He cared about employees and citizens as well as profit OBITUARY | THANKOM ARUN | Professor of Global Development and Accountability, University of Essex Ratan Tata, who has died at the age of 86, was a giant of global industry, whose interests included cars, steel, hotels, travel and tea. But he was …
Read More »Who is Tundu Lissu?
Tanzania’s opposition leader is fighting for change in the face of fresh attacks on political freedoms ANALYSIS | NICODEMUS MINDE | Tundu Lissu has become the face of opposition in Tanzania following his defiant and unrelenting criticism of the government. Since he came into the national limelight in 1995 when running for …
Read More »War and the supernatural
Former Congolese soldiers recall the ritual practices used to prepare for battle ANALYSIS | DOSTIN LAKIKA | War takes a toll on soldiers’ bodies and minds. To prepare for battle, soldiers are taken through various forms of training. Part of this training aims to strip candidates of their civilian values and …
Read More »Coffee farmers earn USD 1.4bn amid UCDA deadlock
MPs say they don’t want the fate which has befallen tea and cotton sub-sectors to happen to coffee Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s coffee farmers reaped record export earnings, totaling over US$ $1.4 billion from the sale of 6.35 million 60-kg bags during the 2023/24 coffee year ending September …
Read More »New law to regulate construction minerals in offing
As experts call for a special fund and tailored banking products to boost investment in artisanal mining space Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda government has completed the drafting of the Building Substances Bill, which will soon be submitted to the Cabinet for approval, according to Irene Bateebe, the Permanent …
Read More »It’s the KCCA structure, stupid!
It’s the KCCA structure, stupid! Why management can’t change city without change in ‘political authority’ COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | Former Vision Group CEO Robert Kabushenga has led the pack of corporate gurus gunning for the position of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director. Other known applicants are …
Read More »Tumaini Initiative as solution to S. Sudan problem
The initiative by the High-level Mediation on South Sudan is an African solution to an African problem COMMENT | DAK BUOTH RIEK GAAK | The famous phrase known as “African solutions to African problems” is an intellectual and political concept whose origin can be traced back to the 1990s at the …
Read More »Nyerere, 25 years later
Remembering the legacy of one of Africa’s most charismatic and iconic post-colonial statesmen THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Last week, I travelled to Tanzania to commemorate Nyerere Day. The event was held in Butiama, a small village in Northern Tanzania where Julius Nyerere was born. It marked 25 years since …
Read More »Another Trump term?
Based on experiences of autocratic political movements that regain power, it would be worse than the first COMMENT | TOM GINDBURG & AZIZ HUQ | Would a second Donald Trump presidency really imperil American democracy? Influential commentators suggest that the former president is too “weak,” too desperate to be popular, or …
Read More »Ethiopia doubles coffee production
The country’s coffee export revenue has seen substantial growth, jumping from US$700 million in 2018 to US$1.4 billion in 2023 ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed has announced an impressive achievement of doubling Ethiopia’s annual coffee production from 500,000 tons to over 1 million tons within the last …
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