After years of rapid expansion driven by mobile money, Africa’s digital credit market is entering a regulatory phase. Governments across the continent are formalising loan apps through licensing and conduct standards to curb abuses without stalling access to credit. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Regulators are reasserting control over …

KIEV | Xinhua |  The next round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia will be held on Feb. 17-18 in Geneva, Moscow and Kiev confirmed on Friday. The Russian delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported, citing Kremlin …

GOMA, DR Congo | Xinhua | Vivian van de Perre, acting head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO), met with leaders of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group in Goma on Friday to discuss a ceasefire monitoring mechanism. The meeting comes as diplomatic efforts intensify …

  Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | South African actor, producer, and media entrepreneur Thapelo Mokoena has held a masterclass for Ugandan filmmakers under the Africa Film Forum, an initiative of the iKON Awards. The masterclass formed part of his official visit to Uganda ahead of the iKON Awards “Beyond Borders” …

COMMENT | SHEILA KASABIITI | For decades, condom use campaigns and advocacy in Uganda have rightly focused on raising awareness of the benefits of condoms, debunking misinformation, and promoting access, affordability, and correct usage. But there is a missing piece in this communication chain: “What happens after use?” With the reduction of …

COMMENT | ANGELA HUYUE ZHANG |  While debates over the AI race between the United States and China tend to fixate on which country has the most powerful frontier models and the most advanced semiconductors, that framing is becoming outdated. As AI moves from our screens into the physical world, the question …

Lyantonde, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Eight people, including a journalist, have been confirmed dead following a fatal road crash that occurred on Friday evening at Kibega 1 Village along the Mbarara-Lyantonde Highway. The accident involved a white Toyota Hiace taxi, registration number UBQ 016U, and a Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer, registration …

The integration of internet-connected computers into power grids is creating a world where the line between code and physical destruction is blurred COMMENT | SAMAN ZONOUZ | The darkness that swept over the Venezuelan capital in the predawn hours of Jan. 3, 2026, signalled a profound shift in the nature of modern conflict: …

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Watu has announced that Watu Shule, its motorcycle rider training and licensing programme, has surpassed 10,000 enrolments and has officially expanded operations to Northern Uganda with the launch of a new training centre in Gulu City. Watu Shule, a motorcycle riding school operated by …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | History and Political Education emerged as the weakest-performed subject in the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, despite generally strong results across most humanities and arts subjects. Results released by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) indicate that 12,898 candidates out of the …