Mbale, Uganda | NEWS CORRESPONDENT | As Ugandan manufacturers look beyond the domestic market, moving money across borders efficiently is becoming as important as moving goods. For Mbale-based manufacturer, importer and exporter UKI Uganda Limited, cross-border payment delays have been a challenge as the company expands across East and …
Read More »Who owns East Africa’s Corridors?
How foreign capital is reshaping the ports, railways and logistics networks connecting East Africa to global markets and what that means for the region’s economic future NEWS ANALYSIS | IAN KATUSIIME | At Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast, the port of Dar es Salaam is emerging as a crucial gateway …
Read More »The hackers are coming for Africa’s critical infrastructure
From Uganda’s electricity transmission network to telecommunications and financial systems, INTERPOL says Africa is facing an increasingly sophisticated cybercrime threat as criminals turn their attention to critical infrastructure, reports Ronald Musoke. On August 18, 2025, the Qilin ransomware group claimed Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) as a victim. …
Read More »Why DRC’s Ebola outbreak is spreading faster, and deadlier
GENEVA | Xinhua | The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the second-largest on record and is moving faster than previous ones, pushing health officials into a race to keep it from becoming the deadliest. The latest official count showed 4,449 confirmed cases and …
Read More »Airtel Africa is first operator in Africa to commercially launch Starlink
Kinshasa, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | Airtel Africa and Starlink have launched satellite-to-mobile service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the first commercial deployment in Africa. The service enables Airtel customers with compatible smartphones to access connectivity in non-terrestrial areas wherever they can see the sky. Starlink, …
Read More »SPIRO publishes its first Sustainability Report and confirms strong economic, social and climate impact
● Spiro’s inaugural Sustainability Report provides the first comprehensive overview of the environmental, social and economic impact of Spiro’s operations. ● The company also unveils ambitious objectives and targets net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040 and up to 0.7 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided from product use …
Read More »Can Tanzania become an upper-middle income country?
Tanzania has a blueprint to grow its economy tenfold by 2050, but faces multiple entrenched challenges if it is to prove realistic NEWS ANALYSIS | LENNOX YIEKE | Tanzania has set its sights on becoming a $1 trillion, upper‑middle‑income economy by mid-century. Under a long‑term plan known as Vision …
Read More »Sudan’s invisible children – born in war with no legal identity
Registering a child requires identity information, a national number and a birth certificate. But when the father is absent or unknown, it becomes extremely difficult NEWS ANALYSIS | Ethar Shalaby & Patricia Whitehorne | A 17-year-old Sudanese girl holds a young child in her arms with a heavy …
Read More »Moove joins Africa’s unicorn club with a US$2.1 billion infrastructure bet
Moove’s US$2.1 billion valuation is the largest African startup funding milestone of 2026, marking the continent’s newest unicorn. Its rise suggests that investors are increasingly backing African companies that are building the infrastructure underpinning global industries. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Lagos-founded mobility company Moove has become …
Read More »Museums are turning documentary film into a new archive for African architecture
Museums are increasingly commissioning documentary films to document African architecture, interpret historic buildings, and preserve architectural memory. Film has become part of exhibition design, audiovisual archiving, and museum collections, carrying architectural stories across borders and generations. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | The camera arrives from above. It …
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