What To Learn From EPRC's History As It Re-brands? ---Prof. David Bakibinga

The former Vice Chairperson of the EPRC Board of Management and former Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration Makerere University, Prof. David J, Bakibinga shared interesting insights about EPRC's past at the re-branding event.

During his tenure at the Centre from 2006 to 2010, reforms were undertaken to strengthen the centre institutionally. These included the introduction of an internal audit function. Due to these reforms, EPRC's audited financial accounts became unqualified winning it the confidence and trust of stakeholders who include the Government of Uganda and Development partners.

From being an understaffed Centre at inception, EPRC now boasts of a total of 32 staff, 18 of whom are research staff and 14 non research staff. However, the Centre is still below its required staffing capacity as it's supposed to have 44 members indicting a shortage of 12 members.

Prof. Bakibinga then noted that the Centre won't attract and retain the best unless it offers a competitive salary, coupled with longer term contracts. To work at the Centre, a minimum qualification of a Master's degree is a requirement yet salaries are still below those of similar think tanks and short term contracts continue to impact on the attraction and retention of staff members.

The challenge now at EPRC says Prof. Bakibinga is how to ensure that the demand for collaboration grows at the same rate at which the internal human resource capacity can handle.

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