As Makerere University prepares to host the 2025 Emmanuel Tumusime Mutebile Annual Public Lecture, the selection of the keynote speaker stands as a deliberate and symbolic choice, one that reflects the very essence of this year’s theme: Shaping Africa’s Future: Intergenerational Leadership, Economic Resilience & the Power of Innovation.

The 2025 lecture will be delivered by Eng. Dr. Francis Frederick “Tusu” Tusubira, a visionary engineer, development thinker, and global servant-leader whose life’s work mirrors the values that Prof. Mutebile championed, disciplined leadership, ethical stewardship, and an unwavering commitment to building people-centred institutions.

Who is Eng. Dr. F. F. Tusu Tusubira?

Eng. Dr. Tusubira is a retired academic and accomplished professional with a distinguished career spanning engineering, leadership development, governance, and strategic transformation. He currently serves as the Managing Partner of Knowledge Consulting Ltd, where he supports organisations across Africa and beyond in strengthening leadership systems, enhancing institutional effectiveness, and navigating complex change environments.

His professional standing cuts across continents. He is a Registered Engineer in Uganda, a Chartered Engineer in the United Kingdom, and the current Patron of the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers, a role through which he continues to mentor and shape the next generation of engineering professionals and national development leaders.

Beyond his technical expertise, Eng. Dr. Tusubira is widely recognised for his deep commitment to service, particularly through the global Rotary movement. A devoted Rotarian, he has served in multiple leadership capacities at national, regional, and international levels and is now a Rotary Foundation Trustee Elect (2026–2030), a position that underscores his global influence in advancing community development, ethical leadership, and youth empowerment.

Eng. Dr. F. F. Tusu Tusubira: A Speaker for This Moment

The choice of Eng. Dr. Tusubira, as the keynote speaker, is both strategic and symbolic. At a time when Africa faces critical leadership transitions, institutional fragility, and the urgent need for sustainable innovation, his life’s work offers real-world depth to the conversation. His career embodies a seamless fusion of intellect, service, and practice, positioning him uniquely to interrogate the future that Africa must shape.

Where Prof. Mutebile stabilised financial systems and safeguarded macroeconomic credibility, Eng. Dr. Tusubira has consistently focused on strengthening the human and institutional architecture that sustains those systems. His work in leadership development, strategic foresight, and organisational transformation speaks directly to the urgent call for systems that are resilient, adaptive, and ethically grounded.

For Uganda, Eng. Dr. Tusubira represents a generation of leaders who have transitioned from academia into national and regional influence while remaining deeply rooted in service and mentorship. His contribution to engineering education, governance reform, and institutional strengthening reflects a lifelong dedication to shaping a Uganda that is forward-looking, capable, and value-driven.

A Voice Aligned with the Theme

Eng. Dr. Tusubira’s keynote address will speak directly to the heart of the 2025 theme, exploring how Africa can intentionally cultivate leadership succession, fortify its economic systems, and harness innovation not as a buzzword, but as a strategic tool for inclusive development.

Through his lens, the lecture will challenge participants to rethink leadership as a collective responsibility, resilience as an institutional discipline, and innovation as a mindset rooted in purpose, ethics, and strategic foresight.

In choosing Eng. Dr. F. F. Tusu Tusubira, as the keynote speaker, Makerere University affirms its commitment to elevating voices that embody substance, service, and transformative leadership. His presence is not merely ceremonial; it is a reinforcement of the values that define this lecture series: excellence, integrity, and purposeful impact.

As the 2025 Emmanuel Tumusime Mutebile Annual Public Lecture approaches, his keynote address promises to be a defining moment, one that not only honours a legacy but ignites a renewed commitment to shaping Africa’s future with courage, clarity, and conviction.

The Tumusiime Mutebile Annual Public Lecture will also be hosted on live stream on the Makerere University YouTube page. Link: https://youtube.com/live/e6Ld-0XYLiw?feature=share

Caroline Kainomugisha is the Communications Officer, Advancement Office, Makerere University