US$80million available for specialists in 4 African countries Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Andela, a global engineering firm based in New York, has raised US$80million in venture funding to mentor software developers in the four African countries where it operates; Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria. The firm invests in Africa’s …
Read More »Paying more to avoid a tax
What reactions to social media tax reveals about attitudes Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance is puzzled by the current resistance to the social media tax which his government recently introduced. “Why don’t you want to contribute to your economy?” says Minister …
Read More »BATU half- year profit rises to Shs6.2bn
Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | High operating profits coupled with lower financing costs helped the tobacco maker, British American Tobacco, to record a 77% rise in net profit to Shs6.2bn for the half year ending June 30. The latest financial results shows that the company recorded an increase in the …
Read More »Insurer boosts Uganda’s renewable energy projects
The African Insurance Agency will support solar PV, hydro, wind, geothermal, biomass and cogeneration technologies Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | The multilateral insurer, African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), will provide up to US$10million as financial protection to new small and medium-sized renewable energy projects in Uganda to facilitate their smooth …
Read More »Africa-India trade decline to US$55bn-Report
Uganda plans to intensify relations in trade, tourism and investment Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Trade between Africa and India has recorded a 30% decline in volume from US$78billion in 2014 to about $55 billion in 2017 citing a tough economic environment. However, this was more than seven times higher …
Read More »Africa over the last 30 years
Why the claim that our continent’s problems are caused by “poor governance” is a lot of baloney THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | I have just re-read the 1989 report of the World Bank titled “Sub Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Development.” It is a rich document in terms …
Read More »UBA to unveil mobile, agent banking this month
Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Pan-African lender, United Bank for Africa, plans to roll out its mobile banking platform mid this month and later agent banking to facilitate customer convenience and also tap into the unbanked population. UBA Uganda CEO Johnson Agoreyo said the lender is in the final stage …
Read More »ARTS: Astonishing creations at Tadooba Gallery
Creative and bold students grab rare opportunity Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | How do you get students of art to understand an artist’s work in the real world? For Dr. Emmanuel Mutungi, Head of Department Art and Industrial Design at Kyambogo University in Kampala, the answer is clear; make them …
Read More »Solome Basuuta: The queen of love
Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | Solome Basuuta is commonly known as the `queen of love’. It is all she sings about. She also calls her music the ‘love genre’. Her debut album was titled `The Song Love’ and features a poem and her hit song `Nz’ani’. “My music reminds …
Read More »Tackling economic growth bottlenecks
National Planning Authority boss outlines weaknesses in Uganda’s development agenda, shares solutions Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Kisamba Mugerwa, the chairperson of National Planning Authority (NPA), is a well-known speaker on matters Uganda’s journey to the middle income status. It was the same on July 18 as he delivered a …
Read More »