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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260407T080000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260407T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T070948Z
CREATED:20250421T070907Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T070948Z
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SUMMARY:PhD Public Defense by Mr. Jordan Paul Semwanga
DESCRIPTION:INVITATION:  The Dean of the School of Economics\, College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS)\, Makerere University invites you to a Viva Voce examination for Mr. Jordan Paul Semwanga on Wednesday\, 23rd of April 2025\, at 2PM in the College Conference Hall\, Makerere University. \nDate:  Tuesday 23rd  April 2025. \nTime: 2:00 pm \nVenue: The Conference Room\, Level 2\, Block B\, College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS)\, Makerere University. \nTitle: “Crop production and welfare effects of using sludge manure among rural households in selected districts of central Uganda.” \nABSTRACT \nThe quality of arable soils has continuously deteriorated in Uganda. This has resulted into reduced crop production and constrained household welfare especially among the poor and agro-based households. Many farm households have tried to adapt to the losses in soil fertility through the use of inorganic and organic supplements. Although\, a vast body of literature exists that demonstrates the positive impact of either inorganic or organic supplements but one can argue that little evidence exists about the impact of sludge manure on household crop production\, household welfare\, and the economic viability of its use. Thus\, this dissertation examines the impact of sludge manure on rural farm households’ economic outcomes. To elaborate\, the dissertation address three key specific objectives which include; (1) examined the impact of sludge manure adoption on household crop production\, (2) investigated the welfare effect of sludge manure adoption among rural farm households and (3) evaluated the economic viability of using sludge manure in maize production. \nThe study employed a quasi-experimental design. Specifically\, Propensity score matching\, Endogenous switching regression and a partial budgeting analysis framework were employed as tools of analysis. The key results from this dissertation include; (1) sludge manure adoption leads to increased crop yields of say green bananas\, maize\, coffee and cassava crops (2) the results shows that using sludge manure improve per capita household food expenditure and per capita total household expenditure for adopters compared to non- adopters\, (3) applying sludge manure in the production of maize\, yields a higher marginal rate of return and this means that it is economically viable for household farmers to use sludge manure other than using inorganic fertilizers. In terms of recommendations\, the study recommends promotion of sludge manure as a pathway of increasing crop yields and eventually crop income which facilitates household welfare. Still\, since majority of smallholder farmers are financially constrained\, the use of sludge manure is recommended because it is cost effective in the production of crops like maize. \nSupervisors \nDr Aggrey Niringiye (PhD)\nSenior Lecturer\, Makerere University\, School of Economics. \nDr. John Sseruyange (PhD)\nLecturer\, Makerere University\, School of Economics \nVenue \n  \nYour presence and participation will be highly appreciated as we support the student in this important academic milestone. \n  \n 
URL:https://bams.mak.ac.ug/event/phd-public-defense-by-mr-jordan-paul-semwanga/
CATEGORIES:PhD Defense
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://bams.mak.ac.ug/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Jordan_Paul_Semwanga.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260804T140000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260804T170000
DTSTAMP:20260804T045041Z
CREATED:20260804T044856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260804T045041Z
UID:12589-1785852000-1785862800@bams.mak.ac.ug
SUMMARY:PhD Public Defense for Mr.Isabirye Swaliki Kisige
