Research
Makerere Challenges PhD Students to Turn Research Into Solutions as Advanced Research Methods Training Ends
By Moses Lutaaya
The Director of Graduate Training at Makerere University, Prof. Julius Kikooma, has challenged PhD students to ensure that their research directly contributes to solving Uganda’s pressing societal challenges, saying postgraduate research must move beyond academic theory to real-world transformation.
Prof. Kikooma made the remarks on Monday, May 25, 2026, during the closure of a 10-day PhD cross-cutting training in Advanced Research Methods held at the Main Library Room 24/7 at Makerere University. The blended training, which started on May 11, attracted more than 250 PhD students physically and online from different colleges and schools across the university.
The training was organized by the Directorate of Graduate Training and supported by iCARTA as part of Makerere’s efforts to strengthen doctoral education and research capacity.
In his closing remarks, Prof. Kikooma praised the team of facilitators led by Prof. Stella Neema and Prof. Christopher Mugimu, among others for not only teaching technical research content but also mentoring students into becoming the next generation of impactful researchers.
“I think they are also mentors. They have been mentoring you into the role of the next generation of researchers,” Prof. Kikooma said, noting that the facilitators had given students a framework for thinking critically about research and understanding what the university expects from doctoral scholars.
He emphasized that Makerere University is intentional about producing graduates whose research contributes solutions rather than adding to society’s challenges.
“What we do here should reassure the nation that the products from Makerere University are contributing to solutions. They are not adding to problems but adding to solutions,” he said.
According to Prof. Kikooma, the knowledge and tools acquired during the intensive training should not merely help students earn degrees, but should prepare them to generate insights, innovations and evidence-based solutions for communities and policymakers.
“At this point there are many things happening which still don’t have proper answers and do not have people spending sufficient time to study them. We expect your studies to become part of what the country will use to solve some of the problems,” he added.
Prof. Kikooma revealed that the Directorate of Graduate Training has adopted the theme “Postgraduate Research for Transformation,” aimed at ensuring that all doctoral research connects to broader societal needs.
“Gone are the days where you engage in research and knowledge creation for the sake of knowledge. Your work must translate into innovative solutions and insights that help policy makers make better decisions,” he said.
He further explained that the Directorate’s role goes beyond coordinating academic programmes to intentionally exposing students to cross-cutting competencies such as critical thinking, interdisciplinary, communication skills and problem-solving.
The Advanced Research Methods course is one of the mandatory PhD cross-cutting courses at Makerere University alongside Philosophy of Methods and Scholarly Writing. The courses are undertaken during the first year of the PhD journey, either in semester one or semester two.
Prof. Kikooma said the cross-cutting nature of the course is designed to help students appreciate that modern societal challenges cannot be solved through isolated disciplines.
“The issues that will lead to solutions do not come in compartments. That is why these courses are called cross-cutting,” he said.
He commended the interdisciplinary approach used by facilitators drawn from different academic backgrounds, saying it equips researchers with broader perspectives needed to address complex societal issues.
He also urged students to ensure their research becomes meaningful beyond the thesis by producing outputs capable of engaging policymakers, communities and other stakeholders.
“We have redefined the outputs that need to come out of your research beyond the thesis,” he explained. “Your research should count in different ways.”
In a message that resonated strongly with the participants, Prof. Kikooma encouraged the PhD students to become creators of opportunities instead of job seekers.
“You create problems when you leave the university with the mentality of looking for a job. All these things should translate into defining opportunities for yourselves and for others,” he said.
He acknowledged that the blended and learner-centered approach may have been challenging for some students, but said it was intentionally designed to build resilience required during the demanding PhD journey.
“As you go forward, make sure your research counts and that you become part of the solution,” he concluded.
Speaking after the training, Prof. Stella Neema, an Associate Professor of Medical Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Makerere University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, described the course as highly transformative for participants from different academic traditions.
“This course was blended. We had people online and others physically present in this big classroom. Initially, participants from different paradigms were not talking much to each other,” Prof. Neema said.
She explained that by the end of the training, students who were quantitatively oriented had developed appreciation for qualitative approaches and vice versa.
“The positivists and interpretive scholars have learned from each other. They learned designing research tools, citations, and also how to protect human research participants through ethics training,” she said.
Prof. Neema added that the course exposed students to practical ethical challenges in research and strengthened their commitment to complete their doctoral studies successfully.
“They admitted to us that they are going to use what they have learned to further their research processes. Many told us they are determined to complete their PhDs on time,” she noted.
