Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Shareholders of brewing giants Anheuser-Busch InBev and rival SABMiller will vote on Wednesday on a blockbuster merger that would create the biggest beer company in the world. Belgium-based AB InBev, the brewer of Budweiser and Stella Artois, is already the world’s top brewer and the …
Read More »Can Africa’s mobile money revolution reduce poverty?
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | When farmer Isaac Tondo fell on lean times in Liberia’s long rainy season, his brother in the capital sent 8,000 Liberian dollars (US$87) to his Lonestar mobile money account, ensuring his children’s school fees would still be paid. Across Africa more and more people — …
Read More »IMF warns central banks could lose deflation fight
Washington, United States | AFP |Â The International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday that central banks are struggling to beat back deflationary forces and that governments need to spend to help them succeed. In a new assessment of global economic conditions, the IMF said many countries worldwide are battling disinflation …
Read More »Rugasira for UCCI presidency
Andrew Rugasira`s name is synonymous with the Good African Coffee brand and for being the first indigenous Ugandan to add value to the country’s coffee and have it available on the European supermarket shelves. He has talked and smelled nothing but coffee in the last two decades. But on Sept. …
Read More »INTERVIEW: Nyanzi on scaling up rail transport services
Joram Nyanzi is the general manager of Rift Valley Railways (RVR), the company that concessioned the assets of the former Uganda Railways Corporation. He spoke to Flavia Nassaka about their operations and other pertinent issues in the transport industry. What are the key elements in your management philosophy as a …
Read More »NSSF grows by 18%, now worth sh6.58 trillion
Despite what he called a tough investment environment, Uganda’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has grown by 18% in the past year, Managing Director Richard Byarugaba said in Kampala today. “The Fund is worth sh6.58 trillion, an 18% growth from 5.55 trillion the previous financial year. Realized revenue went up …
Read More »World Bank squeeze killing Ugandan economy – experts
Unlike most past World Bank country managers for Uganda, the current boss, Christina Malmberg Calvo, is relatively media wary. She, instead, prefers to work quietly behind the scenes to execute her two key result areas; leading discussions between the Bank and the Uganda government, and overseeing projects involving the World …
Read More »Electricity Generation Company UEGCL sees rare profits in 2015
UEGCL: Company injects Shs 500bn into Karuma, Isimba dam construction The Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd (UEGCL) has finally broken its longstanding loss-making trend and registered a substantial profit. According to their 2015 performance report issued at the annual general meeting on Sept.15, the company announced a net profit of …
Read More »Oil jobs: Partakers or Spectators?
Foreigners could take lion’s share of oil and gas jobs as Uganda lags behind in building local capacity The government recently issued eight production licences to Tullow Uganda Operations Pty Ltd and Total E&P Uganda BV, a development that gives the oil companies the green light to finally proceed with …
Read More »Crane Bank courts ‘strategic investor’
There were ripples in the financial services sector recently when reports emerged that Crane Bank is in negotiations with a buyer. This is the second biggest indigenous bank and the country’s fourth largest bank by assets. ‘It’s owner and founder, Sudhir Ruparelia, is arguably the region’s richest man. Why would …
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