DESCRIPTION:INVITATION: \nThe Dean\, School of Economics under the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS)\, cordially invites you to the PhD Public Defense of the following candidate: \nName of the Candidate: Mr. Isabirye Swaliki Kisige \nTitle of Thesis: \nExternal debt\, public and private investment\, and economic growth in Heavily Indebted Poor Countries in Sub Saharan Africa \nDate: Tuesday 4th August 2026. \nTime: 2:00pm – 5:00pm \nVenue: \nConference Room\, College of Business and Management Sciences\n(CoBAMS)\, Makerere University \nABSTRACT \nThis study examined how external public debt affects public investment\,\nprivate investment\, and economic growth in Highly Indebted Poor\nCountries within Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 2000 to 2024. The\nanalysis was guided by three objectives: to identify the determinants of\npublic investment with emphasis on external debt; to assess the effect\nof public investment on private investment and determine whether the\nrelationship is linear or nonlinear; and to examine the direct and\nindirect effects of external public debt on economic growth. \nTo address these objectives\, the study employed two complementary\neconometric approaches. The first objective was estimated using the\ntwo-step System Generalized Method of Moments estimator to account for\nendogeneity and dynamic fiscal behavior. The second and third objectives\nwere analyzed using the Pooled Mean Group estimator under the\nAutoregressive Distributed Lag framework\, given the evidence of long-run\nrelationships among the variables. \nThe results showed that public investment is influenced by its previous\nlevels\, meaning that once countries commit to infrastructure programmes\,\nthey tend to continue investing over time due to ongoing project and\npolicy commitments. Public investment was also shaped by external public\ndebt\, economic growth\, domestic revenue mobilization\, and political\nstability. External public debt exhibited a nonlinear effect: moderate\nborrowing supported public investment\, but once debt exceeded\napproximately 56 percent of GDP\, additional borrowing reduced the\ncapacity to finance new capital projects. \nPublic investment was found to stimulate private investment in the long\nrun\, confirming a complementary relationship. However\, this effect\nweakens once public investment surpasses an estimated threshold of about\n16 percent of GDP\, particularly where fiscal pressures are pronounced.\nFurthermore\, external public debt contributed positively to economic\ngrowth at low to moderate levels but demonstrated an inverted U-shaped\nrelationship at higher levels\, with the turning point occurring around\n23 to 24 percent of GDP. The results also revealed that debt contributes\nto growth only when it is directed toward productive investment rather\nthan consumption or debt servicing. \nOverall\, the findings underscore that public investment\, private\ninvestment\, and economic growth in HIPCs can benefit from external\nborrowing when debt levels remain within economically sustainable bounds\nand when borrowed resources are allocated to productive capital\nformation. The study recommends that governments in Sub-Saharan African\nHIPCs maintain public investment within the range of 10-12 percent of\nGDP\, where the crowding-in effect on private investment is strongest\,\nand avoid scaling investment beyond absorptive capacity. External public\ndebt should be kept below approximately 55 percent of GDP to preserve\nits supportive role in private investment\, and below 23-24 percent of\nGDP to avoid debt overhang effects on economic growth. Strengthening\npublic investment efficiency\, improving debt management frameworks\,\nexpanding domestic revenue mobilization\, and deepening domestic credit\nmarkets are therefore essential to ensure that external borrowing\ntranslates into productive capital formation and sustainable long-term\ndevelopment. \nSupervisors: \nDr. John Mutenyo\nDr. John Bosco Oryema \nYour presence and participation will be highly appreciated as we support the student in this important academic milestone.
URL:https://bams.mak.ac.ug/event/phd-public-defense-by-mr-isabirye-swaliki-kisige/
LOCATION:Conference Hall\, Block B\, CoBAMS\, Conference Room\, Block B\, CoBAMS\, Kampala\, Uganda
CATEGORIES:PhD Defense
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://bams.mak.ac.ug/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kisige.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260820T083000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260820T130000
DTSTAMP:20260819T104722Z
CREATED:20260819T103825Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260819T104722Z
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SUMMARY:Conference on the theory of Noonomy
DESCRIPTION:Makerere University will host the Conference on the Theory of Noonomy on 20 August 2026 under the theme\, “The Theory of Noonomy and its Role in Resolving Modernity Issues: Pathways to Sustainable Social and Economic Transformation.” The conference will bring together scholars\, researchers and experts to explore the role of noonomy in addressing contemporary challenges and advancing sustainable social and economic transformation. The event will feature a Special Address by Prof. Sergey D. Bodrunov and a Keynote Address by Prof. Nikolay D. Dmitriev\, and will be hosted by Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe. The conference will be held at the SCR\, Main Building\, Makerere University\, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.\, with online participation available via Zoom and YouTube.
