power of research to contribute to the transformation of lives on the African continent. “To realize this agenda, the University Strategic Plan provides a platform to transform into a research-led institution. Consequently, restructuring of university processes is being undertaken to feed into the research led agenda,” he stated.

On strengthening Makerere’s Research, Grant Writing and Publication Capacity, the Vice Chancellor explained that the University Writing Centre has been institutionalized to provide the required support. Makerere University is implementing this project in collaboration with Michigan State University’s Writing Centre and AAP.

With the AAP bringing on board 10 universities in Africa, the Vice Chancellor informed the delegates about the Makerere University Rotary Peace Centre. This first Rotary Peace Center on the African Continent offers Postgraduate Diploma in Peace-building, Conflict Transformation, and Development under the Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS) Program.

Championing Innovation through the Mak UniPod

In line with the AAP Youth Empowerment Priority area, the Vice Chancellor pointed out that the Makerere University Innovations Pod had been set up with support from UNDP. The Pod, he added, presents students and young people with an opportunity to think, innovate and incubate ideas into businesses and enterprises, thereby empowering them to become job creators, innovators and entrepreneurs.

The Chairperson of the Steering Committee of Mak Innovations Pod, Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga further explained that the Mak UniPod is a dynamic physical hub and cultural melting pot that fosters innovation among students, faculty, and external individuals, regardless of their academic backgrounds. She went on to add that it provides a supportive environment where participants can tap into their creative potential to develop solutions.

Prof. Nabanoga elaborated that whether through individual exploration or collaborative efforts across various academic disciplines, the Mak UniPod promotes effective ideation through programs that are designed to systematically encourage regular co-creation of innovative solutions to societal challenges. “The Mak UniPod cultivates a vibrant ecosystem of innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration within the university community and beyond” she summed up.

Members of Management have their say

The University Secretary, Mr. Yusuf Kiranda disclosed that through benchmarking AAP and its partners, Makerere University has operationalised its Grants Management Policy, and established the Grants Administration and Management Support Unit (GAMSU). The policy and structures, he noted have been central in providing a framework for attracting and winning research grants.

The Vice Chancellor then invited Members of Makerere University Management to share some experiences and success stories aligned to the Mak-AAP-MSU partnership.

The Principal, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security (CoVAB), Prof. Frank Mwiine urged the participants to tap into youth empowerment, which is one of the AAP priority areas. Prof. Mwiine advocated for student exchanges and mobility among AAP Member institutions so that students are exposed to different learning environments, technologies and cultures.

With regard to the Gender and Inclusion priority area, Ms Susan Mbabazi highlighted that the Directorate of Gender Mainstreaming continues to champion for gender equity, women empowerment and access to higher education. She also informed the meeting that the Directorate holds sensitization meetings and trainings for staff and students aimed at fighting against gender based violence.  She particularly pointed out zero tolerance to sexual harassment, and explained that the Directorate implements the Makerere University Policy and Regulations Against Sexual Harassment.  She expressed readiness of GMD to work with AAP to contribute to the Gender and Inclusion priority area.

In the area of human rights, the Deputy Principal at the School of Law Dr. Zahara Nampewo shared that the Human Rights and Peace Centre (HURIPEC), a semi-autonomous centre of the School of Law, created in 1993 conducts research and advocacy in the area of human rights. HURIPEC, she added, publishes a bi-annual journal, the East African Journal on Peace and Human Rights, and has led many rights and governance related projects over the years. A notable and on-going initiative is a project titled “Charcoal Conflict in Climate Change’s Decarbonisation Dilemmas: Knots of Livelihood, Nutrition, Communities, Gender, Migration and Energy in East Africa”, which is examining the social conflicts that top-down changes to the charcoal value chains in Uganda and Tanzania cause. The project will contribute to the discourse on local processes of transition and options to peaceful and equitable pathways to energy transitions. In her view, this was an area that the AAP could build on especially by widening the interdisciplinary perspectives to this critical issue.

The Vice Chancellor mentioned that the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) is one of the academic units at Makerere University that has significantly benefited from the partnership with MSU.

To elaborate this, the Principal of CAES, Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga shared some compelling success stories. She noted that CAES, in collaboration with MSU’s Borlaug Higher Education for Agriculture Research and Development (BHEARD) Program, and with support from MSU’s Global Center for Food Systems Innovation (GCFSI), implemented the CAES Innovation Scholars Program (CAES-ISP). This program provided an opportunity for CAES academic staff to work in interdisciplinary teams to address food system challenges relevant to Africa. Additionally, it supported the CAES leadership in fostering a stronger culture of innovation within the college. The program fostered human-centered design thinking among scholars and also supported scholars to spearhead the institutionalization of the innovation culture in CAES.  The Scholars’ program supported eight academic staff participating in a Faculty Track and four academic staff participating in a Top Management Track.

Dr. Julia Kigozi, one of the faculty track scholars, led a project focused on developing innovative technology for medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSMEs) in the food industry. The goal was to enhance Makerere University‘s capacity to support MSMEs by providing low-cost, accessible equipment and infrastructure, enabling them to compete in domestic, regional, and international markets. The project resulted in the design of a batch pasteurizer and pulper tailored to the diverse needs of agro-processors. These technologies offered affordable solutions optimized for individual processors, directly benefiting agro-processors by improving their access to suitable equipment.

Prof. Nabanoga disclosed that the Human-Centered Design thinking introduced by CAES-ISP led to a shift in the training and course delivery approaches at the College from instructor-centered learning to learner-centered, work-integrated training. This approach emphasizes ‘learning through problem-solving,’ ‘curiosity-driven inquiry,’ experiential learning, and ‘theory improvement inquiry,’ with academic staff and industry practitioners serving as facilitators.

Prof. Nabanoga equally shared that CAES is leveraging the Mak UniPod to foster interdisciplinary collaborations between agricultural scientists, environmental experts, and innovators from other fields to develop cutting-edge solutions for food security, climate change, and sustainability challenges. She highlighted that faculty and students are utilizing the Mak UniPod’s design thinking framework to approach complex agricultural problems from a human-centered perspective, integrating technology and local knowledge.

The Mak UniPod serves as a platform for prototyping and testing eco-friendly agricultural practices and products, encouraging hands-on experimentation. By hosting workshops and hackathons focused on agricultural innovation, it engages the CAES community in active problem-solving. Additionally, CAES is using the Mak UniPod to forge partnerships with entrepreneurs and industry professionals, bridging academic research with real-world applications. Further, the Mak UniPod’s collaborative environment promotes the exchange of ideas, enhancing CAES’s role in addressing societal challenges through innovation.

The Principal, College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) and former Director of Research and Graduate Training, Prof. Edward Bbaale underscored that since the university is prioritizing the setting up of research centres at the different colleges, the Makerere University Writing Centre will play a pivotal role in strengthening the research capacities and competences of researchers and faculty.

The meeting ended on a high note with participants reflecting on the need to undertake deliberate capacity building programmes targeting units that support research centres/institutes within universities so that they are empowered to deliver as per the expectations.

Discussions conclude on a high

Wrapping up the interactive session, MSI’s Dr. Amy Jamison commended the University Management for the fruitful deliberations and extended an invitation to the University Management members to join the AAP Public Dialogue that was scheduled to begin at 2:00pm that same day at the School of Public Health Auditorium.