(This article was first published on the New Vision website on March 4, 2023)
By Ivan Tsebeni
Over the last few decades, research and innovation growth in Uganda has become increasingly concentrated in the nation’s institutions of higher learning.
Since 2010, Uganda’s university students and researchers have been responsible for fully two-thirds of all inventive growth and 73% of all research and innovation gains.
Conversely, Uganda’s secondary and primary learning institutions have contributed 6.5% to research growth with the new curriculum.
Now, to sustainably boost the innovation trend, Uganda Christian University (UCU) has launched a business hub to equip learners with entrepreneurship skills to make them fit for the competitive market.
The launch was officiated by the president of Netherlands-based Hanze University, Dick Pouwels, on Tuesday at the Mukono-based campus. Upon the launch, Pouwels pledged to equip the hub with the necessary facilities to enable learners to shoot their set targets.
He further urged university authorities to ensure their focus is premised on benefiting society, saying the hub should serve a public good.
“At Hanze University, we opened up for local people to come and take up short free courses to equip them with skills for survival; I’m sure it can be done here as well. The community should possibly be integrated into the university programs,” Pouwels said.
Pouwels further urged authorities to conduct mindset training to prepare learners for the hub, saying they tend to ignore opportunities because their minds have not been well prepared to take them up.
“Behavioural Forward-thinking, creativity, willingness to take risks… Those characteristics all belong to people with innovative mindsets. They are aware of the need of making mistakes and trying over and over again to grow or innovate,” he said.
Pouwels commended UCU for building an innovation hub, especially in the area of business. He said the facility should be accompanied by value addition, a mindset shift, and teamwork, saying it is the only way to make the hub impactful for both learners and the surrounding community.
“Innovation itself is all about building new things that have an impact on the market and that can add value for potential customers. It is key for success and growth, but on one condition: organizations should develop an innovative mindset to make innovation strategies work,” Pouwels noted.
On his part, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, the university’s Vice Chancellor, said the innovation hub was 75% funded by UCU partners, who he said came from the Netherlands, America, and specifically Hanze University. He noted that the facility will transform the lives of both learners and the neighboring community.
“We have enjoyed a very good, valid, and productive relationship with Hanze University, for now, eight years. It is our joy that this friendship still bears fruits,” Mushengyezi said during the launch.
He said the hub focuses on fostering entrepreneurship, and skill development, enabling beneficiaries to gain knowledge and expertise on business start-ups and management.
More Partnerships
In 2020, UCU inked a deal with the Organization University of Cincinnati to facilitate collaboration and cooperation in areas of mutual interest for the purpose of enhancing contributions to higher education internationally.
Furthermore, UCU penned an agreement with the University Court of the University of Aberdeen to collaborate in the fields of business and medical science in 2021.
Additionally, the partnership with the Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa sought to enhance nutrition security and incomes by adding value to indigenous vegetables in eastern and central Uganda.
According to Mushengyezi, the university also entered another pact with Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) last year toprovide research conducted by UCU Law students to support constitution petition number three of 2015, to wit, Foundation for human rights Initiative Versus Attorney General of Uganda.
Others include the one with the University of Ghana on behalf of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, which focuses on training plant breeders at a Ph.D. level and equipping them with expertise to improve the indigenous crop that feeds the people of West and Central Africa.
Opportunities
According to Vincent Kisenyi, the dean of the School of Business at UCU, more than 30 institutions’ students have benefited from the exchange program, which he said happens every semester. In this program, UCU students travel to other outside universities, which include Hanze University in the Netherlands, Aga Khan University in Kenya, and others, to gain skills and experience. He said students from those universities come to Uganda in return something he said has ensured diversity in skill sharing.
He said the exchange program has enabled joint research and innovation activities between Ugandan and partnering universities which he said has earned them skills and new experiences.
“Getting research into policy and practice in healthcare is a recognized, worldwide concern.” As an attempt to bridge the gap between research and practice, UCU has sought partnerships with sister universities across the globe,” Kisenyi said.
He said the collaboration has earned the institution new faculty of renewable energy which he said started this academic year.
Other opportunities include joint mentorship programs, and support for start-ups, which, according to Kisenyi, are still in the pipeline.
Gov’t efforts to boost innovation
In 2019, the Government committed a special Research and Innovation Fund (RIF) to Public universities to the tune of sh30b per year to support the implementation of high-impact research and innovations.
The objective of the fund was to increase the local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive Uganda’s development agenda.
Last year, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja revealed that since the government had already committed itself to the improvement of the welfare of the scientists through the salary enhancement plan, one of the many avenues through which the government can help the universities that are carrying out research and innovations is by providing the funds to facilitate them.
“The government is already extending some grants to some of the private universities in Uganda. Funds will also be available to boost some of the research at both public and private universities.
The funds will be available on a competitive basis. Let the university management not hesitate to contact the government when this opportunity is available,” she said in her speech delivered by the State Minister for Kampala, Kabuye Kyofatogabye at the celebrations to mark 30 years of Ndejje University in Luweero district on May 27, 2022.
While innovations are not limited to universities and higher institutions of learning, the government believes that availing funds to support some of the research works and innovations will partly solve some of the daily challenges.
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