NEWS ANALYSIS

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A rare medical journey unfolded when Scovia Aciro,25, a mother of three, discovered that she was pregnant nearly two months after her initial medical tests failed to reveal her condition. Her story, set against the backdrop of Ayweri village in present-day Gulu District, showcases …

Africa’s fashion industry is tapping an apparel market that will be worth US$69 billion in 2023, driven by a surge in women’s spending power, innovative design scene and production efficiency in textiles. SPECIAL REPORT  | BIRD AGENCY | Africa’s bright and dynamic fashion industry is finding itself if the spotlight, …

But picking new members isn’t straightforward Kampala, Uganda | BHASO NDZENDZE & SIPHAMANDLA ZONDI | Eager to escape perceived western domination, several countries  mostly in the global south  are looking to join the Brics bloc. The five-country bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is also looking to grow its …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dr. Saudah Namyalo Birabwa has broken through the proverbial glass ceiling to become the second Muslim female Associate Professor in Uganda. With her promotion last month, Professor Namyalo, who is the Dean of the School of Languages, Literature, and Communication at Makerere University, looks back at …

Activists say it is a counterproductive move Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In a surprising twist, some members of the gay community in Uganda have told The Independent they are not pleased by the recent decision of the World Bank to cut funding to new projects in Uganda because of …

Ivory Coast’s remarkable surge in rubber production has the country poised to secure its place among the world’s top three producers. With the country’s farmers cashing in, international buyers are climbing in too. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Côte d’Ivoire is on a roll with its rubber production, with …

A landmark project in Uganda empowering 108,000 farmers signals of a sea-change in the use of irrigation in Africa. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | With irrigation-fed farming the norm in much of north Africa as well as parts of southern Africa, there have long been calls for more irrigation …

How NRM intrigue has isolated powerful head of legislature     COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | A letter by President Yoweri Museveni on the controversial June 14 by-election held in her Bukedea District constituency continues to stir jitters in the camp of Anita Among, the Speaker of Parliament. She is also …

A team of engineering and computer science students at Makerere University in Uganda has developed a low-cost air quality monitoring system now being used to combat air pollution across eight countries SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | A technology developed by a group of tech-savvy engineering and computer science students …

Frankfurt, Germany | Xinhua | Germany’s economy, the largest in the European Union (EU), stagnated in the second quarter of 2023 with zero growth, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently revised its forecast for the German economy in 2023 down …