Representatives of the 10-member states of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) converge in Dar-es-Salaam on Wednesday to celebrate 18 years of cooperation. Since February 22 1999, NBI has focused on activities aimed at assisting Member States to achieve their development objectives through Nile Cooperation. “That day, in 1999, marked a …
Read More »Museveni launches gold refinery, to abolish royalty tax
President Yoweri Museveni on Monday commissioned Uganda’s first gold refinery with a promise to abolish royalty taxes to boost the sector. The newly-built $20 million African Gold Refinery in Entebbe, is the first of its kind in the region and has the capacity of processing up to 300 kg of gold weekly. It has …
Read More »Record number of female students get First Class at Makerere Graduation
Over 55% of the students being awarded first class honors at Makerere Univeristy’s 67th graduation ceremony starting today are female. A total 261 students obtained a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of above 4.40 to graduate with first class honors. Of these, 144 (55.17%) are female while 117 ( 44.8%) …
Read More »Themed food week in Kampala – Italy competes with Cuba
ATC News by Wolfgang H. Thome Cuban sounds and Cuban food set to excite Kampalans As the 50th anniversary celebrations advance at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, it is Cuban sounds which will form the background to a Cuban Food Week, unfolding as of tomorrow. Kampala has lately become a hot spot …
Read More »Uganda’s Tourism Excellence Awards showcase the best of the best
ATC News by Wolfgang H. Thome The end of the 2017 edition of the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) was marked with a gala dinner at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel to give hosted buyers and international travel media a befitting send off and celebrate excellence in the country’s tourism …
Read More »South Sudan suffering ‘man-made’ famine
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan on Monday declared famine in some parts of the country, with more than three years of war leaving nearly five million hungry in what aid groups called a “man-made” tragedy. Isaiah Chol Aruai, chairman of South Sudan’s National Bureau of Statistics, said …
Read More »Africa retail giants Steinhoff, Shoprite shelve merger
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African retail firms Steinhoff International and Shoprite Holdings announced Monday they had scrapped plans to merge their local assets to form the continent’s biggest retailer. The plan announced in December 2016 was geared to create a discount retailer worth over $14 billion to …
Read More »Infantino to talk and party in southern Africa, visit East Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be in South Africa and Zimbabwe this week to meet African football bosses and attend a birthday party. He will also visit Uganda and Rwanda. He has invited all 54 African national football association presidents to Johannesburg for two …
Read More »Under pressure DR Congo govt vows to stem violence
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government, under pressure to act after months of violence in the south, on Sunday vowed to move away from a solely military solution. Interior Minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadari told reporters: “The state is envisaging political, traditional and humanitarian solutions …
Read More »Bouteflika’s frail health halts Merkel visit
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika had acute bronchitis on Monday, causing German Chancellor Angela Merkel to call off a visit to Algeria at the last minute, the presidency said. Bouteflika, Algeria’s longest-serving leader, suffered a mini-stroke in 2013 that affected his mobility and speech. The …
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