MAKERERE UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES OVER SH.60B PROJECT.

By the Makererean reporter 

A student demonstrates how the innovation works

Tuesday 4th June 2013 afternoon marked the official launch of yet another unique project by Makerere University in the Rwenzori Ballroom Sheraton Hotel Kampala, Uganda.

This five year project will harness locally based solutions to prevent, manage disasters and rehabilitate communities in disaster-prone areas.

Out of over 500 applications, seven Universities (six in United States of America) won the award. Makerere prides in being the only African University that was selected as part of the USAID Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN).

The network was officially launched in a colourful ceremony by the Rt. Hon Moses Ali-Second Deputy Prime Minister representing the Prime Minister of Uganda Rt. Hon Amama Mbabazi. In his speech read by Rt. Hon Moses Ali, he stressed that “local solutions through local innovation are the best approach to solve these problems, the Wanaichi problems. This is what the Uganda Government would like to see from our Universities. The Government thus strongly supports this project”.

However, to implement its initiative; ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), Makerere University will work with a network of other universities across Africa, the main ones being Jimma University (Ethiopia), University of Pretoria (South Africa) and University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana). These will in turn work with other universities in their respective regions and it is expected that a total of 20 African universities will be involved in this exciting initiative.

At the launch, it was exciting to interact and learn from Student Innovators from different higher institutions of learning who exhibited different innovations ranging from landslide risk modelling, biomas and carbon estimation, parabolic solar cooker, alternative malaria testing method, disease outbreak predictor to phone based scanner verification system among others.