She further said the training aligns well with Makerere University’s strategic agenda as a research-led institution and supports Uganda’s national development agenda through innovation, industrialization and scientific problem-solving.
“This research training is like a springboard for Uganda’s areas of investigation and national development,” Prof. Neema said.
The Advanced Research Methods training is part of Makerere University’s broader strategy to strengthen doctoral research excellence, interdisciplinary scholarship and transformative innovation aimed at addressing national and global challenges.
Research
Your Research, Your Identity, Your Impact. Makerere Empowers Graduate Students to Go Global Through ORCID
On 10th November 2026, the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships (DRIP) held a webinar to equip graduate students, Coordinators of Graduate Studies and College Librarians with knowledge and practical skills to leverage the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) to strengthen their research identity, publication tracking and research visibility.
The training held under the theme “Making Your Research Visible: Leveraging ORCID for Research Identity, Publication Tracking and Graduate Student Compliance,” highlighted the importance of ORCID in providing researchers with a unique digital identifier that connects them to their scholarly publications, research outputs and institutional affiliations.
The webinar with over 200 participants in attendance, was officially opened by Prof. Sarah Ssali – the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) represented by Prof. Robert Wamala – Director, DRIP.
Prof. Sarah Ssali in her introductory remarks emphasised the importance of establishing a strong research identity, enhancing the visibility of scholarly outputs and ensuring proper attribution of researchers’ contributions. Prof. Ssali reminded graduate students that establishing an ORCID identity early in their academic journey is an important investment in their research careers. It provides a foundation for building scholarly profiles, tracking publications, enhancing visibility and demonstrating research contributions. It also supports the University’s efforts to strengthen publication tracking and meet graduate training requirements.
“ORCID provides researchers with a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes them from other researchers and connects them to their publications, research outputs, institutional affiliations. It helps address challenges which are associated with author identification, publication attribution, and the visibility of scholarly contributions”, Prof. Ssali remarked.
On behalf of the university library, Prof. Ruth Nalumaga the University Librarian said that the library is planning to archive primary data emanating from research.
“We would like primary information to also be archived in the library. Sometimes people may reuse it. Most of our graduate students are self-sponsored, the most expensive parts of graduate studies is the research. If we have these data sets that somebody can reuse, it may take off some weight on some students who are unable to fund their research’ Prof. Nalumaga said.
Prof. Julius Kikooma – Director, Directorate of Graduate Training (DGT) delivering his welcome remarks, noted that the training was part of the university’s efforts towards strengthening the management and administration of graduate training. He said that it the university’s effort to have a framework where graduate students are supported and are given the right set of skills and tools to be ready to be part of a fruitful journey and experience.
Prof. Kikooma said that university had created an environment where graduate students are able to achieve the key outputs of their efforts in their studies and that when they achieve those outputs, they are not left on the shelf like it has been.
“It has been long that we have been engaged in research that is for the sake of just ticking a box. Ticking a box meaning you just get a map from the dissertation and then that is the end of your relationship with what you have done in research”, Prof. Kikooma said.
On behalf of the Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU), Mr. Brian Masiga appreciated DRIP for organising the engagement and the continued partnership in strengthening the research and scholarly ecosystem.
Mr. Brian Masiga underscored the importance of ORCID, which is the unique digital identifier for researchers.
“Behind this identifier is a much bigger conversation about how our research is recognized, attributed, discovered, connected to the institutions where it is undertaken. So for the graduate students joining us today, I would like to emphasize one important point. Your research journey does not begin with you when you publish your first journal article, and it certainly does not end when you graduate” Mr. Masiga remarked.
Mr. Fredrick Tamale from RENU discussed the topic: ‘Understanding ORCID and its importance in research – ORCID concept, purpose, benefits and global adoption.
Mr. Tamale emphasised the importance of graduate students establishing their ORCID identities early in their academic journeys and maintaining accurate, updated profiles to support research visibility, publication attribution and tracking. He warned on the dangers of having multiple ORCID by researchers/students which would impact negatively on their profiles.
“Researches published under different forms of their names and variations in some publications may not be connected to the right researcher. The institutional affiliation may be absent or inconsistent. And compiling A reliable publication list becomes a manual exercise” Mr. Tamale said.
Mr. Tamale said that some institutions require staff to produce their research outputs from time to time. At institutional level, there could be incomplete records of what the affiliated staff researchers were engaged in and ORCID was coming to solve this challenge.