URL:https://bams.mak.ac.ug/event/conference-on-the-theory-of-noonomy/
LOCATION:Makerere University Main Hall\, Makerere University\, KAMPALA\, KAMPALA\, +2560414\, Uganda
CATEGORIES:PhD Defense
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://bams.mak.ac.ug/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/NooNomy_1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260910T090000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260910T120000
DTSTAMP:20260904T094419Z
CREATED:20260904T094109Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T094419Z
UID:12740-1789030800-1789041600@bams.mak.ac.ug
SUMMARY:PhD Defense for Mr. Faustino  Byanyima
DESCRIPTION:INVITATION:  \nThe Dean\, School of Economics  under the College of Business  and Management Sciences  (CoBAMS)\, cordially invites you to the PhD Public Defense of the following candidate: \nName of the Candidate: Mr. Faustino  Byanyima \nTitle of Thesis: \nINTERNET USE AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: THE CONDITIONING EFFECT OF INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY ON EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT\, LIFE EXPECTANCY\, AND INCOME PER CAPITA. \n Date:  Thursday 10th  September  2026. \n Time: 09:00am – 12:00pm \nVenue: CoBAMS  Conference Room \nABSTRACT \n Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the lowest levels of education\, life expectancy\, and income per capita. The average secondary school enrolment rate is only 43%\, compared with the world average of 76%. The average life expectancy is 61 years\, relative to 73 years worldwide. SSA’s GDP per capita is USD 1\,600\, compared to USD 18\,000 globally. Efforts to improve performance include policy reforms such as Universal Primary Education (UPE)\, health initiatives\, and trade liberalisation\, as well as socio-economic reforms such as debt relief\, cash transfers\, and expanded antiretroviral therapy. Internet use has grown from under 0.5% in 2000 to nearly 40% in 2023\, driven by mobile broadband\, market liberalisation\, lower data costs\, and policies like the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy (2020-2030). Despite this growth\, evidence of the effects of internet use on education\, health\, and income remains limited. \nThis dissertation examined the effects of internet use on educational attainment\, life expectancy\, and income per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2000 to 2023. It assessed whether internet use improves these human development dimensions and whether effects depend on institutional quality. The study used a macro-panel approach with country-level data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators and Worldwide Governance Indicators. To address methodological issues like endogeneity\, heteroscedasticity\, autocorrelation\, cross-sectional dependence\, and slope heterogeneity\, it employed three estimation techniques: Fixed-Effects Instrumental Variables with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors (FE-IV-DK)\, Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE)\, and System Generalised Method of Moments (System GMM). \nThe results indicate that the developmental effect of internet use in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is conditional rather than automatic. In the education model\, internet use had a statistically significant negative direct effect on secondary school enrolment (chapter 3)\, implying that internet use alone may divert time from educational pursuits. Nonetheless\, the interaction effects between internet use and electricity access\, as well as between internet use and government effectiveness\, were positive and statistically significant\, indicating that internet use enhances educational attainment when supported by reliable institutions. In the health model\, internet use exhibited a positive and statistically significant direct effect on life expectancy (chapter 4)\, suggesting that broader internet use promotes better health outcomes by improving access to health information and services. The interaction effect between internet use and government effectiveness was likewise positive and statistically significant\, indicating that health benefits derived from internet use are amplified in contexts where public institutions function effectively. In the income per capita model\, internet use demonstrated a statistically significant negative direct effect (chapter 5)\, suggesting that\, in the absence of complementary conditions\, internet use may initially be directed towards consumption rather than productivity-enhancing activities. However\, the interaction effect between internet use and electricity access was positive and statistically significant\, indicating that the positive income gains from internet use materialise once a country’s electricity access exceeds approximately 39% threshold. \nOverall\, the dissertation concludes that internet use is a conditional development tool in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its capacity to improve educational attainment\, health outcomes\, and income per capita depends critically on enabling conditions\, particularly access to electricity\, government effectiveness\, and regulatory quality. The study therefore recommends that governments and development partners complement investments in digital connectivity with broader institutional and infrastructural reforms\, including rural electrification\, public-sector effectiveness\, and digital regulatory frameworks. These findings contribute to the growing literature on digital development in Africa and provide policy-relevant evidence to advance the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals. \nSupervisors: \n\n Bruno Yawe Lule : Supervisor                \n John Bosco Nnyanzi : Co-Supervisor                       \n\nYour presence and participation will be highly appreciated as we support the student in this important academic milestone.
URL:https://bams.mak.ac.ug/event/phd-defense-for-mr-faustino-byanyima/
LOCATION:Conference Hall\, Block B\, CoBAMS\, Conference Room\, Block B\, CoBAMS\, Kampala\, Uganda
CATEGORIES:PhD Defense
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://bams.mak.ac.ug/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Byanyima_Faustino.jpg
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