San Francisco, United States | AFP | Google is set to announce it is buying part of Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The deal for HTC’s smartphone design unit would give the US tech giant more control of its mobile handset hardware as it seeks to …
Read More »Tanzania president orders wall be built around tanzanite mines
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Wednesday ordered the army to build a wall around the country’s tanzanite mines to prevent smuggling and better control exports of the precious gems unique to the East African country. The deep blue or royal purple stones are mined in …
Read More »Trump says friends going to Africa to ‘get rich’
New York, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump hailed Africa’s business potential Wednesday, telling several leaders of African nations he has many friends going there to “get rich.” At a lunch with the leaders amid the UN General Assembly, Trump mused about the vast continent’s opportunities and …
Read More »UK investors irked by bureaucracy in Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Investors from the United Kingdom face frustration due to bureaucracy and corruption as they seek to start up business in Uganda. This was revealed by Lord Dolar Popat from the House of Lords while hosting the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga to a dinner in …
Read More »SafeBoda driving passenger safety
Ricky Rapa Thomson is the co-founder and the executive director of SafeBoda, an ‘Uber’ for motorcycles based in Kampala. He spoke to The Independent’s Agnes E Nantaba about efforts to transform the transport system in the country’s major towns. What are the key elements in your management style as a …
Read More »‘Car nation’ Germany distrustful of driverless vehicles
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | German carmakers are showing off their self-driving cars at the IAA international auto show in Frankfurt, but most people in the car-mad country have yet to be convinced by the technology. Curious visitors to the biennial trade fair, which lasts until September 24, can …
Read More »Clogged drain? Could mean toilet is flush with cash
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | If someone tells you they flushed more than a hundred grand down the toilet, chances are they’re referring figuratively to a bad investment, or an outrageous extravagance. But in Switzerland, prosecutors have opened an investigation into why two people literally tried to cram about 100,000 euros …
Read More »Sanlam moves to take-over Lion Assurance
Sanlam moves to take-over Lion Assurance: Industry regulator says merger is major boost to local industry Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | South Africa-based financial services firm, Sanlam, controls just 2% of Uganda’s insurance business but it has shown its determination to upgrade its market share with the planned …
Read More »Riding to riches on bamboo
Kasoma’s beautiful, environmental friendly alternative to metallic bicycles Kampala, Uganda | ANDREW S. KAGGWA | Jesus Christ on a wooden bicycle! That is an expression often used to show surprise, shock and disbelief. It could easily come to mind, for example, once someone tells you that there are bicycles made …
Read More »ICPAU releases August CPA examinations
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE |The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) has this Monday (Sept. 18) released the August 2017 Certified Public Accountants of Uganda – CPA (U) course results indicating 3.1% pass rate decline when compared with the June 2017 examinations. While releasing the results in …
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