Rwanda has now fully reopened the Gatuna border with Uganda, ending a three-year impasse on the Northern Corridor, one of East Africa’s key transport arteries that funnels goods from the Indian Ocean seaport of Mombasa to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda abruptly closed the border in …
Read More »Social media is being misused in Kenya’s political arena
Why it’s hard to stop it | GEORGE OGOLA | The information landscape in Africa – as elsewhere in the world – has expanded exponentially over the last decade. The proliferation of platform media, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, has been instrumental in this expansion. This has created important new …
Read More »Tanzania revives stone arch bridge construction
They are five times cheaper than equivalent concrete ones | SOTIRIS KANARIS | It is common for residents of the Kigoma region in north west Tanzania to make dangerous crossings of rivers to reach workplaces, schools, hospitals and markets during the rainy season. But for many, such journeys will soon …
Read More »Craft in Uganda: A trajectory of tribal artifacts to modem day crafts
Artifacts mirror the rich and diverse cultural heritage of different communities in Uganda Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | The art of craft making has always been part of the Africans way of living. In the prehistoric times, many communities across the continent produced tribal artifacts as a means of …
Read More »Obesity rising in Africa
In many African households, carrying a pot belly is a sign that this person is wealthy and well-fed but that is false | THE INDEPENDENT | One in five adults and one in 10 children and teenagers are projected to be obese by December 2023 in 10 high-burden African countries if …
Read More »Uganda-DRC reparations
Verdict raises questions about the price of justice | KERSTIN BREE CARLSON | In 2005, the International Court of Justice found that Uganda had committed serious violations of international law during the 1998-2003 war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The court found that Uganda had: “committed acts of killing, …
Read More »COVID-19 takes a heavy toll on women’s health
| THE INDEPENDENT | Disruptions to essential health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt broadly. As the world marks International Women’s Day March 08, a new World Health Organisation (WHO) analysis finds that women’s health services are far from being fully restored, with 40% of African countries reporting …
Read More »Insurance sector boost
Players are changing tactics to deal with the sector’s penetration headache | THE INDEPENDENT | Why has Uganda’s insurance penetration remained below 1% for many years? This is the question that has been asked several times and players continue to scratch their head to answer it. The public will be waiting …
Read More »M-Kopa raises $75m in equity funding and targets expansion
The firm, which offers customers in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda access to financing for appliances and electronics, says it will launch in more countries and broaden its product range | DAVID THOMAS | Kenyan lender M-Kopa, which offers underbanked customers finance to acquire solar lighting, smartphones, TVs and domestic …
Read More »How EAC can maximise AfCFTA trade opportunities
Experts outline ways in which partner states can benefit from the bloc | THE INDEPENDENT | Before COVID-19 hit world economies two years ago, there was optimism that Africa’s flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would quickly reshape markets across the …
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