Over 30 researchers and graduate students from Makerere University participated in a specialized training aimed at enhancing their skills in research co-creation, science communication, and policy engagement. The training, organized by the Environment for Development (EfD) Mak Centre, emphasized the importance of bridging the gap between academic research and policy impact, particularly in the fields of environmental economics and natural resources management.

Research Must Impact Communities

While opening the training on 15^th October 2024 at Makerere University, Prof. Edward Bbaale, Director of the EfD-Mak Centre, underscored Makerere University’s commitment to becoming a research-intensive institution. “Makerere University resolved to produce as much research output as possible,” he stated. Prof. Bbaale emphasized that the university’s strategy goes beyond just producing research but also ensuring that this research has real-world impact. “This research must not be done for its own sake or just for attaining degrees. It must impact communities,” he added.

Prof. Bbaale also highlighted the critical role graduate students play in advancing Makerere‘s research mission. “The university is counting on you to produce high-quality research. You are researchers, and this type of training helps you transition from science to policy communication,” he said, encouraging participants to actively engage with policymakers to ensure that their research findings inform decision-making.

The training is part of the broader mission of the EfD initiative, which seeks to influence policy in the Global South through high-quality research. Prof. Bbaale reiterated the Centre’s focus on capacity building, particularly in the area of environmental economics. “We emphasize academic training, policy-relevant research, and engaging policymakers to create impact. Our goal is to build long-lasting relationships with policymakers, but that starts with rigorous research,” he noted.

Bridging the Writing Skills Gap

Dr. Peter Babyenda, Uganda’s Policy Engagement Specialist and lead trainer, identified a gap in writing skills among graduate students, which prompted the focus on co-creation, communication, and policy engagement. “We realized that students often struggle to develop strong research topics, which is why this training is important. Co-creation allows researchers to share ideas with peers and stakeholders to refine their research problems,” he explained.

Babyenda also stressed the importance of disseminating research findings. “Researchers should not keep their work to themselves. They must learn how to effectively communicate their findings through policy briefs, press releases, and social media,” he advised. He further encouraged the use of technology, including AI, to improve writing style and clarity.

Dr. Babyenda added that future training sessions would focus on methodologies and advanced research techniques. “We want to ensure that students and researchers are equipped with the latest methodologies in environmental economics to produce research that informs policy and drives actionable change,” he said.

Reflecting on the training, participants said, it was insightful and transformative.

John Robert Opus: A Shift to Purposeful Research

John Robert Opus, a graduate student at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences pursuing a Master of Agribusiness, expressed gratitude for the insights he gained during the training. “I’ve been doing a lot of research, but I’ve not been mindful of who my research is for. Today, I learned that as a researcher, you need to know who will use your results and what impact they will have,” he noted. Opus added that this training has transformed his approach to research, making him more focused on creating purposeful work that makes a tangible impact.

He also acknowledged the importance of communicating research findings, which many students often overlook. “We usually think research is just a requirement to complete our Masters, but today I learned that it helps in policy-making. Communicating the results—whether through social media or other platforms—is very important.”

Hilda Namuleme: Rethinking Research Communication

Hilda Namuleme, a researcher at the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), highlighted how the training changed her approach to writing and communicating research results. “Coming from a research background, my pyramid has always been to start with the background and build up to the results,” she said. “But in this training, I learned that I need to start with the results when writing for the media, like press releases or newspaper articles. It was very educational.”

Namuleme praised the structure of the training, calling it a valuable learning experience. “It was a good, educative session, and I thank EfD for organizing such great trainings. We look forward to more of these opportunities,” she concluded.

Taaka Proscovia Mugeni: A Focus on Feasible Research Topics

Taaka Proscovia Mugeni, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in Economics at the School of Economics, expressed her gratitude for the insights gained from the training. “I’ve really learned a lot from today’s training,” Mugeni shared. “I’ve learned aspects of communication—how to communicate issues related to your research, and also insights on how to structure your research topics.”

Mugeni emphasized the importance of selecting feasible research topics and praised the workshop for addressing key challenges that students face. “It has been a very insightful training, and I would love to appreciate all the stakeholders who contributed to organizing it. We as students need more of this,” she noted.

Jane Anyango is the Communication Officer EfD Uganda

Heifer International has awarded top young innovators in agriculture, youth, and technology through the AYUTE Africa Season 3 challenge, an initiative aimed at nurturing the talents of young people to address pressing challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Africa.

William Matovu, Country Director at Heifer International-Uganda, emphasized the organization’s commitment to tapping into the innovative potential of young people across Africa. He highlighted the significant role that young innovators can play in solving agricultural problems. “Africa has the most fertile soils, with statistics indicating that at least 60 percent of the globe’s uncultivated arable land is in Africa. Yet, it is the same continent that is spending over 1 billion US dollars to import food,” he noted.

During the gala event for AYUTE Africa Season 3, more than UGX 100 million was awarded to the top 10 innovators with the most outstanding technologies designed to help local farmers access affordable solutions to enhance their agricultural productivity.

Matovu pointed out that agriculture in Africa has vast potential but is underutilized. “We spend close to 150 million USD to import vegetable oil while many of our young people are going abroad to take on odd jobs,” he remarked. Through initiatives like the AYUTE Africa challenge, Heifer International aims to reverse this trend by promoting local solutions to agricultural challenges.

In the three years since its inception in 2021, the AYUTE Africa challenge has identified over 500 innovations, many of which are already being introduced to the market. “We believe there is a future around technology in agriculture, which will ride on the rails we have built,” Matovu added, signaling the organization’s long-term commitment to fostering agricultural innovation in Africa.

