Can world’s biggest trade bloc wean Africa off expensive aid? Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | On Aug.17, Nana Akufo-Addo, the Ghanaian president, launched the Permanent Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) four months ahead of the day African countries are expected to start trading in goods …
Read More »Uganda in tough test on oil money
Secret dirty deals could end as govt signs transparency initiative Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Uganda’s recent admission into the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is a “step in the right direction,” according to local civil society. But many also remain cautious. Gerald Byarugaba, the extractive industries coordinator at …
Read More »Six months of COVID-19 in Africa
The virus has since moved from high density urban areas to the congested slums Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Aug. 14 marked six months since COVID-19 was first detected on the continent. While the virus has accelerated in many other regions of the world, the pandemic’s evolution on the …
Read More »Entebbe Airport gears up for re-opening
Tough new COVID-19 measures for travellers Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Going through Entebbe International Airport has always been a rough experience for the average traveller but COVID-19 prevention protocols could make your check-in and check-out even more cumbersome. Before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world and …
Read More »Government yet to grant Tullow sale of Ugandan assets
Uganda is yet to approve the multi-trillion shilling deal involving Total E&P and Tullow Oil since the two firms announced their planned transaction, three months ago. Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In a statement delivered via a webinar during the national content supplier workshop on Aug.5, Total E&P Uganda …
Read More »Uganda’s tourism feels COVID heat
TOURISM: ‘Uganda cannot just sit back and wait for the crisis to be over’ Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | If the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t happen this year, this was supposed to be a “super year” for Uganda’s tourism industry. “By November, last year, we already knew that we would …
Read More »Radisson Blu eyes Uganda as Africa portfolio grows to 100 hotels
The hotel’s growth has been balanced between green field projects and take-overs Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Radisson Hotel Group is keenly eyeing the Ugandan market as it ramps up expansion across the African continent. Ramsay Rankoussi, Radisson Hotel Group’s Vice President in charge of development (Africa and Turkey) …
Read More »Ugandans no longer fear COVID-19
Here’s why that is dangerous at this time Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Up to 78% of Ugandans don’t fear COVID-19, a survey recently done and published by Whitehead Communications, a Kampala-based firm shows. That is a stark contrast to March, when the first COVID-19 case was registered in …
Read More »Poaching up under COVID-19 lockdown
Park communities join organised criminals for survival as absence of tourist dollars spreads poverty Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Poaching in Uganda’s national parks has doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same period last year, say officials at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the national conservation agency. …
Read More »Cattle raids return to Karamoja
Warriors re-arm in vacuum created by relocation of UPDF soldiers Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | It is early afternoon in Lokitela-ekuam village in Rupa sub-county in Moroto District on July 01 and about 200 villagers are seated under a big umbrella tree, discussing increasing cattle theft and violence in …
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