By Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa/Umoja Standard
KAMPALA: Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) which currently operates from New Mulago Complex will on Friday 15th, March 2024 unveil new multi-billion Office building.
The eight storied structure valued at Shillings 30 billion is located within Makerere University Main Campus next to Eastern Gate.
The mega structure is aimed at strengthening scientific research, teaching and learning for the growing student population, currently at more than 800, of which 85% of them are graduate students.
‘MakSPH had as of February 2020, raised UGX. 6billion from own staff, well-wishers and project overheads.’, Officials reported.
The structure is aimed to cater for high-tech infrastructure fitted with demonstration and innovation laboratories, environmental health, epidemic, disaster and field epidemiology, ICT and Data Laboratories.
This will as well have a teaching and Auditoria that will provide space for teaching and dissemination of innovations with stakeholders within Uganda and the region, dedicated space for research, service centres and units as well as rooms for research fellows, doctoral and postdoctoral students.
The MakSPH was the first institute of Public Health on the continent. And as such, the school authorities say this place a huge responsibility on the school in ensuring edge cutting research is done to protect people.
The School of Public Health boasts of a high-level scientific research out-puts including over 200 peer-reviewed research publications annually. It also enjoys grant awards including several multi-country grants.
The big donors include the Rockefeller Foundation, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Italian government and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
On the ground breaking ceremony, the former Netherlands Ambassador to Uganda, Henk Jan Bakker, announced the Dutch contribution to a tune of US$ 303,370 (approximately Shillings 1.061 billion) towards the construction of an Auditorium, which is part of building design. He said Public Health is not only Uganda’s concern but also a global epidemic thus worth investing in.
In the same manner, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University Vice Chancellor announced UGX. 1 billion contribution towards the project from the government’s proposed ring-fenced Shillings 10bn meant for infrastructure development at Makerere.
Early last year, 2023, The Rockefeller Foundation, an American private philanthropy, donated USD $100,000, which Makerere University will use towards the construction of a new School of Public Health (MakSPH) building in celebration of the University’s centenary this year.
Professor Wanyenze has hailed the various organizations that pledged support towards the project including DFCU, Absa and Stanbic Banks and the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The staff of the school managed to contribute slightly above Shillings 400M.
“We are still looking out to partners and we have many pledges and we are optimistic that if these are realized, we will be able to cover some ground. We still need a lot of money and looking out for networks and anybody that would like to contribute to such a worthy cause,” Professor Wanyenze says.
Some of these include epidemics and pandemics of emerging and re-emerging pathogens, environmental degradation, climate change, urbanization, rapid population growth as well as internal displacements of people.