NEWS ANALYSIS

This is the largest loan that the country has borrowed from Beijing for a single project NEW ANALYSIS | MUSINGUZI BLANSHE | Uganda has started paying back a $1.44bn loan to China. However, the flagship 600MW Karuma hydropower project that the government paid for is not finished, an official tells The …

Why IFAD wants resources dedicated to poor rural smallholder farmers Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Poor rural smallholder farmers in developing countries like Uganda may not know about the on-going UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh but they are aware of …

Move to bring `new finance’ for sustainable development ventures Cairo, Egypt | THE INDEPENDENT | The Green Investment Principles (GIP) for the Belt and Road officially announced its second regional office, Africa Chapter, during the COP27. Hendrik du Toit, Founder and CEO of Ninety One, will be the Chairman of …

Watching his friends drop out of school due to the impact of drought, Joshua Omunuk was determined to do something about the situation. Then he came across Vanessa Nakate’s Rise Up movement Soroti, Uganda | BIRD AGENCY | When 27-year-old Joshua Omunuk joined the Rise Up Movement, a platform founded …

During the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, visitors and fans will be able to taste Arabic coffee, experience a different flavor, and embark on a unique journey in Qatar Doha, Qatar |  QNA  |  Coffee is associated with customs, traditions and connotations that differ from one country to another, but …

Military experts note growing capability of East Africa forces COVER STORY | Agencies & Independent Team | An article in one of South Africa’s top newspapers, the Mail & Guardian, has sparked renewed interest in the capabilities of armies in the East African region. The article was written against tweets made about …

Why I think Singapore would have transformed even with a less able leader THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | There is a widespread myth that Lee Kuan Yew, the legendary prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, was singularly responsible for the transformation of that island city-state …

Nigeria has had a flood crisis since June 2022, with a resounding impact — over 600 lives lost, almost 1.5 million displaced, and over 200,000 homes damaged in 370 local governments across the country’s 36 states. This is the country’s worst flood incident in a decade, with floods projected to …

DRC’s minerals have been systematically plundered for centuries; now, its cobalt is coveted by the world for green energy transition. Will this finally bring transformation or more misery to the local communities? Kinshasa, DRC | BIRD AGENCY | Congo’s natural resources have been plundered at a terrible cost to its …

What has the fighting been about? And why? What does this recent truce mean for Ethiopia, Tigray and conflict participants like Eritrea? Lagos, Nigeria | RICHARD ALI – BIRD AGENCY | The Ethiopian conflict centred on the Tigray region has concerned African security watchers since November 2020, when the fighting …