How pressure on oil refinery, pipeline pushed Uganda to agree to end secret deals Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | For ten years, civil society has been trying and failing to push the government to join the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global mechanism that requires governments and companies …
Read More »Chinese, French firms top foreign oil-gas suppliers’ database
What Chinese, French domination of Uganda’s oil and gas supplier database means for Ugandan entrepreneurs Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | As pressure to develop key upstream infrastructure picks up with billions of dollars expected to pour into the Ugandan economy starting this year, focus is now turning onto who …
Read More »Uganda’s oil sector expects US$ 1bn investment in 2019
But will oil companies pump money into key infrastructure projects to meet new first oil timeline? Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Uganda’s oil and gas industry is expected to rake in investments worth over US$ 1 billion this year,according to senior energy ministry officials. The outlay for this year is part of …
Read More »China-US rivalry heading to East Africa
Donald Trump’s administration to focus on development finance and lending for infrastructure projects in Africa Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | The US will step up efforts to counter China’s growing influence in Africa this year, according to a recent report that shows the growing rivalry between the world’s two …
Read More »Uganda’s deadly highways
Poor road design leading cause of fatalities Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Whenever there is a fatal accident on any of Uganda’s highways, traffic police almost always blames “human error.” Uganda is a landlocked country and available statistics show that every year, 97% of goods and almost 100% of passengers …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Torture in 2018
Justice Katureebe pain and Bobi Wine’s pockets Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Many Ugandans, including Chief Justice Bart Katureebe, agree that this year has been one of the worst for human rights violations. This year coincided with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but in Uganda, …
Read More »GMO law fight not over
Civil society excited but frustrated scientists pin hope on Museveni Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Ugandan civil society is celebrating a new law that seeks to regulate the development and application of biotechnology. But it is cautious celebration – until President Yoweri Museveni signs it into law. The objective of …
Read More »East African trade wars
Petty rivalries blamed for endless regional trade disputes Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | East African Community economies might be growing at an unprecedented rate but experts say emerging nationalism and protectionism policies could hurt integration in the long run. Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are currently locked in several trade disputes …
Read More »We are totally in favour of national dialogue, says Belgian ambassador
Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | This year, Uganda and Belgium are celebrating 20 years of cooperation. Hugo Verbist, the Belgian Ambassador to Uganda, talked to The Independent’s Ronald Musoke about the bilateral cooperation. This year, Belgium and Uganda are celebrating 20 years of bilateral relations. What has been the …
Read More »China’s ‘Plan B’ for African debt
Analysts fear move will accumulate more debt for African countries Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Africa could further sink into more debt if China goes ahead with plans to sell the continent’s debt to investors, starting next year, observers fear. Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation (HKMC), a leading Chinese banking conglomerate, …
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