Mr. Juma Katongole, Deputy Chief, Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS), highlighted Makerere University’s progress in institutionalising ORCID through its integration with key university information management systems. In his presentation on “Institutional Adoption and Integration of ORCID,” he explored opportunities for embedding ORCID into University systems, researcher records and institutional research management. He confirmed that the ORCID field has already been integrated into the Research Information Management System (RIMS) and the Electronic Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS), among other University systems.
Mr. Andrew Mwesigwa delivered a presentation on “Leveraging ORCID for Research Identity and Publication Tracking,” highlighting the importance of ORCID in strengthening researchers’ professional identities and visibility within the global research community. The presentation focused on how researchers can use their ORCID IDs to establish a unique scholarly identity, connect their publications and other research outputs to their profiles, improve accurate attribution of scholarly contributions and make their research more discoverable
The initiative forms part of Makerere University’s broader efforts to strengthen research visibility, researcher identification to improve institutional research information management and enhance the global recognition of its researchers and scholarly contributions.
DRIP appreciates the collaboration of RENU, University Library, Directorate of Graduate Training, Directorate of ICT Support,and Directorate of Quality Assurance, in advancing ORCID adoption at the University.
Participants were guided on creating and managing ORCID profiles, linking publications, enhancing research visibility and understanding how ORCID supports Makerere University’s graduate training and publication tracking requirements as the university continues to strengthen and promote the visibility of its scholarly outputs locally and globally.
Seven years after a RUFORUM delegation met Zambia’s then Acting President, H.E. Inonge Wina, to seek the country’s support for hosting the 2026 Annual General Meeting, the Southern African nation is preparing to welcome over 1,000 delegates to discuss how African universities can translate higher agricultural education, research and innovation into tangible development outcomes.
In September 2019, a delegation from the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) paid a courtesy visit to Zambia’s then Vice President and Acting President, H.E. Inonge Wina, in Lusaka. The meeting, held on 25 September on the sidelines of Zambia Higher Education Week, provided an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between African universities and the Zambian Government in advancing agricultural higher education and research. During the engagement, a request was made for Zambia to host RUFORUM’s 22nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2026, an undertaking that received the Vice President’s support.
Seven years later, Zambia is preparing to fulfil that commitment as it hosts the 22nd RUFORUM AGM from 30 November to 4 December 2026 at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in the capital, Lusaka.
The meeting, which is expected to attract over 1,000 participants from across Africa and beyond, will bring together Vice Chancellors, Principals, Deans, researchers, policymakers, government representatives, development partners, private sector actors, students, innovators and farmer organisations to deliberate on the role of higher education in Africa’s agricultural transformation.
Held under the theme, “Translating higher agricultural education, innovation, and research into action for Africa’s agricultural transformation and development,” the AGM will provide a platform for African universities to reflect on their contribution to the continent’s development and explore practical approaches to strengthening education, research, innovation and partnerships. The meeting will be hosted by the Government of Zambia in partnership with four RUFORUM member universities, the University of Zambia, Copperbelt University, Mulungushi University and Kapasa Makasa University.
Strengthening the role of African universities in agricultural transformation
Established in 2004 by ten African university Vice Chancellors, RUFORUM has grown into a continental network of 175 universities across 40 African countries, working to strengthen the capacity of African universities to respond to the continent’s agricultural and development challenges. Hosted by the Government of Uganda at Makerere University, RUFORUM envisions vibrant, transformative universities that catalyse sustainable and inclusive agricultural development to feed and create prosperity for Africa. At the centre of its mandate is the recognition that African universities must go beyond teaching and awarding academic qualifications to become drivers of scientific discovery, innovation, entrepreneurship and community transformation.
Through postgraduate training, collaborative research, institutional strengthening and partnerships with governments, industry and farming communities, RUFORUM seeks to develop the human capital and scientific solutions required to transform Africa’s agriculture and agri-food systems.
Over the years, the network has championed efforts to make higher agricultural education more responsive to Africa’s development needs by strengthening graduate training, promoting research that addresses practical agricultural challenges, and creating opportunities for young people to participate meaningfully in agricultural innovation and enterprise development.
The 22nd AGM will build on these efforts, with particular attention to how universities can translate the knowledge and technologies they generate into solutions that improve agricultural productivity, strengthen food security, create employment and enhance livelihoods.
Academic knowledge to practical solutions
The 2026 AGM comes at a time when African universities are increasingly being challenged to demonstrate the relevance of their training and research to the communities and economies they serve. While universities continue to produce graduates and generate scientific knowledge, questions remain about how effectively these investments are contributing to employment creation, agricultural productivity, industrialisation and sustainable development.
