By Antonny Tugaineyo

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs, Prof. Sarah Ssali, hailed Makerere University for its longstanding partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, which has produced tangible results and impact. She made these remarks while officiating the launch and strategic plan co-creation workshop of the Africa Climate Collaborative, another initiative between Makerere University and the Mastercard Foundation, held on 30^th September 2025, at the Senate Conference Hall, Makerere University.

“These initiatives illustrate how deeply the partnership between Makerere University and the Mastercard Foundation has become. The Africa Climate Collaborative builds on this foundation, broadening opportunities for scholarships, mentorship, and support for innovations that promote climate-resilient futures,” Prof. Ssali remarked.

Prof. Ssali highlighted that the Africa Climate Collaborative is a university-wide initiative created to tackle the ongoing challenges in graduate education in Africa, such as low completion rates, weak industry connections, and the disconnect between academic research and practical solutions.

“I strongly commend Makerere’s longstanding partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, which began in 2013, supporting transformative initiatives such as the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Action Research in Psychosocial Services, the E-learning Initiative, and the enhancement of Safeguarding at the university.” Prof. Ssali pointed out.

The Program Director for the Africa Climate Collaborative at Makerere University and Principal of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga, used the workshop to elaborate on the Collaborative’s mission and its four strategic pillars;

Pillar 1: Workforce Development: Enable talented young professionals to lead the development of climate solutions through quality education

• Extend comprehensive Scholarships to 250 Masters and 40 PhD Students
• Develop new curricula of 2 Masters and 1 PhD programmes
• Upskill 150 Faculty in academic research supervision to improve the research experience of all graduate students

Pillar 2: Entrepreneurship: Empower youth to drive green economies through enhanced green entrepreneurship skilling programs

• Skilling Programme for 500 youth who have not had the opportunity to pursue University Education
• Provide seed funding for 200 viable entrepreneurship projects
• Extend business mentorship to entrepreneurs for a period of 2 years           
• Provide boost funding for 40 women and youth-led green community innovations

Pillar 3: Research and Innovation: Catalyze high-quality research and innovation through a Climate Resilience Support Centre

• Support 30 post-doctoral fellows.
• Establishment of the Climate Resilience Support Centre to catalyze high-quality research and innovation.
• Seed funding for 101 Innovations (MSc, PhD, & Postdoctoral fellows) with facilitated mentorship for a period of 2 years.
• Boost the research and innovation infrastructure at the University.

Pillar 4: Networks, Policy, and Learning: Strengthen networks to disseminate research outputs and innovations to enhance resilience to climate change

• Partner with 5 Public Universities (Gulu University, Busitema University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Muni University) to develop joint research initiatives and community engagement programmes
• Conduct 14 climate science-policy-practice dialogues to co-create transformative climate resilience solutions.
• Support 15 Local Governments to develop their Climate Change Strategies and Action Plans
• Engage 40 multi-generational community liaisons to promote uptake of research innovations.

Prof. Justine Namaalwa, the Lead of Mastercard Foundation initiatives at Makerere University, expressed her gratitude to university management for entrusting the Program Delivery Team with the responsibility of implementing the Programme. She also thanked participants for their highly productive engagement, noting that their valuable contributions will significantly guide the Program’s operations.

Prof. Namaalwa further indicated that more targeted engagements with university units will be conducted to support the effective implementation of the Program. She emphasised that the Programme will collaborate closely with various units and projects to deliver the following course:

• Cross-cutting course on Innovation and Entrepreneurship: The Program will partner with the Directorate of Graduate Training and the Makerere University Innovation Pod (UniPod) to co-develop and co-deliver this course, making it accessible to all master’s and PhD students across the University.
• Course on Human-Centred Design in Teaching and Learning: In collaboration with the Directorate of Graduate Training and the Centre for Teaching and Learning Support, the Program will co-develop and co-deliver this course for all faculty members.
• Cross-cutting course on Climate Resilience for Livelihoods, Economy, and Ecosystems: The Collaborative will work with Makerere University Centre for Climate Change Research and Innovation (MUCCRI) to co-develop and co-deliver this course to all students.

Regarding the pillar aimed at skilling youth who have not had the opportunity to pursue university education, Prof. Namaalwa observed that the Program will leverage the expertise of the Africa Institute for Strategic Resource Services and Development (AFRISA) and other innovation centres and hubs across the University to equip the youth in creating and sustaining green enterprises.

The Africa Climate Collaborative is a new partnership between Makerere University and the Mastercard Foundation. It is being carried out in collaboration with three other universities: The University of Ghana, the University of Cape Town, and the University of Cambridge.

Antonny Tugaineyo is the Principal CRSC Coordinator for Africa Climate Collaborative at Makerere University