Makerere University-Kampala; May 8, 2015 : The first ever State of African Resilience Report has been launched in Makerere University, Kampala. The report highlights findings from the Resilient Africa Network ( RAN) lab and provides an insight into understanding the dimensions of vulnerability and adaptation. The report further identifies major dimensions of resilience from the perspective of more than a dozen vulnerable communities across sub-Saharan Africa. It is based on the research and analysis of the RAN Universities that are engaging with local communities to understand how best to prevent, mitigate, and overcome the current shocks and stresses to which they are most vulnerable.
Officiating at the launch, the Prime Minister of Uganda, Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda, hailed Makerere University for the various innovations. The Premier who was represented by the Minister of State for Health General Duties, Hon. Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, stated that such innovations should increasingly be African and act as a catalyst for integrated sustainable development.
Makerere University Chancellor, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera stressed the need for Universities to be involved in technology transfer as opposed to translation adding that such innovations should be the intellectual property of the Universities. The Chancellor also hailed USAID for its continuous support to the people of Uganda in various sectors.
The RAN chief of Party/ Lab Director and Dean Makerere University School of Public Health Prof. William Bazeyo paid special tribute to the Office of the Prime Minister for championing resilience in the country. He said RAN brings together faculty, students and the target community members to develop interventions designed to increase resilience capacity at the community level. Prof. Bazeyo stressed the need to further encourage the young innovators, students, faculty and the community to translate knowledge into innovative solutions to address some of the most pressing challenges faced by the communities.
The Resilient Africa Network ( RAN) lab is a partnership targeting twenty sub-Saharan African Universities supported by the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID). The Universities are led by Makerere University, in Uganda together with Tulane University’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy (DRLA), Stanford University , and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS) in the United States. RAN, hosted by Makerere University, under the School of Public Health is one of the eight development labs under the Higher Education Solutions Network ( HESN) in the US Global Development Lab.