A Makerere University academic has complained that policymakers in Uganda and Africa in general are not utilizing the many useful findings of scientific research efforts.
Prof Yazid Bamutaze was giving his report as the chair of the organizing committee for the 3rd International Conference on Geographical Science for Resilient Communities, Ecosystems and Livelihoods under Global Environmental Change (aka 3rd Gorilla).
Organised by Makerere University and National Environment Management Authority (Nema) and sponsored by several organisations, the conference took place at Hotel Africana, on December 4 to 6, 2024.
Bamutaze said this third of a biennial conference inaugurated in 2020 had showed increased interest, with 370 paper abstracts submitted; it was attended physically and virtually by a dynamic and concentrated cohort of experts from diverse scientific disciplines, sectors and countries.
However, opening the conference as chief guest, Beatrice Anywar, state minister for Environment, said Uganda does her best.
“The Government of Uganda remains steadfast in its commitment to embracing new scientific insights and [working] with multiple partners nationally, regionally, continentally and globally to address the multifaceted challenges facing our communities. We recognize the central role that science plays in national development, and we have recently mainstreamed this tenet in our National Development Plans.”
The Hotel Africana event was preceded by four preconference training activities held at Makerere University; namely, Advanced Data Analysis and Scholarly Writing – November 25 to December 1; Community Resilience and Geo-Visualisation Under Increasing Risks – November 27 to December 3; Earth Observation Data for Accelerated Actions Towards Social and Ecological Resilience – November 29 to December 2; and Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) for Sustainable Biodiversity Conservation – December 1 to 3.
The highly technical conference had 12 subthemes that included: Biodiversity informatics, sustainable ecosystems, landscapes and people; The changing geography of agrifood systems; Polycrisis: migration, displacement, conflict and humanitarianism; Water governance and transitions to land degradation, neutrality and net zero; Sustainable cities and urban systems in sub-Saharan Africa; and Geographies of climate change, climate justice, and just transitions: spaces and patterns.
Other subthemes were: Environment and health; Emerging and novel technologies for societal resilience; Nature-based solutions for inclusive and equitable development; Interconnected geohazards and disasters in a changing world; Green growth and transitions to land degradation, neutrality and net zero; and Geographies of energy and energy transitions.
