African brands must focus on visibility, accessibility, and quality improvement Kampala, Uganda | PATICIA AKANKWATSA | Sixty-five percent of Ugandans have confidence in their local brands, but only 35% consume them, according to the latest Brand Africa survey, highlighting a significant gap between trust and purchase behavior. This pattern mirrors broader …
Read More »Smokers have a higher level of harmful bacteria in the mouth – new study
Changes to the bacterial composition of the mouth can be caused by several factors, such as bad oral hygiene, diet COMMENT | Yvonne Prince, Glenda Mary Davison & Tandi Matsha-Erasmus | A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 8 million people die annually from smoking related complications. Despite …
Read More »MTN Foundation to empowers 154 Ugandan youths with digital skills
This comes as more than 75% of the country’s population is under the age of 30 and a high youth unemployment rate Kampala, Uganda | PATICIA AKANKWATSA | MTN Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of MTN Uganda, has announced the second cohort of its MTN Ace Skilling Initiative. 154 talented …
Read More »Embrace digitalization for enhanced efficiency, SACCOs told
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) have been urged to adopt digitalization to improve operational efficiency and attract financial support. This call was made during the launch of a training program for SACCO leaders from the Kampala Metropolitan districts at the Stanbic Incubator offices in Kololo. …
Read More »Climate Change and Africa’s debt crisis
A policy brief by 3 top economists warns continent is in the worst crisis in 80 years ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | Africa has long struggled with a silent debt crisis, one that has exacerbated its vulnerability to climate shocks and constrained its economic potential. It is time to give voice …
Read More »New study: Empowered rangers crucial to protecting Uganda’s lion population
Rangers live and work in areas where data is collected and possess intimate knowledge of the landscapes and species ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | Wildlife rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the country’s leading conservation agency, have showcased their ability to generate precise and reliable data on lion populations in …
Read More »Freedom not free for NUP’s jailed 16
But what’s the price as Olivia Lutaaya, 15 others plead guilty in Court Martial? COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | On Oct. 14 their boldness broke. After four years of Olivia Lutaaya and 15 other political prisoners refusing to plead guilty to alleged tramped up charges of unlawful possession of 13 …
Read More »CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba interview
INTERVIEW: TEN questions for the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, (UPDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba ***** THE INDEPENDENT: Briefly tell us about the role of the office of the UPDF Chief of Defense Forces as you see it? CDF MUHOOZI: The job of the CDF …
Read More »Is Capitalism really the cause of global inequality?
Western observers have treated inequality as a domestic issue but this framing often overlooks the plight of hundreds of millions of impoverished people around the world COMMENT | KENNETH ROGOFF | In 2014, the French economist Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century became an international sensation, reshaping the inequality debate …
Read More »When medicines don’t work
Eliminating neglected tropical diseases will reduce drug resistance – a win for all COMMENT | FRANCISCA MUTAPI | A major health challenge of our time is when drugs no longer work to treat infections. This happens when the agents that cause infections – they may be bacteria, viruses or fungi – …
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