John Ddumba Ssentamu (born 1953) is a Ugandan economist, academic and banker. He is a professor of economics and former

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

(2012-2017) at

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

, Uganda's oldest university, founded in 1922. He is chairman of

Centenary Bank Centenary Bank, also Centenary Rural Development Bank Limited (CRDBL), is a commercial bank in Uganda licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. History The bank was founded in 1983 as a credit trust, Cen ...

, the second-largest indigenous

commercial bank A commercial bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make a profit. It can also refer to a bank or a division of a larger bank that deals with whol ...

in the country.

Background

He was born in 1953, in Masaka District, Buddu County, Central Uganda.

Education

Professor Ddumba Ssentamu attended St. Mary's College Kisubi for his 0-Level and A-Level classes (S1-S6). He then entered

in 1974, to study Economics, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Economics, in 1977. He then left Makerere to pursue further studies in Canada. He obtained the degree of Master of Arts in Economics, from the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada in 1979. He then returned to Makerere to pursue his doctorate degree, graduating with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), also in Economics.

Professional career

For over 35 years, he has served as lecturer, senior lecturer,

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

and professor at Makerere University. At the time of his appointment to his current post, he was the Principal of the College of Business and Management Science at Makerere University. He is reported to have about 30 publications to his name. He has served as

chairman of the board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

at Centenary Bank for over 10 years. During that period, the bank has grown from a small microfinance institution into the second-largest indigenous commercial bank in Uganda. Over the years, Professor Ddumba Ssentamu has served as an external examiner, part-time lecturer or external vetter for staff promotions at one of the following institutions: * The

in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. *

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Nelson Mandela University, formerly Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, is a public university in South Africa. Established in 1882 as Port Elizabeth, Art School it comprises the former University of Port Elizabeth, the Port Elizabeth Te ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

, South Africa * The

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It is the oldest public university in the country. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the British colony of the Gold Coast ...

Legon Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Ayawaso West Municipal District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. ...

, Ghana * The

University of Swaziland The University of Eswatini (or UNESWA; formerly known as the University of Swaziland, or UNISWA) is the national university of Eswatini. It was established by act of parliament in 1982. The university is developed from the University of Botswa ...

Mbabane Mbabane () is the most populous city in Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two Capital (political), capitals (along with Lobamba), serving as the Executive (government), executive capital. It has an estimated population of ...

, Swaziland *

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), commonly known as UST, Tech or Kwame Tech, is a public university located in Kumasi, Ashanti region, Ghana. The university focuses on science and technology. It is the second public uni ...

Kumasi Kumasi is a city and the capital of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is the second largest city in the country, with a population of 443,981 as of the 2021 census. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region ...

, Ghana and * The

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (Swahili: ''Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam'') is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. ...

in Tanzania He has also served as a consultant for various United Nations agencies including

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

, WFP, and others like

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

and the

Swedish Government The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden () is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and their cabinet ministers (). The Government is responsible for its actions ...

Personal details

Ssentamu is married. He is of the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

faith.

Succession table as Vice-Chancellor of Makerere University

References

External links

About Professor Ddumba Ssentamu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ssentamu, John Ddumba Living people 1953 births Ganda people Ugandan economists Academic staff of Makerere University People from Masaka District Centenary Bank people Centenary Group Makerere University alumni University of Waterloo alumni Vice-chancellors of universities in Uganda