The new leader; Ramaphosa will need to urgently attend to them if the country is to chart a new course COMMENT | FRED PHASWANA | Jacob Zuma resigned as South Africa’s president – an inevitable move, following the African National Congress’ withdrawal of its support. Two decades after Nelson Mandela tried …
Read More »Coffee’s future in dilemma
Kampala conference discusses ways of increasing output but many wonder who would buy it Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda is currently implementing an ambitious plan the coffee road map to increase coffee output from the current 4.5 million bags to 20 million bags by 2025. This new target is …
Read More »Fish maw wars
Ugandan traders battle Chinese, Indians, over lucrative business Kampala, Uganda | ANDREW S. KAGGWA | A row has developed between the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and fish exporters on one side and fish traders on the other over the sale of fish maws. Siraje Walusimbi, an executive …
Read More »The Ramaphosa moment
How many Messiahs can one country take? Kampala, Uganda | DAVID EVERATT | Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa – forgive me, President Ramaphosa – is self-evidently a private and reserved human being. Since his decision to contest the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been the subject of an endless …
Read More »Fight over Shs44 trillion mobile money
Telecoms protest State House move to monitor business Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | A fight is raging between telecom operators on one side, and the Uganda Communications Commissions (UCC), the Uganda Police Force, and State House on the other, over moves to monitor the Shs44 trillion mobile money business. At …
Read More »Mulago’s breakthrough heart bypass surgery
The doctors and the patients tell their story Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Victor Ndawabo, 58, a Congolese national, was unusually lucky from the moment doctors first discovered he had coronary artery disease (CAD). The condition which presents with dangerous blockage in the vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to the …
Read More »Cameroon’s main opposition leader rules out presidential run
Bamenda, Cameroon | AFP | Cameroon’s veteran opposition leader and perennial presidential hopeful John Fru Ndi said Thursday he will not challenge the long-ruling President Paul Biya in this year’s elections. Fru Ndi, 76, hailing from the troubled anglophone west of the country, has lost to Biya three times — …
Read More »Billy Graham: The pastor who took the Word to the North Koreans, China
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The staunchly anti-communist Billy Graham had a record of engaging with Communist leaders in Asia as he pursued his global evangelistic mission — most notably North Korea’s Kim Il Sung. Graham, the influential US pastor who died aged 99 on Wednesday, became one of …
Read More »ANALYSIS: How corrupt local officials kill decent education in Africa
Kampala, Uganda | MATY KONTE | There’s no disputing that many African countries’ education systems are in trouble. Despite significant investment and some improvements linked to the push to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, children in large parts of Africa are simply not being well taught or learning what is needed …
Read More »Lawyer pleads guilty to lying in Russia probe
Washington, United States | AFP | A lawyer linked to a former campaign aide of President Donald Trump pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents Tuesday, as the probe into Russian election meddling gains pace. Special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s powerful team of investigators accused Alex van der Zwaan of knowingly …
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