Kampala Uganda Fax: +256-414-541068

MAKEREREUNIVERSITY

P.O. Box 7062 Tel: (Gen)+256-414-532631/4

Kampala Uganda Fax: +256-414-541068

Website: E-mail:

OFFICE OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE

Monday, December 05, 2011

To: Members of Staff

THE 24RD VICE-CHANCELLOR’S MONTHLY PRESS BRIEFING, HELD ON MONDAY 5THDECEMBER, 2011

Introduction

The Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Venansius Baryamureeba welcomed all present and thanked members of the media for consistently reporting about Makerere’s research and innovations. The participating units were: St. Francis Chapel, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) and the Department of the Academic Registrar.

In attendance were:

(i)Professor Venansius Baryamureeba – Ag. Vice Chancellor

(ii)Mr. Alfred Masikye Namoah – Academic Registrar

(iii)Reverend Canon Johnson Ebong – Chaplain, St. Francis Chapel

(iv)Professor Edward K. Kirumira – Deputy Principal, CHUSS

(v)Professor Peter Baguma –Dean, School of Psychology, CHUSS

(vi)Mr. Steven Senyonga – Psychology Consultant, CHUSS

(vii)Dr. Consolanta Kabonesa – Dean, School of Women and Gender Studies, CHUSS

(viii)Professor Frank Kansiime – Deputy Principal, CAES

(ix)Dr. David Mutetikka –Associate Professor, CAES

(x)Dr. Denis Mpairwe – Head, Department of Agricultural Production, CAES

(xi)Ms. Ritah Namisango – Ag. Senior PRO, Public Relations Office

(xii)Ms. Hasifa Kabejja– Communication Officer, CHUSS

(xiii)Ms. Jane Anyango – Communication Officer, CAES

(xiv)Ms. Zaam Ssali – Communication Officer, CONAS

(xv)Ms. Marion Alina – Assistant Communication Officer, Public Relations Office

(xvi)Mr. Elias Tuhereze – Web Administrator, Public RelationsOffice

(xvii)Mr. Mark Wamai – Web Manager, Public Relations Office

(xviii)Mr. Issa Agaba Mugabo – Brand and Marketing Manager, Public Relations Office

(xix)Mr. Eric Lubega – Web Administrator, CHUSS

PRESENTATIONS

1.0Presentation from the Vice Chancellor

1.1Makerere University in Search of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs)

The Presidential Initiative Fund enabled staff and students to come up with innovations to prove to the public and private sectors both locally and internationally that MakerereUniversity staff and students have potential to innovate. They only need funding to support the innovations. Also in colleges like College of Computing and Information Sciences where development partners like Rockefeller and the Netherlands Government through Nuffic have funded incubation activities, staff and students have been able to prove that they have potential to innovate, through their various innovations.

There are lots of problems that the public and private sectors face. There are also ideas the public and private sectors have not been able to implement. At the University we also have ideas that can be turned into innovations to benefit both the public and private sectors. MakerereUniversity provides an opportunity for partnership. Right from inception we would like to work with the private/ public sector. We would like the public and private sectors to provide the funding for specific innovations they are interested in and the staff and students will ensure that the innovations are realised. Once the innovations are in place, the next step will be for the private sector to commercialise the innovations in partnership with the University under a PPP arrangement.

1.2Makerere University Ranked among African Centres of Excellence in Drug R&D

MakerereUniversity is among recognized universities in Health Research in Africa according to the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) thatlisted 32 institutions as centres of excellence in health research on 31 October. The details are contained in the November issue of Research Africa to which Makerere subscribes (report attached).

The report says that in East Africa, the region usually considered strong in health research-lags behind Southern and Western Africa in terms of number of centres.

The six include two in Uganda: MakerereUniversity, which has been listed as a centre of excellence in epidemiology of infectious diseases, and the Joint Clinical Research Centre, an HIV/AIDS research institution based in Kampala.

In neighboring Kenya, there are three: the Institute of Primate Research is listed for pre-clinical research; the Kenya Medical Research Institute for its work in HIV research; and the Trypanosomiasis Research Centre for its work in pre-clinical development.

In Sudan, the National Research Centre was recognized for drug and diagnostic innovation.

1.3Makerere University to hold 62nd Graduation Ceremony from 16th January -20th January 2012

The next regular graduation ceremony, the 62nd graduation ceremony will be held from 16th January 2012 to 20th January 2012 and the Chancellor of Makerere University, Professor Mondo Kagonyera shall preside.

1.4 African Centres of Excellence in drug R&D Identified

Source: Research Africa Issue 412 21 Nov 11

The African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) listed 32 institutions as centres of excellence in health research on 31 October. This issue of Research Africa looks at the distribution of the centres across the continent and how they are chosen.

The centres, presented in more detail later in this bulletin, were chosen from 117 applications. They have received a certificate from ANDI identifying them as having expertise in specific areas of health research that include drug development, HIV/AIDS and malaria.

