Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged elected leaders across the country to play their role of defending the rights of citizens. He called on them to stand up and resist excesses of the security forces especially in regards to human right violations. …
Read More »Turkey to start mass production of indigenous air defense systems
Ankara, Turkey | Xinhua | Turkey decided on Tuesday to start mass production of its indigenous air defense systems and its first national tactical ballistic missile Tayfun, the country’s defense industry executive committee said. The committee made such decisions regarding 25 important defense industry projects during a meeting chaired by President Recep …
Read More »Uganda Airlines rising from the ashes of the COSASE probe
Analysis of Uganda’s Aviation Sector Year Ending 2022 and Beyond COMMENT | DEREK NSEKO | Unless you have been living under an extremely remote rock in Uganda, your outstanding view of the aviation sector in 2022 has likely been defined by the month-long probe by the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities …
Read More »Smaller nations drive Africa’s push towards visa-free travel era
More African states are liberalising travel for their peers, indicating a positive trend towards more open travel policies on the continent. Johannesburg, South Africa | BIRD AGENCY | Africa is moving toward greater integration as more states make progress in their freedom of travel policies, the latest edition of the …
Read More »Disrupting the disruptors
Why Crypto, Twitter, and Meta’s best days appear to be behind them as Amazon, Apple limp along COMMENT | Roger McNamee | After a decade of unconstrained growth – when it seemed that a new billionaire was minted every day – the tech industry has finally hit a rough patch. Elon Musk’s …
Read More »Hacking the last mile: Innovation Village launches build week to reach end mile users
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In collaboration with partners, the Innovation Village has today announced that they will be hosting a flagship ecosystem event dubbed “Build week”, slated to take place in February 2023 under the theme “Hack the Last Mile – Using Shared Infrastructure to Serve Last Mile Users …
Read More »Africa’s ‘over-the-top’ sports consumption
African football fans are keeping up with the World Cup 2022 games from their mobile devices on the back of rapid smartphone penetration, high-speed internet and increased VPN usage on the continent. Doha, Qatar | BIRD AGENCY | Sports content is being democratised in Africa with more bespoke over-the-top (OTT) …
Read More »Government confirms end of Umeme contract
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Electricity distributor, Umeme’s contract will run its full course but will not be renewed by government in 2025. Fears that the Umeme concession would be terminated before 2025 have therefore been put to rest. Government is going ahead with plans to form its own company to …
Read More »AfDB commits $301 million to renovate Uganda’s railway
The works entail the immediate rehabilitation of 265 km of MGR tracks between Malaba and Mukono, including the line to Jinja Pier and Port Bell on Lake Victoria Abidjan, Ivory Coast | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Development Bank Group is providing $301 million to overhaul the Kampala-Malaba Meter Gauge …
Read More »Small African economies industrialising fastest
Smaller African countries are punching beyond their weight to diversify their economies from agricultural dependence, a new report shows. Nairobi, Kenya | BIRD AGENCY | A new report shows that value-add factories and public-private partnership are helping small African countries industrialize much faster than their larger peers. The recently …
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