Why the president and his handlers are misguided on their party’s electoral prospects in Kampala THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I have been asking myself why someone in UPDF unleashed the violent crackdown on journalists and the people of Kawempe during recent byelection in that area. I talked to the …
Read More »Nature’s groceries and safety net: how forests help feed the world better
OPINION | Dr QU Dongyu | Our forests play a vital role in feeding the world. From wild foods to fresh water, from shelter to energy, forests sustain billions of people and biodiversity. Yet we continue to lose them at an alarming rate through deforestation and land degradation. Between 2015 and …
Read More »Mugambe’s conviction is a mirror we must face
COMMENT | Gertrude Kamya Othieno | Dear Ugandan Policymakers, CEOs, Managers, and all those wielding power, Judge Lydia Mugambe’s conviction in the UK should be more than a headline. It should be a wake-up call. She, a judge of international standing, connived with Uganda’s former deputy high commissioner in London …
Read More »Empowering Uganda’s growth through financial innovation and inclusion
OPINION | Miranda Bageine Musoke | Financial inclusion is more than just a buzzword; it’s a powerful tool for economic empowerment and societal transformation. Across the globe, access to financial services has proven to be a critical enabler of poverty reduction, sustainable development, and economic growth. For many emerging economies like …
Read More »Zelensky in the Oval Office
THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Vladmir Zelensky, the comedian-turned-president of Ukraine, had been puffed up (the Batoro call it “kuteera ekitigi”) by European leaders and the Biden regime (pun intended) into thinking he was a man of boundless importance. To use Akena Adoko’s words, of the hundreds of human bubbles …
Read More »Is militarism the biggest threat to Uganda’s peace and stability?
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | The signs are ominous – the growing militarism is steadily revealing itself as the masked bandit it always has been. In May 2024, the Human Rights and Peace Centre (HURIPEC) at Makerere University released a gem of a report, ‘GUNS, BREAD AND BUTTER: Militarization of Economic …
Read More »Will Trump trigger a Eurozone debt crisis?
COMMENT | Desmond Lachman | At the first cabinet meeting of his second term, US President Donald Trump declared his intention to impose a sweeping 25% tariff on all imports from the European Union. But before opening a European front in his trade war, Trump might want to consider the continent’s …
Read More »The costs of neighbouring Congo
Inside the complicated relationship between Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The economist, Prof. Paul Collier, calculated that, holding other factors constant, economic growth in a neighbouring country can add up to 2% on the economic growth of your country. Therefore, a country having neighbours …
Read More »Non-technical summits and conferences not impactful in the AI race
Uganda’s developer community has shown immense potential, but this potential must be nurtured with the right kind of engagement. Technical summits, practical workshops, and real-world AI applications should be our focus. COMMENT | WESLEY KAMBALE | For decades, developer communities across the globe have served as vital engines for fostering technological …
Read More »Flight costs, visa headaches stagnating Africa’s domestic flight market
Uganda Airlines will continue to struggle without a domestic market COMMENT | WESLEY KAMBALE | In 2024, Africa’s domestic flight market was almost nonexistent, accounting for just 0.4% of the global domestic flight market (38.2%) and a mere 1.8% of the global international flight market (61.8%). This weak domestic market …
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