Business

CHARCOAL: Scarcity and 30% price hike cause burning problem for experts Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Steven Byamukama has been vending charcoal for 20 years. His stall in Kisenyi, a low income section of Kampala city, is one of many on a charcoal dust covered and darkened patch almost …

THIS WEEK: Stanbic’s new PMI show decline in business activity    Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Stanbic Bank’s latest Purchase Managers Index PMI for September indicates a slight decline in the headline index from 54.1% in August to 53.8% in September, signaling decline in economic activities. Jibran Qureshi, the …

THIS WEEK: NSSF’s “Friends with Benefits” campaign is back Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has unveiled the second edition of the “Friends with Benefits” campaign, an initiative aimed at promoting a savings and investments culture amongst Ugandans. The campaign that runs as a …

Washington, United States | AFP | Finance chiefs from around the world were warned Thursday to get their houses in order while the global economy is strong and to be ready for possible shocks in the future. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine …

Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE |  Emirates Airlines is focusing on making its brand in Uganda more vibrant in an effort to woo more travelers to its planes. Speaking to journalists in Kampala on Oct. 12, the Airline’s Country Manager for Uganda, Puneet Kohli said that they recently introduced new products …

Paris, France | AFP | Paris city authorities said Thursday they aimed to phase out the use of diesel cars by the time the French capital hosts the Olympics in 2024, and petrol cars by 2030. Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s office said the goals — which are more ambitious time-wise than a …

Dublin, Ireland | AFP | Ireland on Thursday gave the green light for tech giant Apple to build an 850-million-euro ($1.0-billion) data centre following a battle with conservationists who were seeking to preserve a forest. High Court judge Paul McDermott dismissed the appeals brought by three campaigners, who were concerned about …

Allada, BENIN | AFP | From his chair in the middle of a pile of pineapples, Jean-Xavier Satola supervises cutting and packaging, as Benin — Africa’s fourth-biggest exporter of the fruit — starts trading again after an eight-month self-imposed absence. The fields of Allada in southern Benin are a hive of …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | “Time for an interview? I have a lot of time at the moment,” said Owino Onyango, sweating as he stepped out of his blacksmith’s shop in Nairobi to talk business, and politics. “Business goes with politics: if politics go down, business also goes down”, said the …

  Sam Mutabazi is the Executive Director of Uganda Road Sector Support (URSSI). He talked to Ian Katusiime about Uganda’s road sector and its urban planning. What principles guide your management? I am a democrat. I extend freedom to people around me and give my staff the benefit of the …