Two outlets to be closed in Kampala in the new plan Regional retail chain, Nakumatt Holdings, is targeting Ksh1.5billion (Shs51.1bn) in cost cuts annually with the closure of several branches across East Africa starting this month. The chain has already closed Katwe outlet in Kampala over accumulated rent arrears estimated …

  Rwanda’s telecom regulator has slapped a 7 billion francs ($8.5million, Shs30bn) fine on MTN Rwanda, a subsidiary of the South African-based MTN Group, over breach of contract. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA)  spokesperson Anthony Kulamba said the telecom firm provided services in contravention of Enforcement Notice and Directives …

Trade ministry bows to pressure, allows duty free import of unprocessed rice Uganda’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives now says it has allowed the duty-free import of up to 50,000 metric tonnes of unprocessed rice, commonly known as ‘brown rice’,  to boost supplies and check prices amid a fall …

Tax waiver on brown rice is meant to reduce its price from Shs 4,500 to Shs 3,000 per kilogramme The good news for rice consumers in Uganda is that if the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development sticks to its guns to have unprocessed rice commonly known as “brown …

Look to heavy investment into technology to reverse slow 2016 growth Centenary Bank and Barclays Bank of Uganda Ltd registered slower growth in profits for the year ending December 2016 but the managers say that is no problem and instead remain positive about the future. Centenary’s profits grew by 8.2% …

   Greg Metcalf has been at the helm of the Nile Breweries Limited, a subsidiary of AB InBev based in Belgium since 2014.  He spoke to The Independent’s Isaac Khisa on the prospects of Uganda’s beer market. What is your assessment of beer market in Uganda?  The market has been …

African insurance regulators, CEOs and experts share views at high profile meeting in Dakar, Senegal For years now, digital advances have been transforming a range of industries. The insurance industry especially in Africa has generally been slow to adopt new digital approaches, but times are now changing. This shift is …

It now joins Stanbic, Stanchart, DFCU, DTB that have also recorded surge in profits in 2016 Uganda’s commercial banks spent almost the entire of last year worried about making money in a rather challenging economic environment that was characterised by high interest rates amidst slow economic activities. But they seemed …

Government gets rid of loss-making company, but can new investor avoid its jinx? The government of Uganda has leased Phenix Logistics Uganda Ltd, a garment manufacturer based in Kampala, to a Kenyan-based garment manufacturer – Fine Spinners. The deal which is at un-disclosed amount of money and a 15-year period …

But analysts caution it’s too early to celebrate Uganda’s banking industry seems to be recovering from the hard economic times experienced in the previous year as commercial banks start to record a surge in profits amid drops  in Non-Performing Loans (NPLs). Available data from commercial banks that have announced their …