Getting a certificate is “the same as winning a Grammy”, according to Solomon Nwaka, acting director for ANDI.

The centres needed to meet criteria that included sustainable funding and postgraduate qualifications among staff. Some of the 85 that failed to qualify as centres of excellence had not followed instructions, Nwaka said.

“They were required to provide [details of] funding for the last three years but some left that column blank. The head of the institutions did not sign some of the applications as required. That immediately disqualified them,” he said. Some institutions were disqualified because staff members did not have a publication record.

The initiative was born from the realisation that Africa had no systematic way of identifying centres of excellence, said Nwaka.

“There are some institutions that have in the past been identified as centres of excellence and got good grants without following a review,” he said.

Recognising the 32 as centres of excellence could help them leverage international funding for research, he added.

“They will get much more visibility and much more competitive in terms of applying for resources,” he said. Some donors are already enquiring about the institutions, he added.

Nwaka expressed the hope that the initiative would encourage African governments to fund research: “Through this we hope that African policymakers can begin to ask why there are no centres of excellence in their countries and take necessary corrective steps.”

The centres will also be involved in ANDI research projects to be rolled out in 2012. ANDI will fund the projects but plans to approach donors for additional finance. Projects will include research on sickle cell anaemia and other diseases.

The centres will be re-assessed after five years to ensure they maintain high standards.

East Africa

Six East African institutions have been recognised as centres of excellences by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI).

The region—usually considered strong in health research—lags behind Southern and Western Africa in terms of number of centres.

In neighbouring Kenya, there are three: the Institute of Primate Research is listed for pre-clinical research; the Kenya Medical Research Institute for its work in HIV research; and the Trypanosomiasis Research Centre for its work in pre-clinical development.

In Sudan, the National Research Centre was recognised for drug and diagnostic innovation.

South Africa

South Africa dominates the list of the recently published African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) centres of excellence. It clocks up the most centres both overall in Africa and in the Southern African region.

Of the 15 centres clocked up by Southern Africa, 12 are in South Africa. The University of Cape Town has three centres; focusing on drug discovery, TB diagnostics and proteomics/genomics.

StellenboschUniversity and the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg have two centres each. The former in TB translational research and HIV translational research, and the latter in viral gene therapy and advanced drug delivery technology.

South Africa’s other centres of excellence are hosted by a mix of private and public institutes, and range from a centre for nanomedicine at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria to medicinal chemistry at iThemba pharmaceuticals, a Cape Town-based company funded by the South African government.

Solomon Nwaka, acting director for ANDI, said South Africa dominated because its government had invested in infrastructure and training scientists. “We realised in our assessment that South Africa was putting a lot of funding in infrastructure and scientists,” he said.

South Africa invests just under 1 per cent of its gross domestic product in research and development, much more than most other African countries. It also has the highest publication record in Africa, with 5,248 papers produced in 2008.

South African institutions identified as centres of excellence include StellenboschUniversity (for tuberculosis/ HIV translational research) and the University of Cape Town (for drug discovery and tuberculosis diagnostic research).

Others recognised as centres of excellence include the University of Zambia, for HIV and tuberculosis diagnostic tools research, and the African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technologies in Zimbabwe, identified as a centre of excellence in toxicology studies.

The University of Mauritius also got centre of excellence status for its research on biomedicine and biomaterials.

North Africa

North Africa is home to only four of the 32 centres of excellence in health research identified by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI)—making it the region with the fewest centres in this round.

The four are in Egypt and Tunisia. The Institut Pasteur de Tunis was included for excellence in bio-molecule discovery.

The Egyptian centres are the Theodor Bilharz Research Institute for excellence in anti-trematodal research and two centres at the Holding Company for Biological Products & Vaccines (VACSERA), a pharmaceutical company, for its work on anti-venom and virus strains.

West Africa

Nearly a third of the institutions classified as centres of excellence by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI) are from West Africa.

The region hosts eight of the 32 institutes that have been singled out by ANDI as having good staff and financial stability (See: Up Front).

The nine include the University of Buea in Cameroon, which was selected for its research on drugs for onchocerciasis, sometimes known as river blindness. A second Cameroonian centre of excellence is the Institute of Medical Research and Studies of Medicinal Plants in Yaoundé, listed for its expertise in research on traditional medicine.

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana directed by Alexander Nyarko is a centre of excellence in disease surveillance and prevention. The Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Technology is one other Ghanaian institution that made the list for its work in applied biomedical research.

The University of Ibadan is one of three Nigerian institutions to gain recognition which was acknowledged for its research on malaria. The other two are the National Institute for Pharmaceutical R&D in Abuja, selected for expertise in phytomedicine, and the University of Lagos for its work on malaria diagnosis.

The eighth West African centre of excellence is the University of Bamako in Mali, for its work on clinical development of malaria products.

