Margaret Masette, FTP fellow from 1999, passed away at the age of 70

As a young fisheries scientist from Uganda, Dr. Margaret Masette joined the Fisheries Training Programme in Iceland just one year after its establishment and she remained a devoted member of the FTP alumni community throughout her career.

After completing her six-month training in Iceland, she returned to Uganda, where she contributed to key research initiatives, many of them focused on improving freshwater fish handling to combat malnutrition and reduce post-harvest losses.

A passionate educator, she trained and mentored generations of students at the Fisheries Training Institute in Uganda and at Makerere University’s Department of Zoology, Entomology, and Fisheries Sciences.

Upon her retirement from the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) in 2020, she was widely recognized as one of Uganda’s most respected voices in fisheries science.

Throughout her life, Dr. Masette remained a source of inspiration for younger cohorts of FTP fellows, generously sharing her knowledge and experience—for example, at the Kampala alumni event held in 2023 and again in 2024.

The GRÓ centre profiled her extensive contributions in an article published on its website in 2024, see here > 

Margaret will be deeply missed as a cherished member of the FTP family.

FTP participants at the GRÓ Uganda alumni meeting in Kampala 2024. From left to right: Maurice Ssebisubi, Kawooya Godfrey Kubiriza, Simon Peter Sserwambala, Veronica Mpomwenda, Herbert Nakiyende, Þór Heiðar Ásgeirsson, Maria Caroline Nakafeero, Taabu Anthony Munyaho, David Bamwirire, Samuel Bassa, Margaret Masette, Samuel Edgar Tinyiro, Joyce Ikwaput Nyeko.