Prof. Nawangwe recognised for leadership in higher education
In addition to the ALM award, Prof. Nawangwe was presented with the Lifetime Award by the South Carolina House of Representatives, a recognition given for his remarkable contributions as an educator.
Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (2nd left) receives his award from former Tanzania president Jakaya Kikwete. Courtesy Photo
Charles Etukuri
Senior Writer @New Vision
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Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, has been honoured with two distinguished international awards: the African Leadership Magazine (ALM) Person of the Year Award 2024 and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Commenting on the awards, Nawangwe said, “I have received the African Leadership Magazine (ALM) Person of the Year Award 2024 for leadership in higher education that was handed to me by His Excellency Dr. Jakaya Kikwete, former President of Tanzania and Chairman of the ALM Board in the presence of the Guest of Honor, H.E. Andry Rajoelina, President of Madagascar.”
The ALM Person of the Year award is a prestigious annual event, which has been held for the past 12 years. It brings together policymakers, business leaders, civil society influencers, and thought leaders from across Africa and around the world to discuss key issues affecting the continent’s socio-economic development.
The event also honours individuals who exemplify people-centred leadership and contribute to advancing a pan-African agenda.
Prof. Nawangwe delivers his remarks during the ceremony.
At the event, held at the Marriott Casablanca Hotel in Morocco, Prof. Nawangwe delivered a talk on Africa’s higher education landscape, sharing Makerere’s journey as a leading research institution and underscoring the importance of greater investment in higher education, research, and innovation.
In addition to the ALM award, Prof. Nawangwe was presented with the Lifetime Award by the South Carolina House of Representatives, a recognition given for his remarkable contributions as an educator.
“I thank the ALM and the South Carolina House of Representatives for these prestigious awards, the voters across Africa who voted for me, and all the staff and students of Makerere University, whose dedicated service made this possible,” Nawangwe said.
This recognition is not the first for Prof. Nawangwe. In January 2022, he was named African Educationist of the Year by ALM.
At 69 years old, Prof. Nawangwe, originally from Busia district, attended Busoga College Mwiri for both his O-Level and A-Level education.
He excelled in physics, economics, and mathematics, which earned him a place at Makerere University to study Civil Engineering. However, after just one semester, he was forced to flee Uganda in 1977 due to the oppressive regime of Idi Amin.
"It was 1977 and we were protesting against a situation that most of us saw as hopeless," Nawangwe recalls. As a result of their activism, he became a target and fled to Russia, where he switched his field of study to architecture.
Prof. Nawangwe later earned a PhD, returning to Uganda in 1988 to work with Habitat Consultants before joining Makerere University in 1989, where he established Uganda’s first architecture programme.