2.0Presentation from Chaplain, St. Francis Chapel, Makerere University

2.1St. Francis Chapel launches a UGX 1.2 billion Chapel Renovation and Expansion Fundraising Drive

St. Francis Chapel has launched a six month fundraising drive to renovate and expand the existing chapel building under the theme: “Come, let us build (renovate and expand our chapel)” Nehemiah 2:17b.

Built in 1942, the Chapel was expanded by half in 1963, but requires further expansion following the exponential growth of the congregation from just over 500 people to more than 4500 and from two to five services in the last 23 years.

The Chaplain, Rev. Canon Johnson Ebong said, “We expect to raise UGX1.2 billion from the congregation, alumni and well-wishers starting November 27, 2011.”

The services and programs of the Chapel do not only offer spiritual guidance and nourishment, but are also an integral part of the university’s efforts to guide an age bracket that is caught up in the dilemma of this paradoxical era where choices have to be made in life aspects such as employment, entrepreneurship and marriage.

“The expansion of the Chapel will accommodate almost 50% of the congregation that either sits outside in a tent; under the mango tree; and upstairs in the side aisles where they have no view of the Altar and Pulpit for better participation,” Canon Ebong said.

The initiative will increase the sitting capacity from 800 to 2000 per service, ease entry and exit, provide disability access, improving lighting, aeration, and acoustics of the Church.

“The expansion of the Chapel will also cover repairs of the leaking roof and the renovation of the cracks on the walls. I therefore call upon all the alumni and all well-wishers to willingly and generously give towards this noble and divine task,” Canon Ebong added.

St. Francis Chapel Makerere University is under the ecclesiastical oversight of the Church of Uganda, which is part of the wider, Aglican and Episcopal Church worldwide that believes in the One true God, and Salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.

Please deposit your contribution to:

UGX Account name: St. Francis Chapel Building Project, A/c no. 01202010670200, Standard Chartered Bank, Speke Rd. Branch

USD Account name: St. Francis Chapel, Makerere, A/C no. 5800425818, Barclays Bank, Wandegeya Branch.

3.0Presentation from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences(CHUSS)

3.1School of Psychology develops tool to measure integrity

The School of Psychology in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University has developed a tool that will be used to assess and identify people with acceptable levels of ethics and integrity to take up positions of responsibility in public and private sectors.

The tool codenamed Uganda’s Standardized Ethics and Integrity Scale has over 100 items that have been modified and piloted to effectively carry out the function.

The scale has three parts. Part A measures individual standards of conduct and focuses on a number of components that include corruption, nepotism, confidentiality, time management, abuse of office and conflict resolution.

Part B measures the moral standards of individuals with specific focus on self control against forgeries and fraud as well as sexual conduct whereas Part C measures personal values, value orientations and social acceptance.

The tool takes a maximum of 30 minutes to respond to all the 100 items in the scale. One mark point is earned for every correct score for each of the items. Likewise a zero is earned for each of the wrong responses given on the scale. The maximum score is 100 points and the higher the score, the higher the level of integrity.

It has been gradually tested on various personalities in the country since 1999 to establish its effectiveness. “It will further be tested on two categories of respondents to establish its validity and reliability. One category will comprise priests in seminaries and convents as well as Theological colleges, who are assumed to be of higher integrity. The other category will comprise of public officers employed by at least 14 district administrations of Uganda and they shall be randomly selected,” said Professor Peter Baguma, Dean, School of Psychology.

The tool, that is expected to be ready for use in six months time, will be instrumental in curbing corruption and improving service delivery in Uganda’s public and private sectors.

A 2009 report by Transparency International on the overview of corruption in Uganda indicates that corruption is still widespread and endemic at all levels of society.

Global Integrity’s 2006 reporton Uganda estimates that more than half of the government’s annualbudgetis lost to corruption each year.

3.2 Makerere to introduce course on climate change

The School of Women and Gender Studiesin the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at MakerereUniversitytogether with a team from the Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme (GEST) from the University of Iceland; Ministry of Gender Labour and Social development; and Ministry of Water and Environment is developing a short course on Gender and Climate Change.The initiative is aimed at increasing awareness about the dangers of climate change and facilitating decision makers and implementers to design strategies of mitigating climate change effects.

This follows joint research on gender and climate change that was conducted by the School of Women and Gender Studies in the districts of Mbale, Kasese and Nakasongola to establish the Impact of and Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change in Uganda. The study was sponsored by Iceland International Development Agency (ICEIDA), The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and The Royal Norwegian Embassy.

The research teamnoted that climate change is taking toll on Uganda’s economy as well as the health of people, specifically in the rural communities. “In Mbale, women have resorted to using plastic jerry cans and old shoes for cooking due to limited access to natural resources like wood fuel that most rural communities rely on to prepare meals. The practice is not good because it can result into health complications,” said Dr. Consolata Kabonesa, the Dean of the School of Women and Gender Studies, also one of the senior researchers on the project.