AFRICA

  Zimbabwe is repositioning film as an economic sector, using tax incentives to attract film productions while building capacity to retain more value locally. The shift mirrors a broader continental push to move beyond filming locations toward full production ecosystems.   SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Zimbabwe is backing …

Kampala, Uganda | URN | The race to deliver the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2027 has entered a decisive phase, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) convening in Kampala to align East Africa’s co-hosting strategy. The high-level two-day technical meeting, running from April 22 to 23, brings together …

  African nations are shifting poultry from a marginal commodity to a strategic industry, using finance, skills, and policy to transform local production. This continental repositioning aims not only to cut imports but also to strengthen food security and create jobs.   SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Africa’s poultry …

  Kigali, Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | Ugandan business writer Isaac Khisa has been named the overall winner of the 2026 Pan-African Re/Insurance Journalism Awards, announced during the 11th Continental Reinsurance CEO Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda, on April 17. Khisa also won the English Print Category for his article …

Kampala, Uganda | URN | Finance Ministers from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda have agreed on the financing of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project.‎ ‎The ministers were meeting in Washington D.C. on the sidelines of the on-going IMF and World Bank 2026 Spring Meetings to discuss the progress of the …

NAIROBI, KENYA | Xinhua | At a busy bus stop on the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, commuters wait in long queues as transport fares rise in response to surging fuel prices. “I paid 0.61 dollars this morning instead of the usual 0.38,” said Moses Kalondu, an office …

ANTANANARIVO | Xinhua | Madagascar’s presidency said at a press conference held on Wednesday that there had been an attempted assassination targeting the President of Madagascar Michael Randrianirina, following the overflight of his residence by thermal drones. According to the Director of Communication at the Presidency, Harry Laurent Rahajason, five …

Cape Town, South Africa | Xinhua | South African opposition politician Julius Malema was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison for firearm-related offenses. Malema, the founding leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is one of the most prominent politicians in South Africa. The lengthy sentence was …

COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | When commenting on the 1980–1988 Iraq–Iran war, Henry Kissinger once remarked that it was “a pity both sides can’t lose”. It was a chilling distillation of a worldview in which distant conflicts are not tragedies to be resolved, but instruments to be managed. Alongside Zbigniew …

  From Kyankwanzi to the Moon and beyond: Another case for Regional Integration and Shared Ambition   COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | Sometime in 2023, I found myself on a panel at the Kampala Geopolitics Conference, convened by the French Embassy and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung–Uganda in partnership with Makerere University. …