Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy is expected to expand by 3.3 percent in 2021 after a contraction of 2 percent in 2020, the World Bank said on Wednesday. According to analysis in the Pulse, the World Bank’s twice-yearly economic update for the region, the economic recovery will …
Read More »Can Ugandans tax burden get any worse?
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | How does it matter that the tax on an individual’s contributions to the National Social Security Fund is deferred to the time of withdrawal of the benefits, as had earlier been proposed by the NSSF? The media reports that the government plans to tax the …
Read More »Private sector calls for legislative support
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) has called on Parliament to align national policies to the National Planning Framework that is premised on the Vision 2040, annual budget and Ministerial Policy statements. According to the PSFU Executive Director Francis Kisirinya, the business community invests based on …
Read More »IN THE INDEPENDENT: Corruption at the World Bank
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | These are the top stories in this week’s THE INDEPENDENT. COVER STORY Corruption at the World Bank: But if it can’t rank business friendly countries, who can? THE LAST WORD Museveni’s Covid paranoia: Why Uganda and other African countries have consistently taken extreme and inappropriate …
Read More »NSSF may lower interest to savers as benchmark inflation falls
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Social Security Fund is likely to give a lower interest to savers for the year 2020/21, than what was paid out last year, according to the economic conditions prevailing. The decision to raise, lower or maintain the interest rate largely depends on two factors, …
Read More »IN THE INDEPENDENT: Uganda’s shadow state
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | These are the top stories in this week’s THE INDEPENDENT. COVER STORY Uganda’s Shadow State: Revealing the networks of people with power THE LAST WORD Is Uganda’s economy failing?: Why Ugandan pundits are mistaken in their understanding of why some foreign firms have quit our …
Read More »SME body speaks out on government’s budget plan, COVID-19 and economy
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | John Walugembe, the executive director of Federation of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Uganda has urged the government to practically implement its proposed economic recovery programme in a bid to improve peoples’ livelihoods. Walugembe speaks for the umbrella/business association that brings together over 112,000 micro, small …
Read More »U.S. trade coalition urges Biden administration to end “misguided trade war” as tariffs hurt businesses
Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of more than 150 industry associations that are united in the fight against tariffs, on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to end the “misguided trade war” initiated by the previous administration as tariffs continue to hurt American businesses across the …
Read More »“Serious” possibility of complete economic collapse in Afghanistan, says UN chief
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that the possibility of a complete economic collapse in Afghanistan is “serious.” Guterres was in Geneva on Monday to convene a high-level ministerial meeting on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. He highlighted the acute and urgent need for …
Read More »Go slow on IMF financing, gov’t tells civil society
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The recent allocation of special drawing rights by the International Monetary Fund to its members has triggered fears of misuse, since the resource had been described as free, and not a loan. Special Drawing Rights are an international reserve asset, created by the IMF to …
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