This year’s grand prize of UGX 50 million was awarded to Assumpta Nakalema, a young innovator from AgroVision Uganda, for her solar-powered egg incubator. Nakalema’s innovation is designed to support smallholder farmers by providing a solution for hatching between 100 and 300 eggs at a time, helping farmers improve productivity and increase profits. “With this project, farmers are going to be helped to commercialize their poultry businesses,” Nakalema explained.

The incubator, equipped with advanced technology, maintains the ideal temperature and humidity necessary for egg development. It features a built-in fan to distribute heat evenly and an AI-powered remote monitoring system that sends real-time sensor data to a cloud server for analysis. A door monitoring system also ensures that the incubation process remains uninterrupted by triggering an alarm if the door is accidentally opened.

Nakalema expressed her gratitude for the funding, stating, “I’m going to use this money to scale up the incubator from a prototype to a marketable product that smallholder farmers can afford.” The solar incubator is poised to transform the poultry industry by making sustainable and affordable hatching technology accessible to farmers.

Angel Uwera, the first runner-up, won UGX 25 million for her Mak Agrometer innovation. This tool informs farmers of the nutrient concentration in their soil, allowing them to optimize their planting and fertilization strategies. The device, equipped with an NPK sensor, enables farmers to collect soil samples and get real-time data on soil health. “Farmers can collect different soil samples from their gardens and insert the sensor to see the exact nutrient levels,” Uwera explained, highlighting how this innovation can enhance crop yields and improve food security.

Other notable innovators recognized during the awards included Olivia Nakiwanuka, the second runner-up, for her Axis Solar innovation, and Stellah Nakirijja, who developed a solar-powered tick detector. Patricia Ninsiima also received recognition for her contributions to agricultural technology.

Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza, representing Makerere University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, commended Heifer International for providing young innovators with a platform to bring their ideas to life. He pledged Makerere’s continued support for collaborative research and innovation. “For a long time, we have done research, but we have been leaving it on the table. This step will take us far,” Prof. Buyinza remarked.

Ronald Ssegawa Jjagenda, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, represented the State Minister for Animal Industry, Hon. Bright Rwamirama Kanyontore, as the event’s Chief Guest. He emphasized the importance of agricultural technology in addressing the sector’s profound challenges. “Agriculture is facing deep challenges, but technologies like these will offer practical solutions,” he said. Jjagenda also stressed the government’s commitment to supporting young people through programs such as the Parish Development Model and Emyooga, aimed at transforming youth livelihoods through innovation.

In closing, Jjagenda highlighted the need to shift focus from traditional agricultural practices to innovative solutions that can attract more youth to the sector. “We must identify areas within the agriculture value chain where we can engage youth with modern tools, including smartphones, to help them succeed,” he concluded.

The AYUTE Africa challenge is a testament to Heifer International’s dedication to empowering young Africans and revolutionizing agriculture through innovation. With support from organizations like Heifer, young agri-tech innovators are poised to lead Africa toward a more prosperous and sustainable future in agriculture.

The Public Investments Management Centre of Excellence officially launched a two-week training program focused on Financial and Risk Analysis of Public Investments today September 23, 2024. Approximately 30 economists from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are participating in this intensive training, which aims to enhance their skills in public investment management.

The training kicked off with an opening ceremony led by Prof. Ibrahim Mike Okumu, the Dean of the School of Economics at Makerere University. Prof. Okumu expressed gratitude to the Government of Uganda for its generous funding that has made this centre possible. He also acknowledged the dedicated trainers, who bring expertise from Makerere University, the National Planning Authority, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and Cambridge Resources International.

“This training is not just an opportunity for professional development; it is a crucial step towards ensuring effective management of public investments in Uganda,” Prof. Okumu stated. “The knowledge gained here will have a lasting impact on our nation’s long term economic landscape.” This is because this training enables us to grow a critical mass of planners who have a potential to appraise projects so that we limit bad public projects and increase public project efficiency by increasing the link between public projects and the economy.

Dr. John Seruyange, the Centre Manager, welcomed the trainees and praised their commitment to this capacity-building initiative. “Your presence here reflects a dedication to improving our public investment processes,” he said. “Over the next two weeks, you will engage in rigorous training designed to equip you with the necessary tools to make informed financial decisions and effectively analyze risks associated with public investments.”

Joseph Ahaisibwe from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development noted that the programme integrates the different modules of the appraisal such as demand/market analysis, technical and environment analysis, financial, economic and risk analysis so as to ensure a 360⁰ degree view and avoid most of the challenges that have in the past resulted into project delays. He noted that, the programme has started yielding results through increased number of projects being appraised from 10% in 2016 to now over 80% in 2024. “This performance raises hope that as more participants are trained, the dividends will be more to Government”. Joseph noted. He implored participants to pay keen attention and utilize the faculty members to the maximum so that as they go back to their places of work, there is value to add.

Participants hail from a range of organizations, including the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), the National Planning Authority (NPA), the Uganda Police, the Ministry of ICT, as well as Muni University and Makerere University. This diverse representation underscores the collaborative effort required to enhance public sector capabilities.

The training program promises to be both challenging and rewarding, setting the stage for the development of a skilled workforce ready to tackle the complexities of public investment management in Uganda. As the programme unfolds, participants will not only gain valuable knowledge but also contribute to the overarching goal of fostering sustainable economic growth for the country.