Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The East African Revenue Authorities are facing similar challenges – a small tax base because of a huge informal sector, tax evasion, limited human resource personnel and volatile economy. Others are poor information technology systems and connectivity, political uncertainties and delays in dispute resolution. In …
Read More »COMMENT: Risk to the global economy
Why changes in broadly shared economic assumptions are potentially riskier than more dramatic events COMMENT | CHRISTOPHER SMART | One of the great mysteries of today’s global markets is their irrepressible enthusiasm, even as the world around them appears on the verge of chaos or collapse. And yet, investors may be …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s new leader issues ultimatum for externalised funds
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s new president on Tuesday gave a three-month ultimatum for the return of funds siphoned out of the country by individuals and corporations, as he moves to stem graft and revive the moribund economy. “The government of Zimbabwe is gazetting a three-month moratorium within which those …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s new president dissolves Mugabe cabinet
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa three days after his inauguration has dissolved the cabinet of his predecessor Robert Mugabe, who resigned after the military took control of the country, a senior government official said Monday. Mnangagwa “is in the process of putting together a new team of …
Read More »Angola’s new president picks apart the dos Santos empire
The start of the clean-up operation did not take long. Luanda, Angola | AFP | Within three months of taking control of Angola, President Joao Lourenco sacked his predecessor’s daughter as head of the state-run oil company and set about dismantling the empire built by Jose Eduardo dos Santos. A presidential …
Read More »A ray of hope for Zimbabwe’s ruined economy?
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Every time Chareka Mutungwazi, 76, tries to collect his pension money, he spends the night, like scores of others, sleeping outside a bank in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital. He is lucky if he is allowed to take out just $20 of his monthly $63 (53 …
Read More »As Black Friday nears, US stores get creative to battle e-commerce
New York, United States | AFP | The photo op with Santa Claus has long been a holiday mainstay for American children. But this year, shopping malls in several states are scheduling glamour shots for man’s best friend. As the Christmas shopping season kicks into high gear on Black Friday, the …
Read More »Guinea receives $20bn in pledges for development
Paris, France | AFP | Guinea on Thursday won pledges in aid worth $20 billion to fund a five-year development plan at a meeting in Paris with banks, private players and governments. The mineral-rich West African nation is slowly emerging from the Ebola crisis and low commodity price shocks that adversely …
Read More »Daughter of Angola’s ex-president sacked as state oil chief
Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angolan President Joao Lourenco on Wednesday fired his predecessor’s daughter from her influential post as head of the Sonangol state oil company, the presidency said in a statement. Her appointment to the oil giant last year was widely criticised as a symbol of the nepotism …
Read More »SMEs are Uganda’s engine for growth
Deloitte, an international Audit firm operating in Uganda is working on a plan with the Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives to aid small and medium enterprises (SMEs) grow their enterprises and boost economic growth. Its Managing Partner in Uganda, Norbert Kagoro, spoke to The Independent’s Julius Businge about their …
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