KAMPALA — Makerere University has awarded scholarships to 308 young Africans under two Mastercard Foundation initiatives, as the university and its partners called on the beneficiaries to use education not merely to obtain qualifications but to solve problems and transform their communities.
The scholarships were awarded to 258 students under Cohort Nine of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and 50 Master’s students under the second cohort of the Africa Climate Collaborative (ACC) at a ceremony held at the School of Public Health Auditorium on Thursday.
Makerere’s latest intake comprises 245 undergraduate students and 13 Master’s students under the Scholars Program. The university’s own 2026/27 scholarship announcement confirms the 245 undergraduate and 13 Master’s allocation.
The awards come as Makerere seeks to deepen its partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, with the second phase of the Scholars Program targeting 1,000 young people over 10 years.
Adrian Bukenya, Country Director of the Mastercard Foundation in Uganda and Senior Director of the Scholars Program globally, challenged the new beneficiaries to abandon the idea that they had simply received financial assistance.
“This is not a scholarship. A scholarship is one component of the experience you are just about to go through.”
Bukenya said the programme was fundamentally a leadership development initiative, intended to produce young people capable of changing the conditions of their families and communities.
“What we are seeking to achieve through you is to enable you to become transformative leaders.”
He defined such leadership as the ability to shift existing conditions into something significantly better, beginning with the individual. “The first space where you have to apply your leadership is yourself.”
The Foundation’s partnership with Makerere dates back to 2013. Its Scholars Program seeks to expand access to university education for academically talented young people facing financial and other barriers.
3,664 applicants competed for 258 scholarships
The scale of competition was outlined by Charles Ssentongo of Makerere’s Academic Registrar’s Unit, representing the Chairperson of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Selection Committee.
Ssentongo said 3,664 applications were received: 2,904 from undergraduate applicants and 760 from Master’s applicants.
Of these, 1,440 undergraduate applicants and 280 Master’s applicants were admitted to Makerere on private sponsorship before the scholarship selection process proceeded.
A total of 650 undergraduate applicants and 58 Master’s applicants were shortlisted for interviews, while 446 undergraduate and 26 Master’s applicants proceeded to home validation.
The final selection produced 258 scholars: 245 undergraduates and 13 Master’s students.
Ssentongo said the selection was based on merit, diversity, equity and inclusion.
“More young people need scholarships than there are scholarship opportunities available through the Scholars Program. Therefore, being selected as a recipient of this scholarship among the many applicants means you are the most deserving, and you should not take this for granted.”
The final cohort includes 56 refugees, 27 students with disabilities, 16 students from refugee-hosting and underserved communities, 138 other Ugandan nationals and 21 international students.
Women constitute 196 of the 258 scholars, compared with 62 men.
Ssentongo warned beneficiaries that the scholarship could be withdrawn if they were found to have supplied false information. “Receiving this scholarship does not exempt any individual from the risk of disqualification for dishonesty in the information submitted during the application process.”
Scholarship must produce service
Representing Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Assoc. Prof. Ibrahim M. Okumu, Dean of the School of Economics and Chair of the Scholars Selection Committee, told the new scholars that education should be measured by what they eventually do with it.
“The student you are today is not the limit of the person you can become.”
Okumu said Makerere’s partnership with the Mastercard Foundation was built around diversity, inclusion and the belief that academically talented young Africans should not be excluded because of their background or circumstances.
He urged the beneficiaries to make three commitments: excellence, integrity and service. “Seek knowledge rather than simply grades. Allow Makerere to stretch your imagination.”
On integrity, he warned: “Talent may open doors, but character determines what happens after those doors are opened.”
But his strongest challenge was about what the scholars would do for others. “As your knowledge, networks and opportunities expand, ask yourself: Whose life can become better because I had the opportunity to study at Makerere University?”
Makerere records 1,596 scholars across two phases
Prof. Justine Namalwa, Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere, said the university’s first phase supported 1,032 young people to completion, recording a 95.4 percent throughput rate at the last graduation.
The second phase, running from 2024 to 2034, targets 1,000 scholars.
With the addition of the 258 new scholars, Namalwa said Makerere has reached 546 scholars in Phase Two, representing 54.6 percent of the target by the third year of recruitment.
Across the two phases, the university has now recorded 1,596 scholars.
Namalwa said Phase Two had deliberately incorporated social diversity, with 22 percent of scholars being refugees or internally displaced persons, 11 percent students with disabilities, 8 percent from minority tribes and refugee-hosting communities, 7 percent international students and 51 percent other Ugandan students.
She urged the beneficiaries to see the scholarship as a challenge rather than simply a benefit. “Celebrate the opportunity by taking it as a challenge to transform yourself, transform your families and transform the broader community.”
Climate scholarships target Africa’s climate crisis
The second half of the ceremony focused on the Africa Climate Collaborative, which is being implemented by Makerere University with Mastercard Foundation support. The university’s 2026/27 call advertised 50 Master’s and 12 PhD scholarships under the initiative.
Prof. Claire Mack Mugasa, Chairperson of the ACC Selection Sub-Committee, said 483 applications were received for the second cohort of the Master’s and PhD scholarships.
The selection process produced 50 Master’s scholars, including 34 women and 16 men, four international students, five persons with disabilities, four refugees or internally displaced persons, and four people from refugee-hosting communities and minority tribes.
The ACC’s programme director, Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga, said the initiative was established to strengthen Africa’s preparedness and response to climate change through research, innovation, leadership and skills development.
She said the eight-year university-wide programme is organised around four pillars: workforce development; entrepreneurship; research and innovation; and networks, policy and learning.
According to Nabanoga, the programme had so far awarded 85 Master’s scholarships out of a planned 250 and 18 PhD scholarships out of 40.
She said the growing cohort of scholars would work across five Makerere colleges, creating an interdisciplinary community focused on climate and development challenges. “Climate change is no longer a distant challenge.”
