The College of Engineering, Design, Art, and Technology (CEDAT) celebrated the achievements of 760 graduands during the 75th Makerere University graduation ceremony, held on January 17, 2024, at Freedom Square. Among the graduates were 265 women and 501 men, with four outstanding individuals receiving their PhDs. This momentous event marked a significant milestone in the academic journey of these students.

In his remarks at the event, the Chancellor, of Makerere University Dr. Crispus Kiyonga proposed establishing formalized relationships with medium- to large-scale farmers nationwide. This initiative, he said, aims to enhance the practical experience of agriculture students and promote community development.Dr. Kiyonga congratulated the 13,660 graduates and expressed gratitude to parents, guardians, and university staff for their support. He also thanked President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Mrs. Janet Museveni, Minister of Education and Sports, for their invaluable assistance.

Highlighting the university’s role in industrialization and community outreach, Dr. Kiyonga encouraged formal partnerships with the investment community to commercialize innovations. He urged graduates to apply their skills for societal benefit and stressed the importance of understanding socio-economic forces.

Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, praised the college for its outstanding accomplishments over the past year. He noted that CEDAT has firmly established itself as a research hub within the university. Despite the significant loss of highly qualified staff to various government agencies, the college is recovering and regaining its status as a leader in research and innovation, showcasing its resilience and dedication to academic excellence.

Another milestone in CEDAT’s research output was the development of a low-cost smart energy meter to help electricity consumers better understand their energy consumption patterns. This customized monitoring and data collection package was designed to accommodate the limitations of rural settings and will aid consumers in ensuring their purchased electricity units are efficiently utilized whenever they turn on their electrical appliances. This innovation emerged from the Mak-RIF (1st Phase) funded project titled, “Integration of the Centralized Grid and Decentralized Renewable Energy Off-Grid Systems: A Techno-Economic Analysis.” The energy metering system comes at a time when many people face high energy demands that are expected to rise significantly in the future, highlighting the need for solutions aimed at reducing energy wastage.

Prof. Nawangwe also highlighted a study led by Dr. Ronald Kizito that developed the Neural Text-To-Speech System, an innovation to aid the translation of written Luganda language text into speech using artificial intelligence. This was a result of the research, ‘A Luganda Neural Text-To-Speech System for Health Promotion and Accessibility,’ a multi-year task involving researchers from the Languages and Literature Departments in CHUSS. The innovation aims to support the dissemination of health messages to a wide Luganda-speaking audience who may not be in a position to read written text, which is usually the mode used in sending out information through literature like fliers. With support from MakRIF, it aims to create a Luganda TTS model, build a 10 million-word Luganda text corpus, and build a 20-hour single-speaker Luganda speech dataset.

Another significant output from the college was the promotion of active mobility through integrating applied research, education, and community engagement. By employing innovative approaches like real-life experiments, crowd mapping, and inclusive stakeholder engagement, the CAMA project addresses the urgent need for better infrastructure and planning to support walking and cycling in urban areas to create sustainable cities. CAMA is transforming how cities in sub-Saharan Africa approach mobility. This endeavor underscores the importance of addressing local challenges and equips the next generation of engineers and urban planners with the tools to create safer, more livable cities. This is a collaborative initiative involving several universities in Africa, led by Makerere University.

The 75th graduation ceremony saw a total of 13,658 graduands receiving degrees and diplomas from Makerere University. Of these, 143 graduands were awarded PhDs, 1,813 received Masters degrees, 11,454 obtained Bachelor’s degrees, and 243 earned postgraduate diplomas. 53% of the graduands were female and 47% were male, with 44% of the PhD graduands being female. A total of 491 graduands received first-class degrees. Additionally, 16% of the graduands were awarded postgraduate degrees and diplomas.

Written by Harriet Musinguzi, Principal Communication Officer, College of Engineering, Design, Art, and Technology