The Public Investment Management Center of Excellence (PIM CoE) was conceived as a result of the 2016 PIM Diagnostic study done by the World Bank and Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development with support from Makerere University School of Economics that discovered inefficiencies in PIM in Uganda.

This report highlights the work, achievements and prospects of the Center. The Center plans to start offering Advanced level training through Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in PIM and Master of Science in Economic and Investment Modelling (MEIM). I am pleased to introduce this report to the public for use by all stakeholders.

I would like to appreciate PIM CoE Secretariat, partners, staff and well-wishers for technical support, daily running of the Center and their role in the realization of these achievements.

Special thanks go to Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, National Planning Authority, Cambridge Resources International (CRI) and Makerere University for the overwhelming support rendered towards the development of the Center.

Prof. Edward Bbaale
Principal & Principal Investigator, CoBAMS/PIM CoE

Stephen Wandera, cohort 2, Makerere University, was nominated for the prestigious Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award 2025. This nomination recognizes his outstanding contributions to research excellence. The award ceremony took place on January 14, 2025, during the Convocation luncheon, following the 75^th graduation ceremony of Makerere. We congratulate Stephen on this significant achievement and commend his dedication to advancing research within his field.

Source: CARTA Newsletter Issue 85

This report on mapping research in education intends to ignite debate on completion of doctoral studies to improve on doctoral throughput, and reflect on emerging research themes in order to strengthen and increase on evidence-based research from the College of Education and External Studies (CEES) that can address a myriad of education related challenges in Uganda and beyond. The College of Education and External Studies (CEES) is one of the ten (10) constituent colleges of Makerere University. Makerere University aspires to be research-led in the current strategic period, 2020-2030 and as CEES journeys ‘Towards a Research-led College’, it is prudent to take stock of research capacity by analyzing PhD graduates of the period 2012-2024 and continuing PhD students admitted by 2022/2023 as well as the emerging research themes in CEES.

First, the total number of PhD completers was 121 in the period 2012-2024 out of whom only six (6) completed in less than 5 years, which is only 5 percent. This is a worrying statistic since at Makerere University, an institutional average of 41% of registered PhD students is reported to complete within four (4) years. Apparently, majority of the completers in CEES complete in 5-9 years represented by 86 PhD graduates. In the same way, among the continuing PhD students, only 59 out of 194 PhD students have spent 3-4 years on the programme perhaps because their year of admission is relatively recent. Second, the research themes that the doctoral research focuses on were explored. Nineteen (19) out of 121 PhD graduates had researched on human resource management, eleven (11) focused on technology in education, eleven (11) on pedagogy/teaching and learning, and only five (5) on inclusive education among others. In the continuing student cohort, there is a surge in students researching on pedagogy /teaching and learning (24), technology in education (20), inclusive education (16), and emergence of a research theme on STEM Education/TVET (17) out of 194 continuing PhD students.

To compound the research themes at CEES, PhD student and academic staff research funded by the Government of Uganda through Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF) focused on quite similiar themes. Finally, areas of research that have been dominant across specialities in CEES in the last and next 5-10 years were highlighted by 28 academic staff at different ranks who responded to a survey. Overall, this report presents us with an opportunity to further reflect on the CEES Research Agenda, how to tap and maximize the potential of expertise in CEES, how to harness the diverse PhD research in education and research by academic staff in order to strongly generate impactful research and innovations, and contribute to policy and practice through policy briefs, knowledge briefs, and guidelines for uptake in education and the education system.

Ronald Bisaso, PhD. FUNAS.
Associate Professor of Higher Education and Deputy Principal, CEES.