Clarifying status of Uganda’s Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat

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OPINION

By Dr James Kisaale (PhD)

An article by Mr Justin Ojangole appeared in the New Vision of July 3, 2025, wherein the writer applauded the efforts currently undertaken by the Science, Technology, & Innovation Secretariat, Office of the President (STI-OP) to mobilise scientists across the entire scientific ecosystem to drive innovation as a pathway to economic transformation and development.

Furthermore, the writer passionately made a case for the establishment of the Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation, similar to what countries such as China have done. The main argument for the set-up of the STI ministry was that the ministry would have the policy authority and budget autonomy to drive innovation across all sectors.

Whereas the writer’s proposition for the STI ministry is plausible, the writer forgot that, actually, His Excellency the President in 2016 established an autonomous Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation led by Hon. Elioda Tumwesigye as its first minister. Suffice to note that the President has always been the chief scientist, so to speak.

Since 1986, the President has been deliberate and focused on promoting a science-led economy. He has achieved this by undertaking several strategic policy initiatives.

In 1987, the President set up the Education Policy Review Commission, chaired by the late Professor William Senteza-Kajubi, which recommended the liberalisation (opening up) of the education sector through the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) as well as increasing access to higher education.

Consequently, this policy landscape led to increased training of scientists and innovators and a grounding of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in our education system.

In 1988/89, His Excellency the President spearheaded the establishment of Uganda’s first University of Science and Technology in Mbarara (MUST).

This action expanded access to science training programmes, which have contributed to the building of our national human and laboratory capacity for science and have nurtured individuals like Prof. Patrick Ogwang, the innovator of Covidex.

Since then, the Government has rolled out the implementation of regional government universities such as Busitema, Kabale and Gulu with emphasis on science programmes.

Furthermore, the Government has over this period implemented significant reforms in the public sector, including creation of dedicated research and development organisations such as Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) in 1990, Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) in 2002, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) in 2005 and Uganda National Health Research Organisation (UNHRO) in 2009, to guide and co-ordinate research activities in the country.

Having set up these research organisations, it became necessary for the scientists to access special funding to enable them to translate their research into products that can be of benefit to the country.

To facilitate this, His Excellency established special presidential initiatives. For instance, in 2005, His Excellency established the Presidential Initiative for Banana Industrialisation and Development (PIBID) led by Prof. Florence Muranga, which has unveiled the industrial potential of matooke and the Presidential Initiative on Epidemics (PRESIDE) that pioneered the Pathogen Economy Agenda not only in Uganda, but in Africa.

The Government later found it imperative to establish an independent ministry for science, technology and innovation in 2016/17. This ministry was recently restructured in 2021 and renamed the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat Office of the President (STI-OP), with His Excellency the President exercising direct oversight of this ministry and the STI function in the country.

The President’s goal of establishing the STI Secretariat is to grow the contribution of knowledge-based goods and services to the national economy by increasing domestic productivity, import substitution and export of products resulting from science, technology and innovation, as well as using known technology to add value to the whole spectrum of Uganda’s raw materials.

This strategic oversight of the STI function by the President aligns well with what most countries have done. For instance, in countries such as the United States of America, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Philippines and South Africa, among others, the President oversees the STI function. Relatedly, in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and India, the STI function is placed under the oversight of the prime minister.

Therefore, the President’s strategic foresight to establish a Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat directly under his office, elevates the STI mandate giving it both the policy and budgetary push needed to enable STI effectively contribute to the achievement of the qualitative leap.

Beyond STI being a sector, it is now more of a whole-of government approach overseeing the National Science Technology and Innovation System. This national STI system comprises scientists and stakeholders in MDAs, local governments, academic and research institutions, private sector, schools and vocational institutions, regulators, development partners, media and the general public.

Over the past four years, STI-OP has made significant progress in generating knowledge and investments sufficient to ignite the impact of science on the economy through its priority industrial value chains of industry 4.0+, pathogen economy, mobility, infrastructure innovation, among others; and thus initiate the process of the qualitative leap.

For instance, the Uganda E-Mobility Outlook Report 2024, highlights that through the STI-OP’s intentional efforts and significant government and private sector investment of over $160m (approximately sh571.2b), Uganda’s combined production capacity of electric vehicles (electric buses and motorcycles) grew from approximately 2,000 electric vehicle per year in 2021 to over 10,000 electric vehicles per year in 2024, growing the local content of these products from under 10% in 2021 to up to 40% in 2024.

The direct and indirect employment by the E-Mobility Ecosystem as a result of these interventions grew from approximately 1,500 jobs in 2021 to over 10,000 jobs in 2024.

Relatedly, Uganda’s natural therapeutics such as Jena Herbals have generated sales revenues of over sh11.4b and reduced the importation of medicines by 3.9% of the total import value.

The pathogen sector has created 50,020 jobs in the fields of therapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics. STI-OP, through the pathogen economy industrial value chain, facilitated the development of diagnostic tools and kits for COVID-19, acute respiratory infections, and plant diseases.

Consequently, the internal diagnostic testing for respiratory infections saved the country sh135.8b that would have been spent to import the diagnostic testing kits.

The writer is with minister’s office, Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat, Office of the President