China to Establish Disaster Early Warning Lab at Makerere

Uganda is set to strengthen its national disaster preparedness and early warning capabilities following the establishment of a China–Uganda Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Natural Disaster Monitoring and Early Warning at Makerere University.

The development was revealed on Tuesday after a Chinese delegation from Tsinghua University, led by Professor Yuan Hongyong, paid a courtesy visit to the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, at his office.

According to the briefing, the laboratory—funded by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology—will focus on capacity building, advanced training, and real-time disaster monitoring to help Uganda better anticipate and respond to natural hazards.

The delegation also informed Mr Tayebwa of an ongoing collaboration between Gsafety Beijing Technology and Uganda’s Ministry of Disaster Preparedness aimed at strengthening national disaster monitoring and early warning systems.

Mr Tayebwa welcomed the initiatives, noting that enhanced predictive tools are increasingly critical as climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of natural disasters.

“This cooperation equips Uganda with vital tools to predict and manage potential disasters in the coming years, especially as climate change becomes more unpredictable and catastrophic,” he said.

He further expressed appreciation to the Government of China for its continued support to Uganda, particularly in infrastructure development, education, and cooperation in science and technology.

The China–Uganda joint laboratory is expected to position Makerere University as a regional hub for disaster research while reinforcing Uganda’s long-term climate resilience strategy under the Belt and Road Initiative.