Sliding tourism earnings: Terrorism fears continue to hit tourism industry but stakeholders optimistic about mid term prospects Latest data from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities shows that both tourist arrivals and earnings registered the lowest growth in five years. Growth in 2015 was at just about 3% in …

National carrier revival question: World Bank calls for more focus on high cost of doing business instead At the beginning of his fifth term in office, President Yoweri Museveni set tongues wagging when he included the revival of the national career among his 20 priority programmes in this term of office. …

Surge in prices could cause inflation flare up, squeeze Ugandan economy further – experts Uganda’s consumer price inflation fell more than expected in the past three months to September, thanks to a huge drop in non-food prices during the period, but economists say the downward trend is unlikely to be …

Coffee entrepreneur Rugasira set to tussle it out with incumbent Olive Kigongo for UNCCI presidency As the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) goes to the polls to elect new leaders, the battle lines have been drawn for the top job. Among those set to be elected in …

On Aug. 01, 2016, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development announced the completion of evaluation of seven bids for the first competitive licensing round and invited four of them to negotiate for Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs). The government will eventually issue five exploration licenses upon successful completion of the …

  EAC at EPA crossroads It’s another postponement, once again. With only a fortnight to the Oct.01 deadline for the East African Community (EAC) to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU), the final signing has been extended. The Heads of State Summit sitting in Dar-es-Salaam, …

  INTERVIEW: Uganda’s Insurance industry’s future outlook shows growth Ibrahim Kaddunabi Lubega is the chief executive officer of the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda (IRA-U). He spoke to Isaac Khisa about their operations and the pertinent issues in insurance industry: What is your leadership philosophy as a CEO? My leadership philosophy …

Second-hand ban strategy: A peep into alternatives to banning importation of second-hand clothing Trade in second-hand clothing is big in Uganda. In markets and shops in most towns and villages, trade in second-hand clothes improves people’s access to clothing, supports livelihoods, and contributes to national and local government tax revenue. Now, …

AGOA’s agony: Why 10-year extension of duty-free access to the US market could be another lost opportunity for Uganda When the US passed the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) 15 years ago, there was a lot of promise.  Many African countries, especially the oil exporters, have registered substantial progress under …

MTN’s loans: MTN’s Mokash platform set to stir competition in small loans market Every year, companies have made it a norm to launch a market-shaking product or service. However, none of the products launched in Uganda in recent years will match MTN’s newest trail-blazing ‘Mokash’ in terms of innovation, utility, and risk-taking. …