Makerere University to support student’s innovation with 1.5bn

While addressing guests at a public lecture at the university last Friday under the theme “The future of computing and information sciences/services, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, said at least Shs1.5b Will be deducted from the research fund to boost innovators at the university.

Prof Nawangwe admitted that whereas several students had come up with unique innovations as they seek knowledge in their respective courses, many continue to vanish immediately after they have graduated due to lack of financial support.

According to projections registered by the Uganda Investment Authority ,it indicate that only 150,000 jobs are created annually, leaving an estimated 350,000 potentially jobless.
prof.nawangwe said“We have decided that part of the money goes to support innovations that have got commercial potential and can be upgraded to commercial products to solve day-to-day problems.”
Estimates indicate that only a fraction of graduates in Uganda get absorbed in the limited job market. At least 400,000 students graduate each year at the various public and private universities, thanks to the liberalisation of education.

Government allocates Shs30b to Makerere University for research and innovations every financial year.

Recently,students’ innovation from Makerere on air purification was being discussed in San Francisco, California, last month.

The university developed a monitoring device to tackle air pollution in Kampala. Kampala is said to be among the most polluted cities in Africa.