Proponents of the law say it will ensure a healthy and productive population Uganda’s trader ministry and the Gulu District Local Government are at loggerheads over the latter’s decision to pass an ordinance restricting the sale and consumption of alcohol. Gulu District Councilors enforced an Alcohol Control Ordinance starting last …
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 »Make SACCOs self-reliant – Oulanyah
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah has urged cooperative societies to generate their own income and rely less on donations. While launching the Kibuku United Farmers’ SACCO on Saturday in Kibuku, the Oulanyah said that there was a tendency of Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizatio (SACCOs) to rely …
Read More »MPs Select Committee meets UTL board in Dubai
UTL still has potential to thrive again – Dr. Faisel Gergab The Chairman of Libyan Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Holding Company (LPTIC) Dr. Faisel Gergab has reassured parliament that Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) still has a future. He promised that the company will come up with a transformation plan to …
Read More »Digital banking: Why it is good for business and jobs
When The Independent recently spoke to William Sekabembe, the chief of business and executive director at dfcu about the bank’s strategy on digital banking, his comments reflected the popular view. “We are investing heavily in technology so we can serve our customers without necessarily opening new branches in all parts …
Read More »Uganda’s collapsing buildings due to structural failures
Jesse Tukacungurwa is the CEO of Oncepti architects. He spoke to The Independent’s Agnes E Nantaba about the architects’ role in bridging Uganda’s housing deficit. What are the key elements in your management philosophy? As a manager, I am a perfectionist. I like to put my hands on almost everything. …
Read More »RWANDA: Working to create a mini-Singapore- in Africa
Singaporeans are training teachers, planning towns and impacting the lives of communities in Rwanda, as profiled in the documentary `Finding Singapore’ By Desmond Ng Singaporean Chong Fook Yen watched in horror as the student took a piece of wood, clamped it tight and tried his hardest to saw it – …
Read More »Bird-flu deaths rise in China, shutting poultry markets
Beijing, China | AFP | China is experiencing its deadliest outbreak of the H7N9 bird-flu strain since it first appeared in humans in 2013, killing 79 people in January alone and spurring several cities to suspend live poultry trade. The National Health and Family Planning Commission said on Wednesday that …
Read More »Toshiba shares dive as questions swirl over huge losses
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Toshiba shares plunged again Wednesday as it warned of a $6.2 billion writedown in its US nuclear power business and announced a probe into possible wrongdoing by the unit’s senior executives. One of Japan’s best-known firms, Toshiba shocked investors Tuesday when it failed to report …
Read More »Ex-boss of Nigerian oil firm being probed over $10mn cash ‘gift’
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A former head of Nigeria’s state-run oil company is under investigation after almost $10 million in cash was found at a property he owns. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an anti-corruption agency, said it had seized $9.8 million (9.2 million euros) from a …
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