Calls for research-driven reforms in university policies, national development

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Makerere University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Sarah Ssali, has called for deeper engagement with research to reform university processes and address Uganda’s pressing demographic and economic challenges.

She made the comments on the sidelines of the launch of the College of Business and Management Sciences’ (CoBAMS) inaugural Working Paper Series at the university's main campus in Kampala on Friday (December 5).

The Working Paper Series comprise more than 60 research papers produced during the 2024/2025 financial year.

While these papers demonstrate Makerere University’s growing research strength, Ssali said it also presents an opportunity to translate evidence into practical reforms.

She cited one study examining how many times a university student should be allowed to retake a failed course unit before being discontinued.

Currently, Makerere University allows a maximum of three retakes. 

“Why did we come to three attempts? How did we arrive at that number? Having our own researchers investigate this will help refine our business processes as a university.”

Ssali also urged CoBAMS to develop its growing body of work into multiple academic journals instead of publishing the studies under a single series.

With schools covering business studies, economics, statistics, and population studies, the college is “rich enough to generate specialised journals".

The professor considers research areas such as public finance waste, population dynamics, unemployment, labour informalisation, and public debt management as vital to Uganda’s development. 

With more than 67% of the country’s population under 15, she said Uganda faces a demographic future that requires evidence-based planning.

“We are not creating as many jobs as the population entering the labour market. This college has the answers. Its research ecosystem connects senior and junior researchers, PhD students, artisans, traders and industry. It is well-placed to guide Uganda’s population and economic opportunities.”

Ssali tasked the college with taking research beyond academia and spark public debate.

“Let us have town hall meetings where the public, sector players and professors discuss these findings. We need to debate taxation, employment, wage setting and other issues. Who is right, the professor or the trader? And what should students learn from this?”

According to her, such engagement will not only enhance policy-making and public understanding but will also ensure that Makerere’s research directly contributes to solving Uganda’s economic and social challenges.

Collaboration

Prof. Edward Bbaale, the principal of the college (CoBAMS), reaffirmed the university’s commitment to becoming a research-intensive and innovation-driven institution.

"Our role as CoBAMS is to contribute to the strategic direction of Makerere University. We are a unit of the university, and it is important that we play our part in building a top-notch research university," he said.

He said every research paper in the new series responds to real societal challenges and aligns with the national and global development agenda.

Bbaale noted that CoBAMS follows a research model that embeds policymakers in research teams to ensure direct policy relevance.

“When we are doing work on energy economics, we make sure someone from the Ministry of Energy is on the team. When researching taxation or government spending, we involve the Ministry of Finance and Uganda Revenue Authority."

Such collaboration ensures the research addresses the actual questions facing the government.

The college plans to hold policy dialogues to disseminate key findings from the working papers and allow policymakers, private sector actors and civil society to interrogate and apply the research.

“We don’t just make blanket recommendations. We weigh the costs, challenges and opportunities before proposing any policy direction," said the college's principal.

He spoke of Makerere University’s broader mandate of engaging communities and ensuring research improves lives across Uganda.

According to Bbale, outreach is as central as teaching and research, and the faculty are supported with modest resources to collect data, hold workshops and engage communities.

“The knowledge we generate at Makerere University is not for us, but for making our communities better,” he said. 

Whether the research focuses on agriculture, health or energy, “it is our responsibility to understand people’s problems and ensure their lives are better than before”.