President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commended Muni University for its contribution to community transformation through the Refugee and Host Community Youth Empowerment and Transformation Initiative (RETI), describing the program as an example of the university’s growing impact beyond the classroom.
Commendation for Community Transformation and AHEFT Prize
In a speech delivered by Vice-President Jessica Alupo, who represented the President as Chief Guest at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Muni University Teaching and Research Hospital, held on Friday, 21 August 2026 at the university's Main Campus in Arua City, she noted that Muni University’s growth was evident not only in increased student enrolment and academic programs, particularly in STEM, but also in research output and community engagement.
“I am happy to note the tremendous growth of the university, as shown by increased enrolment, increased academic programs, mainly in STEM, research output, and significant community engagement, mainly through the university's Refugee and Host Community Youth Employment Empowerment Initiative program, RETI.”
The President further congratulated Muni University upon being among the five African universities recognised with the inaugural Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize.
“I was pleased to learn that MUNI University was among the five African universities to receive the inaugural Laureate of Africa Higher Education for Transformation Prize. This is commendable progress.”
Last month, the Mastercard Foundation announced the launch of the Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize, which recognises higher education institutions in Africa that are driving sustained, systemic institution-wide transformation and expanding opportunities for young people.
Muni University was recognised among the inaugural winners of the Africa Higher Education for Transformation (AHEFT) Prize, under the Transitions to Employment category for its work creating pathways from education and skills development to employment for refugees and underserved youth through RETI. Other winning institutions are Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia); the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (Burkina Faso); Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (Ghana); Muni University (Uganda); and the University of Rwanda (Rwanda).
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, represented by Vice President Jessica Alupo, commends Muni University’s RETI program and its recognition with the inaugural Africa Higher Education for Transformation Prize at the Teaching and Research Hospital groundbreaking in Arua City.
Building an Integrated Healthcare and Research Ecosystem
Associate Professor Simon Anguma Katrini, the Muni University Vice Chancellor, in his address noted that the university’s transformation is closely connected to its role as a strategic government institution serving West Nile and beyond.
According to Prof. Katrini, the planned Teaching and Research Hospital, together with the proposed Uganda Cancer Institute and Uganda Heart Institute facilities on the university campus, would create an integrated ecosystem for healthcare, specialised medical training, research, innovation and professional services.
He further noted that the specialised facilities would bring cancer and cardiovascular services closer to communities in West Nile and surrounding regions while providing students, academic staff and researchers with opportunities for clinical training and research.
A Regional Institution with International Responsibility
Meanwhile, Engineer Joel Aita, the Muni University Council Chairperson, described the Teaching and Research Hospital as more than another healthcare facility. He said the hospital is conceived as an integrated academic health system linked to the university’s health sciences training.
“The groundbreaking of land is not just for a district facility. It is for East and Central Africa's next great medical institution,” Aita noted.
According to Eng. Aita, the university’s ambition is to develop a facility whose standards can support international academic and professional exchanges.
The University Chancellor, Archbishop Emeritus Henry Luke Orombi, echoed that the project marks a new chapter for both the university and the wider sub-region. Orombi noted that Muni University's location gives it a unique national and international responsibility, sitting as it does on the borders with South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the constant movement of people for trade, education, employment, refugee settlement, family ties and healthcare means that major investments in the region inevitably carry wider regional impact.
Shs160 Billion Teaching and Research Hospital Project Details
The Muni University Teaching and Research Hospital is a Shs160 billion undertaking, with Shs30 billion already released to kick-start its first phase on 10 acres of land within the university's Main Campus. Construction, which will be undertaken by Roko Construction Company Limited, is expected to begin in the 2026/2027 financial year and take approximately two and a half years to complete, including the procurement and installation of specialised equipment.
The proposed facility is designed with a wide range of clinical, critical care, specialised and support facilities, including biomedical laboratories, lecture theatres, multiple operating theatres, including an organ transplant theatre, a dedicated women's theatre, VIP clinics, outpatient departments, a fully equipped radiology unit, critical care units, a neonatal intensive care unit, a main intensive care unit, a dialysis unit, a fertility centre with sperm bank, dentistry section, occupational therapy unit, mortuary cold room with capacity for 100 bodies, general and women's wards, administration offices, a VIP wing with two Presidential suites, laundry facilities, kitchen and restaurant areas, main storage facilities, solar power installations, among others.
RETI Program: Empowering 80,000 Youth by 2027
The Refugee and Host Community Youth Empowerment and Transformation Initiative (RETI) is a multi-partner program led by Muni University in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Implemented by a consortium of nine organisations, RETI seeks to address youth unemployment across 15 refugee-hosting districts in Uganda.
Other RETI consortium partners include Gulu University, Bishop Stuart University, Finn Church Aid (FCA), DanChurchAid (DCA), Community Empowerment for Rural Development (CEFORD), PALM Corps, Meeting Point Kitgum, and Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID).
RETI aims to equip 80,000 young people aged 15–35, comprising 70% refugees, 30% host community members, and at least 3% youth with disabilities, with market-relevant skills, transitioning 70,000 of them into fulfilling and dignified work by 2027.
The recognition of RETI with the inaugural Africa Higher Education for Transformation Prize underscores Muni University’s growing contribution to creating opportunities for young people and strengthening community transformation through higher education.
