His approach to weakening it could spell the end of the US dollar’s reign as the dominant international currency COMMENT | JEFFREY FRANKEL | In 1985, U.S. officials met with their counterparts from the other G5 countries at New York City’s Plaza Hotel to negotiate a coordinated intervention to bring down …

Trump palpably lost in their first direct diplomatic face-off as Putin showed he can effortlessly outmaneuver him COMMENT | NICK PATON WALSH | A “no” is not a “yes” when it is a “maybe,” a “probably not,” or an “only if.” This is the painfully predictable lesson the Trump administration’s first …

The great South African playwright captured what it means to be human OBITUARY | DENNIS WALDER | I was shocked to learn that the famous South African writer Athol Fugard had passed away on March 08, 2025. I had known his age to be 92 but somehow I never expected him …

The RISE platform enables financial institutions to create demand for sustainable finance by turning societal, economic, and environmental challenges into transformational business opportunities Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On March 20, the Uganda Development Bank (UDB) launched the Reshaping Industries for a Sustainable Economy (RISE) Program, an initiative that is …

The report finds African governments impose average export tariffs of more than 13% on finished consumer goods, compared to under 4% for primary goods  ANALYSIS | JOHN BASQUILL |   Tariff structures in developing markets are holding back efforts to add value domestically and export finished goods, limiting firms’ access …

The government seeks to create 150,000 jobs for the youth Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | US based Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm, Helpware, has welcomed the government’s newly launched BPO policy, saying it will boost the country’s global competitiveness and attract foreign investment to the sector. The policy, developed by …

Sex workers have been twice victimised, first by the virus and then by the stigma, but advocates hope the government will prioritise their safety Kampala, Uganda | ESTHER NAKKAZI | When Brian Lubega, a 30-year old resident of Kawempe in Kampala, heard a radio announcement about mpox vaccine distribution in his …

The youthful artist’s series of paintings of different personalities wearing sunglasses interrogate how these fashionable objects empower self esteem. ART | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | He’s shy and an introvert. If you’re in a room with him, you may miss him out save for his glasses which he never takes off. “I …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Just three months after its launch, the National Social Security Fund’s (NSSF) flagship voluntary savings product, Smartlife Flexi, has surpassed Shs5 billion in savings, with informal sector micro-savers leading the charge. Praised for its flexibility, the product targets informal sector workers and the self-employed, while …

The workshop urged regional governments to accelerate policy alignment to extend affordable mobile services to all member states Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Telecommunications experts have called for urgent policy changes to cut the cost of cross-border mobile services in Africa, as the continent moves towards a seamless digital market. …