ACME announces new Board of Directors 

The African Centre for Media Excellence is pleased to announce Ms Susan Nsibirwa as the new Chairperson of its Board of Directors. 

She was elected at the BOD meeting held on Saturday, 27 February 2021. 

“I thank members for the vote of confidence to chair the ACME board for the next three years. With the support of members, we will have an institution to be proud of when we hand over. I have no personal reasons to turn down the nomination and I never run away from challenges,” she said.

Ms Nsibirwa is a communication professional with close to 30 years’ experience in advertising, marketing and media management. She currently serves as Managing Partner of Urge Uganda, a full service marketing and advertising agency.

She will be deputised by Mr Robby Muhumuza, a recognised communications and management consultant with more than three decades of experience in board governance and development, management capacity building, and media relations. 

Mr Paul Busharizi, a Contributing Editor at Vision Group will serve as the Treasurer. 

Other Board members are Dr Wairagala Wakabi, Dr Emilly Comfort Maractho, Dr Arthur Bainomugisha, Mr Tabu Butagira and Ms Marjorie Kyomuhendo-Niyitegeka. 

The team succeeds a formidable team chaired by Prof Monica B Chibita, who served from 2012 to 2020. Other members of the team included; Mr James Abola, a Financial Consultant and Team Leader, Akamai Global, Kampala; Mrs Marjorie Kyomuhendo –  Assistant Lecturer, Department of  Journalism and Communication, Makerere University, Kampala; Mr Zie Gariyo – Policy Analyst and Director CORET Centre, Kampala; Ms Barbara Kaija – Editor-in-Chief, Vision Group, Kampala; Mr Daniel Kalinaki – General manager in charge of editorial, Nation Media Group, Kampala, Uganda; Dr Peter Mwesige – ACME Co-founder and Executive Director (ex-officio member); and Dr Zahara Nampewo – Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Makerere University. 

The new BOD

Susan Nsibirwa- Chairperson

Ms Nsibirwa is a communication professional with close to 30 years’ experience in advertising, marketing and media management. She currently serves as Managing Partner of Urge Uganda, a full service marketing and advertising agency. Prior to that she worked as Head of Marketing and Communication at Vision Group, Managing Partner of brand consultancy company, Weaver Options, and Head of Marketing at DFCU Bank. Additionally, from 2016-2018 Ms Nsibirwa was chair of the Uganda Media Owners Association. 

Robby Muhumuza- Deputy Chairperson 

Mr Muhumuza is a recognised communications and management consultant with more than three decades of experience in board governance and development, management capacity building and media relations. He is currently self-employed and serves on the Daily Monitor board of directors. He held several senior management positions in civil society and private practice in the past, most notably as World Vision Area Director for East Africa. Mr Muhumuza has a Masters degree in Organisational Leadership from Uganda Christian University and a Masters of Science in Journalism from Ohio University.

Paul Busharizi- Treasurer

Mr Busharizi is a Senior Content Producer at Vision Group. He is a talented writer and editor, who has authored a wide range of articles on business, economy, personal finance, and development. Recently Mr Busharizi expanded his portfolio by establishing BlackKnight Communications, a new corporate communication, branding, and marketing firm based in Kampala. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Makerere University.

Arthur Bainomugisha- Member

Dr Bainomugisha is the Executive Director of Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE). Previously he worked as a Civil Society Fellow at the International Peace Institute, a New York-based public policy think tank. Dr Bainomugisha holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies and a Masters of Arts in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Makerere University. He is a scholar and author of several articles on peace, security, and natural resources that have been published across the world.

Emily Maractho- Member

Dr Maractho is Head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Uganda Christian University. She has a keen interest in the intersection of gender, development, and communication and has authored several papers on these topics. In 2015 she was awarded the Next Generation of Social Sciences in Africa Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship at the University of KwaZulu Natal that resulted in a seminal study on the representation, interaction, and engagement of women in Uganda’s media.

Robert Kirunda- Member

Robert Kirunda is the founding partner of Kirunda and Wasige Advocates. He holds a Masters of Law in International Legal Studies from the American University Washington College of Law, a Masters of Law in International Trade and Investment Law from the University of the Western Cape, and a postgraduate in legal practice. Mr Kirunda lectures at Makerere University Faculty of Law and Makerere University Business School. He is a member of the Uganda Law Society, East African Law Society and Uganda Christian Lawyers Fraternity. Additionally, he is a member of the Finance Trust Bank board of directors.

Tabu Butagira- Member

Mr Butagira is a subscriber to the African Centre for Media Excellence. From 2005 to 2019 he worked at Nation Media Group in various capacities, primarily as a reporter and associate editor for the Daily Monitor. He participated in the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program in 2015, focusing his study on digital media and communications. He recently graduated with a Master of Arts in International Relations and Security from the University of Westminster.

Wairagala Wakabi- Member

Dr Wakabi is the Executive Director of Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA).  In his position at CIPESA, Dr Wakabi leads the policy research portfolio that supports cohesive approaches to advocating for online rights and use of ICT in democratic processes. He holds a Master of Sciences in Informatics from Orebro University in Sweden, a Master of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University, and a PhD in informatics from Orebro University.

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Photos by Katumba Badru