Business

By Julius Businge Low demand takes toll as local cement prices tumble This is the best time in two years to buy a bag of cement. Two years ago, a 50-kg bag of cement was retailing at between Shs 30, 000 – Shs 33, 000 at most outlets across the …

By Joseph Were Museveni’s schmoozing with Stiglitz bad news for Mutebile When President Yoweri Museveni spoke at this year’s Joseph Memorial lecture in Kampala of the desirability of a “hybrid” economy, he marked a retreat from the current free market regime to his mixed economy days of the 1980s.  Time …

  By Magnus Mazimpaka The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) appointed MTN’s Chief Operations Officer for Rwanda, Andrew Rugege, to head its Eastern Region. In five years Rugege has overseen MTN Rwanda grow from just 300,000 to almost 3 million subscribers. Magnus Mazimpaka spoke to him about his time at the …

By Special correspondent First national company to issue dividend Directors of Rwanda’s leading brewery by market share, Bralirwa, a subsidiary of Heineken International, has proposed a 100 percent net income dividend payout as an incentive to investors. The proposal is the first of its kind in Rwanda and will be …

By Special correspondent Shares of Bank of Kigali and MTN Rwanda up for grabs The Rwandan government expects to raise Rwf25 billion through the sale of its shares in two major companies–Bank of Kigali (BK) and MTN Rwanda–to grow capital for private sector initiatives. “We have been calling for long term …

By Haggai Matsiko Goretti Masadde is the new president of the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU). Haggai Matsiko spoke to her What is company Public Relations, PR? PR is basically the successful development of relationships between the key stakeholders of the business, maintenance of these relationships and effective management. …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Telecom leader explains why it’s not panicked by competitors clawing at its market share Since Warid Telecom announced a 50 percent call tariff cut mid-last month, the competition have, as expected, responded with similarly severe call tariff calls. Most mobile telephone service operators now charge Shs …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Telecom leader explains why it’s not panicked by competitors clawing at its market share Since Warid Telecom announced a 50 percent call tariff cut mid-last month, the competition have, as expected, responded with similarly severe call tariff calls. Most mobile telephone service operators now charge Shs …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi But what makes Uganda’s lone nominee for Africa Microfinance Institution of the Year awards tick? If Ruth Wamulo, 55, of Iganga town in eastern Uganda were on the African Banker of the Year awards panel, she knows she would close her eyes to all the other …

BY HAGGAI MATSIKO Long-serving Ministry of Energy Permanent Secretary, Fred Kalisa, is considered by many people to be very smart. However, if he was employed in the private sector, he would have been fired for the various failures in his ministry. He was in charge when, despite protests and advice …