As Sweden continues to phase out its support in research to public universities in Uganda, we cought up with one of the pioneers of Sweden's PhD grants, Professor John Baptist Kirabira. He is currently the Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering within the College of Engineering in Makerere University and the Head of MAPRONANO ACE. Here is what he had to share with us.
Andrew: Thank you for agreeing to meet with me and being part of this interview. Can you tell us about who you are and what you do?
Prof: My name is John Baptist Kirabira and I work at Makerere University. I am a Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering within the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) and I am also the Center Leader for the Africa Centre of Excellence in Materials, Product Development and Nanotechnology (MAPRONANO ACE).
Andrew: As one of the pioneer recipients of Sweden's support to Makerere University, tell us about your PhD program at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
Prof: As an Assistant Lecturer in the department of Mechanical Engineering in Makerere University, I was one of the pioneer recipients of a Swedish grant to study my PhD under the "sandwich" model in cooperation with KTH Royal Institute of Technology. My research was on the Development of Refractory Bricks from Kaolin in Uganda. I was at KTH from September 2001 up to June 2005 when I completed my program. I was admitted on the Swedish "sandwich" model, which meant I spent part of my time during my studying and being supervised at Swedish university, but I remained affiliated with Makerere University throughout my course.
My research showed that Uganda had very high-quality Kaolin, a mineral found at Mutaka mine, which could be used to make bricks that line the inside of furnaces and kilns.
Andrew: Do you believe your PhD program has benefitted Uganda as a country?
Prof: My research into Ugandan Kaolin as a raw material to be used in bricks meant for lining furnaces led to a proof of concept for the Ugandan industrial mineral. My research remains available for potential investors, which would contribute to the exploitation of the Mutaka mine for high value products from the Ugandan mineral.
Andrew: How did this program help you in the advancement of your career?
Prof: Before commencing my PhD, I was working as an Assistant Lecturer in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Makerere University and upon return, I was promoted to a full-time lecturer. I am now a Professor, which I would have never achieved without this support. I have also grown through the ladders of academic leadership, and I am the current Chair of the department.
The program also taught me how to write good fundable research project proposals which subsequently enabled me to pursue a post-doc also funded by Sweden and helped me extend my PhD research into use of kaolin for paper production. I have also been able to develop other proposals which have acquired funding from various international donors.
The idea to start MAPRONANO ACE was also an outcome from the knowledge acquired through the Swedish support training and mentorship.
Andrew: Tell us about MAPRONANO ACE.
Prof: MAPRONANO stands for the Africa Centre of Excellence for Materials, Product Development and Nanotechnology. It was started in 2017 with support worth USD 6 million from the World Bank, which is being used to furnish laboratories, research infrastructure, incubate research findings, train academic and industry workers and fund Masters and PhD scholarships.
Two Masters programs have been developed that shall help to train industry players and policy makers on how to enhance materials and develop products that add value to outputs from industry in Uganda. There is also a focus on nanotechnology with applications in sectors like energy, petroleum, engineering, medicine and minerals development.
Andrew: Since you completed your PhD program, how has Makerere University benefited from your expertise?
Prof: Since I completed my PhD, I have supervised four PhDs to completion at Makerere University. I have also supervised over twenty Masters students who have successfully completed their programs in different fields of engineering. I am still supervising and mentoring a number of M.Sc. and PhD students at the college.
I have also been able to build research networks with various collaborators from across Africa, Europe and the USA. This has strengthened the work we are doing at the College with our research partners across the country.
Andrew: How have you been able to influence the environment for research in Makerere University since the completion of your PhD?
Prof: My experience in Sweden has taught me how to work in very diverse environments. This has enabled me to collaborate easily with other institutions globally and to help my department to learn from my experiences.
Traditionally, in Makerere, there has always been a big gap between lecturers and students. When I returned, I tried to close that gap by making myself more accessible to my students. I also tried to reduce the amount of red-tape in the department by planning for our resources in advance. Makerere University being a public university, there's a lot of bureaucracy in our business processes like procurement as compared to the ones in Sweden. There is need for us to see how improvement in those areas can be achieved.
Andrew: Have you been able to build the capacity of both staff and students in Makerere University? How have you impacted the work done in your department?
Prof: We have implemented what we call problem-based learning in our department and CEDAT at large. Our curriculum and research targets local problems which are given to students as research projects to handle. In essence, this builds their confidence in achieving solutions to real problems. I have mentored many students and staff of Makerere as a way to share my knowledge with the team here. We have created an environment within our department that is conducive for work and carrying out projects, which has enhanced retention of staff despite the stiff competition from other employers.
As a result of the support that we received from Sweden, our department has managed to secure other research support funding from partners such as Volkswagen Group and the Presidential Science Initiative. We have also borrowed the "sandwich" model from Sweden and implemented it with our different partners due to the success of this approach between Makerere and Swedish universities. This continues to build the capacity of our department in Makerere University.
Andrew: What challenges do you feel your department is still facing despite the completion of the support from Sweden? And how have you tried to address them?
Prof: We still have a human resource challenge within our department and the university as a whole. Some well-trained staff also leave the university for better pay elsewhere, which is kind of normal, but leaves big gaps in the different departments. We also have a good inventory of training and demonstration equipment, however, we lack a lot of specialized research equipment.
We are trying to address the issue of specialized equipment through writing proposal for funding but in most cases the funding partners cannot provide enough for this expensive equipment. In turn, we have devised a way of partnering with research equipment and creating synergies among African universities in research and development.
Andrew: How did Sweden's support benefit you personally as an individual in your private capacity?
Prof: Initially, I thought that spending all that time away from my family in Sweden would be difficult. It was difficult but we managed to get through it, which made my family stronger. I am grateful and indebted to them for baring with me as I completed my studies in Sweden.
I have also made friends and networks in Sweden, and I consider Sweden as my second home!
Andrew: Do you have anything else you would like to share with us?
Prof: I would like to thank Sida and mostly the Swedish people for the magnificent support to Makerere University since the year 2000. The project was well-formulated not only to train researchers but also to strengthen the university's research muscle, which was well achieved.
As one of the first beneficiaries, I have been able to create an impact both within Makerere University and the country at large. The equipment provided by the project has been a good base and springboard to for us individually to be able to solicit for other projects and we shall continue to benefit from this support for a long time.
Interview conducted by Andrew Byaruhanga, Communications Officer - Embassy of Sweden in Kampala
