Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) Nkozi has given a unique award to Dr. Aisha Ruth Kasolo, national coordinator of the GROW Project, in recognition of her work as a practical skilling champion, mentor, and source of inspiration for young scholars across Uganda and beyond.
Dr. Kasolo, a PhD holder who also heads the Skills Development Facility at the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), used her platform at PSFU, her substantive employer, to support the practical skills deepening programme at UMU. Through the PSFU-led Skills Development Facility (SDF) 3, she helped drive high-end innovations at the university, work that its Catholic Church-owned top management says made her deserving of recognition.
The innovations Dr. Kasolo instigated and enabled were carried out through UMU’s Faculty of Agriculture, where researchers successfully undertook the domestication, rearing, and value addition of Black Soldier Fly larvae. One of the research efforts her support enabled led to a notable scientific discovery: that larvae from Black Soldier Flies have the potential to deliver higher protein volumes than can be derived from silverfish.
Grateful for the collaboration, the university had previously invited Dr. Kasolo to serve as keynote speaker at one of its commencement lectures. She was also invited for a speaking engagement at the main campus in Nkozi on the eve of the university’s 18th October 2025 graduation ceremony, a sign of the deepening ties between UMU and the skilling advocate.
In its official statement, the university described her recognition as being tied to her outstanding contribution to youth innovations, alongside her leadership in pushing the commercialisation of research coming out of higher institutions of learning.
