By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
MBALE
The government of Uganda has been called upon to prioritize funding for research and innovations in the next Financial Year, 2024/25.
Prof. Mary Okwakol, the Uganda National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) Executive Director said at the 14th Higher Education Exhibition in Mbale that the fund will increase translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive country’s development agenda.
“Our institutions are ready to further expand research and innovate. But, for innovations to flourish, government financial support is critical. We have heard that the budgetary allocation for research and innovation activities in institutions are limited, as NCHE, we recommend that the establishment of a National Research and Innovation Fund (NRIF) be prioritized in the budget of financial year 2024/25,” said Prof. Okwakol.
The first deputy Prime Minister and also the minister of East African Community Affairs for Uganda, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga said Uganda has so much research and innovations but noted a need for funding to improve on products and promote their markets.
“I acknowledge the need for grants to be accessible to all the universities, both public and private and I will also remind the cabinet about the prioritizing the National Research and Innovation Fund,” said Kadaga.
She was speaking as the Chief Guest at the launch of the exhibition when she said that research development will enable Uganda’s economic, social and political integration. She urged universities and tertiary institutions to consider the use of Kiswahili and French language components in their study curriculum to ensure their graduates are comparable and compatible to compete for available jobs in the East African Community.
Kadaga further asked NCHE to assist institutions acquire patent rights to their inventions to protect them from illegal use by other people.
Over 30 public and private universities are in Mbale at Uganda Christian University (UCU) Business School campus to participate in the 14th Higher Education Exhibition organized by NCHE. This year’s exhibition is celebrated under the theme: “Fostering Graduate Employability and Innovations,” where students from different universities and tertiary institutions are showcasing their innovations in a three days exhibition event from 21st to 23rd March, 2024.
