By:
Robert Kwaku Annor
Uganda’s Minister for
Science, Technology and Innovation in the Office of the President, Eng. Jonard
Asiimwe Akiiki, has called for urgent action to address delays in the
development of the Makerere University Anti-Tick Vaccine, stressing the need to
accelerate its delivery to farmers.
The minister made the call
during a meeting with the Makerere University Anti-Tick Vaccine Project team,
led by Professor Kaahwa, pharmaceutical company Alfasan, and a technical
oversight team appointed by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and led by Mr. Hilary
Kisanja.
The meeting, convened by the
Ministry’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) team, identified specific
issues delaying the project and emphasised the need for coordinated action
among the teams involved to move the vaccine towards delivery.
The initiative, spearheaded
by President Museveni, places homegrown scientific solutions at the centre of
addressing Uganda’s challenges, particularly those affecting farmers and the
agricultural sector.
Addressing the teams,
Minister Akiiki warned against further internal delays, highlighting the
urgency of bringing the vaccine to farmers.
“We will no longer accept
internal delays that hold back its progress. We are racing against time. The
market and other innovators are not waiting for us, and neither should our
farmers,” the minister said.
He urged all teams involved
in the project to work together with urgency to resolve outstanding issues and
advance the vaccine’s delivery.
