Business

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump signaled support Monday for improving background gun checks amid mounting pressure for reform in the wake of the Florida school shooting, as the accused gunman appeared in court. Nikolas Cruz, charged with killing 17 people, sat silently with his head …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsenal announced the club’s biggest-ever sponsorship deal worth a reported £200 million on Monday, extending their shirt partnership with Dubai-based airline Emirates by five years. The Gunners confirmed the branding of Emirates, which began its sponsorship agreement with the north London club in 2006, …

  Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Peter Onasis Ochieng’ is the managing director of Hashi Energy. He spoke to The Independent’s Isaac Khisa about the current surge in fuel prices and the industry’s future outlook. What explains the current trend of increase in fuel prices in Uganda and the region? …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo airport, Africa’s largest, was evacuated on Monday and passengers forced to wait for two hours to return after South African officials identified a suspect bag. Images of the deserted terminal were posted to social media while other photographs showed crowds of …

Manufacturers cite increased imports and declining demand from foreign markets Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | There is good news for Uganda’s sugar consumers in the coming months owed to the projected sugar in production volumes amidst increase in imports. Statistics from the Uganda Sugar Manufacturers Association (USMA), which consist …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Women in Saudi Arabia can now open their own businesses without the consent of a husband or male relative, as the kingdom pushes to expand a fast-growing private sector. The policy change, announced by the Saudi government on Thursday, also marks a major step …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s largest commercial bank, Stanbic, is set to open a business incubator to stir growth of small and medium enterprises countrywide. “The incubator will provide an enabling environment for SMEs to enhance their capacity, enabling their businesses to survive, operate successfully and grow,” Stanbic Bank …

Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | On Feb.13, Bank of Uganda announced a cut in the Central Bank Rate by 0.5 percentage points to 9% in the next three months as a measure for boosting private sector credit uptake and economic activities. The Governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, said the decline in …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways, has announced plans to fly four times a week to Mauritius starting June, giving customers more options to travel to the Indian Ocean archipelago. The carrier said the new flight will also set it up to take advantage of traffic …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Introduced in 1974, Sanlam Awards for Excellence in financial journalism are now open to Ugandan journalists. The awards are the premier financial journalism awards in South Africa and have become a prestigious event and fiercely contested accolade. The company’s Chief Executive Officer for Uganda, Gary …