The Vice Chancellor of Gulu University, Prof. Openjuru, George Ladaah has warned that many Civil Society Organisations in Uganda who should audit service delivery and drum support towards community support in the lens of human rights, democratic governance has become development partners.
“Instead of playing the advocacy roles many CSOs have become NGOs and activism well known to be championed by CSOs towards community development is dying in Uganda”. He said.
Prof. Openjuru made the remarks while officiating at the launch of the Empowerment for Research-Based Advocacy (EReBA) network, held at Gulu University on July 30, 2025.
The launch of EReBA coincided with the conclusion of a three-day interactive engagement that brought together journalists, CSO representatives, and researchers to explore how they can collaborate in popularizing scientific knowledge among the public.
As part of the closing activities, Prof. Openjuru presented awards to winning journalists and CSO representatives in recognition of their contributions to evidence-based journalism and advocacy.
Mr. Peter Wamboga-Mugirya of the Science Foundation for Livelihoods and Development (SCIFODE) was recognized as the top performer among CSOs in Uganda. Dr. Nathan Kanuma Taremwa from the University of Rwanda and Dr. Agatha Alidri from Gulu University received awards as the best networkers in Rwanda and Uganda, respectively.
Among journalists, Tonny Abet of Daily Monitor was awarded Best Journalist. Daily Monitor’s Olivier Mukaaya and Henry Okurut were named first and second runners-up, respectively.
The awards and the network launch also marked the official closure of the EReBA pilot phase, paving the way for the broader development of the initiative. The pilot was managed jointly by the Danish Development Research Network (DDRN), the Uganda Science Journalists Association (USJA), and the Rwanda Association of Science Journalists (RASJ), with funding from the Danish umbrella NGO Civil Society in Development (CISU).
