TradeMark East Africa invests US$117 bn in customs facilities Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Doing business in East Africa has improved in the recent years with the operationalization of the One Stop Border Points (OSBP). TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), through funding from UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and Global …
Read More »‘Rwanda and Uganda ties solid’
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that “bilateral ties between Uganda and Rwanda remain solid” as they lashed out at local media reports indicating hostility between the neighbouring countries. In a statement released in Kampala Monday, Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Patrick Mugoya dismissed …
Read More »Behind Magufuli, Museveni deals
How US$7bn deals are reshaping relations in the region Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | If President Yoweri Museveni has a best buddy amongst his East African counterparts, it might as well be Tanzania’s John Pombe Magufuli. When they are not sharing a hearty laugh at an African Union meeting in …
Read More »STRIKE: Why workers pick weapon of last resort
STRIKE: Why Ugandan workers pick weapon of last reason? Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Salary wars usually get ugly, especially if they involve a strike by medical workers. So when members of the Uganda Medical Association (UMA), a 6000-member body started their strike over pay on Monday 06, the country …
Read More »Fair trade in coffee
How coffee marketing arrangement is putting more money in farmers pockets, improving quality Kampala, Uganda | ANDREW S. KAGWA | 80-year old widow Anna Kyamulabi grows coffee on her half acre farm in Bulwanyi village, near Kyengera in Wakiso District. She is a Fairtrade producer, although it unclear if she knows …
Read More »How pharmaceuticals offer cheaper cancer drugs
But is there a catch? Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Tackling cancer requires high investment in training and infrastructure says Meg O’Brien, the Managing Director Global Cancer Treatment at the American Cancer Society. She told The Independent on Oct.25 that her organisation has brokered a deal with two pharmaceutical companies …
Read More »Principal Judge to mediate between Sudhir and Bank of Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Principle Judge Yorakamu Bamwine has taken over as mediator in a high-profile case between businessman Sudhir Ruparelia and Bank of Uganda (BOU). Justice Bamwine’s appointment comes after the parties in the case rejected the earlier appointed mediator Harriet Magala. The two parties have said they …
Read More »Togikwatako: ‘Museveni is panicking’
MPs say Museveni is panicking Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME, FLAVIA NASSAKA | With opposition politicians currently traversing the country chanting ‘Togikwatako’- the brand of the resistance to the constitutional amendment aimed at removing the presidential age cap of 75, the campaign appears to have engulfed the nation. Ibrahim Semujju …
Read More »Museveni’s gold dealer in trouble
Belgian in alleged US$1bn scam Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | President Yoweri Museveni commissioned it on Feb.20 amidst pomp and celebration, but just nine months later African Gold Refinery (AGR) has run into big trouble. Its Belgian owner, Alain Goetz, has been uncovered as a dealer in so-called “conflict or blood …
Read More »Internet costs drop by 73% in 3 years
Why cost per Mbps has dropped by 73% in last three years Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The cost of internet in Uganda has dropped by 73% to US$70 per Mbps over the past three years, signaling a reduction in the cost of doing business. In an exclusive interview with …
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