Dr Matthias Magoola, a leading Ugandan scientist and founder of Dei Biopharma Ltd, has been recognised with the African Excellence & Personality Award 2025 for his contributions to biotechnology and pharmaceutical innovation.
The award was presented at a ceremony in Accra, Ghana on 25 April. It marks another milestone in a year of growing international acclaim for Dr Magoola, who was also honoured earlier this year at the Ratna Pharma Awards in India and named Best Researcher at the International Molecular Biologist Awards in December 2024 for his pioneering work on mRNA-based therapies.
In a statement, the African Excellence & Personality Awards (ACEPA) Secretariat praised Dr Magoola for his “visionary leadership and groundbreaking innovations” in healthcare and economic development, adding that his work had “set a new benchmark for self-reliance within Africa’s healthcare sector.”
Dr Magoola is the founder and managing director of Dei Biopharma Ltd, a Ugandan-based biotech company specialising in the development of innovative medicines and vaccines. The company is currently constructing a large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Matugga, near Kampala.
In recent years, Dr Magoola has filed more than 100 patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), covering treatments and vaccine technologies for diseases such as cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s, sickle cell disease, malaria, tuberculosis, and diabetes.
Among his latest innovations is a patented cancer treatment using guided RNA, designed to target and disrupt mutated genes. The patent was formally published by the USPTO in February 2025.
Earlier in January, the USPTO also accepted an application by Dei Biopharma for what it described as the world’s first universal vaccine against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)—a highly contagious livestock infection that has long affected farming communities across Uganda and other parts of the world. The vaccine, Dr Magoola says, could save the Ugandan government billions of shillings in imports.
The Ugandan government has publicly backed Dei Biopharma’s work. During a meeting at State House Entebbe on 13 April, President Yoweri Museveni pledged support for fast-tracking regulatory reforms to allow for local vaccine approval. The government is working to amend the National Drug and Health Products Act, which would enable Uganda’s National Drug Authority to pursue WHO Maturity Level 3 certification—an essential step for exporting locally produced vaccines globally.
“We are grateful for the support from the government, and especially His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni,” Dr Magoola said in a statement following the award. “Without his dedicated support, we wouldn’t be achieving these milestones.”
Dr Magoola described the award as recognition not just of his own work, but of the broader scientific potential in Uganda. “These achievements are for Uganda—and for our dear president, who has always stood up for scientists in this country.”