The Lusaka meeting will therefore examine how higher education institutions can better align their teaching, research and innovation systems with labour market demands and the changing needs of Africa’s agricultural sector. Discussions will focus on strengthening Africa’s human capital, building resilient and productive economies, harnessing university partnerships for development, and expanding opportunities for capacity sharing to train the next generation.
Particular attention will be given to transformative teaching and learning approaches that equip graduates with practical skills, entrepreneurial competencies and the capacity to develop solutions to real-world challenges. The meeting will also explore the growing role of digital technologies, artificial intelligence and other emerging innovations in reshaping higher education, agricultural research and the future of work. These discussions reflect RUFORUM’s continued commitment to positioning African universities as institutions that not only generate knowledge but also work alongside farmers, communities, governments and industry to ensure that research translates into measurable development outcomes.
Building Africa’s human capital
Human capital development remains one of RUFORUM’s central areas of investment. Since its establishment, the network has supported the training of thousands of African students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, contributing to the development of a new generation of researchers, scientists, academics and agricultural professionals.
Through its collaborative university network, RUFORUM has also promoted opportunities for African students to undertake advanced training within the continent, strengthening institutional capacity and fostering cooperation among African universities. One of its flagship initiatives, the Transforming African Agricultural Universities to Meaningfully Contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development programme (TAGDev), supported by the Mastercard Foundation, seeks to strengthen universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions to deliver inclusive, equitable and climate-resilient agricultural transformation. The programme promotes experiential learning, entrepreneurship, youth employment and stronger engagement between universities, communities and the private sector. Such initiatives demonstrate RUFORUM’s emphasis on ensuring that investments in higher education translate into opportunities for young Africans, particularly women and other groups whose participation in agricultural innovation and enterprise development remains critical to the continent’s future.
As delegates gather in Lusaka, the question of how African universities can produce graduates with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to transform the continent’s economies will remain central to the discussions.
Advancing Africa’s continental development agenda
The 22nd RUFORUM AGM also comes against the backdrop of renewed continental commitments to education, science, technology, innovation and agricultural transformation. The meeting is aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration and its implementation agenda for 2026–2035, as well as continental efforts to accelerate the transformation of education and skills development. These frameworks recognise the importance of strengthening Africa’s human capital, agricultural productivity, innovation capacity and institutional systems to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth. For RUFORUM, the challenge is to ensure that African universities are adequately positioned to contribute to the implementation of these commitments.
The AGM will therefore provide an opportunity for university leaders, governments and development partners to examine how institutional reforms, investments in research, curriculum transformation and stronger partnerships can support the continent’s development priorities. It will also build on commitments made during the 21st RUFORUM AGM held in Gaborone, Botswana, in 2025, where African universities pledged to strengthen their contribution to higher education transformation, scientific innovation and the generation of solutions for Africa’s development.
Showcasing African research and innovation
Beyond policy dialogue and institutional engagements, the AGM will provide a platform for showcasing agricultural technologies, research outputs, innovations and enterprise models developed by universities and their partners. The exhibition component will highlight practical solutions in areas such as climate-smart agriculture, food systems, agribusiness, value addition, digital agriculture and community-based innovation. It will also create opportunities for young innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and institutions to demonstrate how scientific knowledge can be translated into technologies, businesses and livelihood opportunities. Through these engagements, RUFORUM seeks to strengthen collaboration among universities, governments, private sector actors and farming communities, while encouraging the adoption and scaling of innovations that address Africa’s agricultural challenges.
Zambia takes centre stage
For Zambia, hosting the 22nd RUFORUM AGM represents an opportunity to contribute to the continental conversation on the future of agricultural higher education and to strengthen its collaboration with African universities and development partners. The meeting also brings renewed significance to the September 2019 engagement between RUFORUM and the country’s leadership, which helped lay the foundation for Zambia’s hosting of the continental gathering. With preparations underway, Lusaka is set to become a meeting point for African university leaders, policymakers, researchers, innovators and development partners seeking to advance a shared vision of universities as engines of agricultural transformation and economic development. More importantly, the gathering will provide an opportunity to move beyond discussions about the potential of African universities and focus on the practical actions, investments and partnerships needed to realise that potential.
As RUFORUM continues to champion transformative higher agricultural education across Africa, the 22nd AGM will reinforce a central message that the true value of university education, research and innovation lies not only in the knowledge generated, but in how that knowledge is applied to improve livelihoods, create opportunities and contribute to Africa’s development.
For more information and registration, visit the official 22nd RUFORUM AGM website: https://agm.ruforum.org/register
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