Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Fuel smuggling is costing Libya more than $750 million each year and harming its economy and society, the head of the National Oil Company in the conflict-riddled country said. “The impact of fuel smuggling is destroying the fabric of the country,” NOC president Mustafa Sanalla …
Read More »COMMENT: WhatsApp tax and democracy
How progressive is Uganda’s tax code for an economy that has been hurting since 2016? COMMENT | MORRISON RWAKAKAMBA | As we approach the 2018/2019 Financial Year and the statecraft colour that comes with it – the State of the Nation address and reading of the national budget; the dress rehearsals …
Read More »World Bank: African Economic growth at 3.1% in 2018
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Bank projects Sub-Saharan Africa to garner an economic growth of 3.1 percent in 2018, and increase of over one percent from 2017. Recent data in the Africa Economic Update released Wednesday afternoon point to a moderate strengthening of economic growth in early 2018. …
Read More »Mutebile’s economy optimism
Governor projects 6.5% economic growth in three years but private sector concerns remain Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | On April 09, the Bank of Uganda Governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile, arrivedat the Bank’s conference room on the 7th Floor to announce the Monetary Policy Statement for Aprilpast the usual time, 12:00pm. The …
Read More »COMMENT: Manufacturing in the global south
How declining global labour costs and increasing robotics are conspiring against manufacturing there COMMENT | OTAVIANO CANUTO | In emerging markets, manufacturing has historically been a source of productivity, growth, and jobs. Since the 1950s, industrialisation has kept economies in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe on a steady glide toward …
Read More »Fears grow Zambia hiding debt like Mozambique
Lusaka, Zambia | AFP | International lenders and markets are growing increasingly concerned about “hidden debt” in Zambia, a situation similar to the one that plunged neighbouring Mozambique into a deep financial crisis. For several weeks financiers have demanded answers about the level of the country’s true external borrowing — …
Read More »Dubai splashes billions on mega projects ahead of Expo
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Dubai is splashing tens of billions of dollars on infrastructure and hospitality projects related to the international trade fair Expo 2020, Dubai-based BNC Network said in a report published Sunday. The value of Expo-related projects underway hit $42.5 billion in March, according to …
Read More »Rights abuses rife on Zimbabwe tobacco farms: HRW
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Global watchdog Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged Zimbabwe to take urgent steps to stem child labour and other rights abuses on the country’s tobacco farms. In a report titled “Bitter Harvest”, the HRW revealed that children as young as 11 were working on tobacco …
Read More »Almost 80% of UK firms pay men more than women: data
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Almost eight out of 10 companies and public sector bodies operating in Britain pay men more than women overall, said data published Thursday confirming long-standing gender inequality in the workplace. Prime Minister Theresa May introduced laws last year to force all employers with more …
Read More »COMMENT: Socio-economic impact of banks
Why policy measures that curtail the volume of bank lending to the business community must be avoided COMMENT | LOUIS KASEKENDE | I would like to begin by explaining why I think that a socio-economic impact assessment is a very useful initiative for the bank to have taken. Banks all around …
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