SOROTI, UGANDA | 3 November 2026
Hon. Eng. Jonard Asiimwe Akiiki, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation – Office of the President, is visiting Soroti University today, accompanied by a team from the STI Secretariat, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen research commercialisation, accelerate industrialisation and create employment opportunities through science, technology and innovation.
The visit forms part of a four-day engagement with public universities in Northern Uganda, aimed at assessing research capabilities, technological innovations and institutional readiness to contribute to Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.
At Soroti University, the Minister and his delegation are scheduled to engage with university leadership, researchers, academic staff and students, alongside visits to various university facilities to assess ongoing research, innovations and opportunities for commercial application.
The assessment will focus on aligning university research and innovation with Uganda’s national development priorities, particularly the Ten-Fold Growth Strategy anchored on ATMS: Agro-industrialisation, Tourism, Minerals, and Science, Technology and Innovation.
A key priority of the engagement is to identify research outputs and innovations with the potential to transition from academic institutions into commercially viable products, services and enterprises.
The Ministry seeks to strengthen collaboration between universities, industry and Government to ensure that public investment in research delivers measurable economic benefits, including job creation, increased productivity, import substitution and export promotion.
The engagement will also examine opportunities for strengthening research infrastructure, supporting innovators and establishing practical pathways through which university-generated knowledge and technologies can address challenges facing Uganda’s productive sectors.
Through such institutional assessments, the Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation – Office of the President continues to advance a coordinated approach to transforming research into market-ready solutions, strengthening domestic manufacturing and positioning science, technology and innovation as key drivers of Uganda’s ambition to achieve a USD 500 billion economy by 2040.
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