Minister Asiimwe Calls for Faster Transition from Research to Commercial Products at Makerere Innovation Tour

What the report says

SoftPower News reported that Uganda’s Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Eng. Jonard Asiimwe Akiiki, used a two-day engagement at Makerere University in Kampala to urge closer coordination among public institutions, academia and the private sector. According to the report, the minister met university leaders, researchers and innovators during what was described as a strategic innovation tour.

The central message attributed to Asiimwe was that Uganda needs to move more quickly from research work to usable products, new businesses and employment opportunities. The report frames this as a call for government, universities and industry to work together more deliberately so that ideas developed in laboratories and academic settings do not remain disconnected from markets or public needs.

The limited source material does not name specific Makerere projects reviewed during the visit, identify commitments made by the university or government, or provide funding figures. It also does not state whether any formal agreements were signed. Those details would be important for assessing whether the tour led to concrete policy or investment decisions.

For context, Makerere University is one of Uganda’s most prominent research institutions, and universities across the region often face challenges turning prototypes and academic findings into scalable products. The minister’s remarks, as reported by SoftPower News, therefore point to a broader policy concern: how Uganda can link science and innovation more directly to industrial growth, entrepreneurship and job creation. The supplied article text also includes an unrelated line about Uganda Airlines and Boeing, so this digest relies on the headline, URL and snippet tied to the Makerere innovation tour.