Makerere University is to receive a boost from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in areas of research, cultural exchanges, student scholarships and internships and staff trainings through its newly-launched initiative, the JICA chair.
As revealed by JICA’s senior representative in Uganda, Fukuhara Ichiro, JICA launched the JICA Development Studies Program (JICA-DSP) in 2018 in cooperation with various universities in Japan to explore Japanese modernization and development cooperation experiences in light of its historical and cultural background.
JICA started the JICA Chair (JICA program for Japanese studies) in collaboration with leading universities in partner countries, in an effort to expand the opportunities of such Japanese studies in partner countries. So far, the program has reached more than 40 national universities in other countries.
“As Makerere University celebrates its 100th anniversary, we are delighted to launch the JICA Chair with the university in this special year. Makerere university is our first engagement in Uganda and we are grateful for the high enthusiasm and direct contribution from the university to make it a success,” he said.
Fukuhura hopes that JICA Chair will contribute to create Makerere’s new history and bolster its growth in the next 100 years.
The Japanese ambassador to Uganda Fukuzawa Hidemoto said Japan is proud to share a rich history of collaboration with Makerere University through infrastructure support, partnerships between Makerere and Japanese universities, annual sponsorships by the government of Japan to Ugandan students to study in Japan majorly those who are graduates of Makerere University.
“There are 12 Japanese universities that have partnerships with Makerere University. These universities signed an agreement on student and faculty exchanges, joint research opportunities and mutual exemptions of tuitions for exchange students,” he said.
According to Hidemoto, the History Department of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere is in communication with Kyoto University in Japan, to start a collaboration through a program initiated by the Japanese Ministry of Education called “Innovative Africa; Educational Networking Programs for Human Resource Development in Africa’s SDGs”.
“I believe people-to-people exchanges are essential in enhancing knowledge and advancing academic activities. Thus I am hoping that this communication towards collaboration with Kyoto University will be to kick start the next 100 years of Makerere University in international exchange,” he said.
Meanwhile the vice chancellor of Makerere University, Barnabas Nawangwe said that the university has recently signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) agreements with various Japanese universities such as Okayama University.
The College of Natural Sciences and College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of Makerere will be collaborating with the Institute of Plant Science and Resources at Okayama University for exchange of students, exchange of faculty and staff, collaborative research, instructional and cultural programs and exchange of research information.
The other MoU was signed with Kyoto University where the two universities agreed to collaborate in areas of primatology research including exchange of scientific materials, publications and information, exchange of academic and administrative members of staff and researchers, joint research and joint expeditions, meetings for research, education and outreaches.
“Most of the MoUs we have signed with these Japanese universities are geared at developing our natural resources which are lying idle in the ground and yet our people are living in poverty. These collaborations are helping to develop the capacity of our researchers and eventually train people who will go out there and harness these rich natural resources,” Nawangwe said.
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