Kampala, Uganda – Uganda’s Minister for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Monica Musenero, has called on Makerere University to pivot from academic-heavy research to practical, industrial innovation that powers national growth.
Speaking during Day 3 of the Makerere University Research and Innovation Week (RIWEEK 2025), Dr. Musenero challenged the institution to examine whether its current research approach is fueling Uganda’s transformation agenda—or merely padding academic records.
“If I put more money in industrial research, will it work? Will we get the economic drive we need?” she asked.
Her remarks were a wake-up call to the university, which has long prided itself on academic excellence. But Musenero wants more. She wants research that gets Uganda building, manufacturing, and competing globally.
She urged Makerere to align its efforts with the goals of Uganda Vision 2040—a roadmap that envisions a transformed, modern, and prosperous nation.
“The university needs to see itself as intertwined with the agenda of the state,” she stressed. “Before you think for others, have you thought for the Pearl of Africa?”
A glaring issue, according to Dr. Musenero, is Uganda’s poor record on intellectual property (IP). She warned that failure to register patents means Uganda misses out on millions in royalties and long-term wealth creation.
“Professors abroad retire on IP. They have patents. Their pension is intellectual property. Here, if you don’t register IP, the year is lost,” she said.
Statistics back her concerns. According to the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), a mere 2.6% of all research registered from 2016 to 2024 was industrial. The bulk—nearly 75%—was basic research with limited direct impact on national development.
Musenero’s call is bold but necessary. With only 22.5% of research focused on evaluation and an overwhelming skew toward academic inquiry, Uganda’s research sector is underperforming in terms of real-world impact.
She challenged universities to rethink their role—not as ivory towers, but as engines of economic transformation.
It’s not enough to publish; Uganda needs prototypes, factories, startups, and patents.
The message is clear: Uganda cannot develop on academic prestige alone. Research must move from paper to product, from theory to industry.
“We want to be a transformed, modern state. That won’t happen unless our universities start thinking like industries,” she concluded.
