The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya, a pioneer in mobile money, on Thursday began selling the first ever government bonds via mobile phone, allowing anyone from teachers to shop owners to invest and fund infrastructure projects. The bond is named M-Akiba, which means “mobile savings” in Swahili, and was launched …
Read More »UK banks ‘handled’ $740 mn in laundered Russian money
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Several British banks processed nearly $740 million in a multi-billion dollar Russian money-laundering scam, The Guardian newspaper said on Monday. According to documents obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, at least $20 billion was moved out of Russia between 2010 and 2014 …
Read More »RWANDA: Party of business
The Rwandan Patriotic Front’s business empire RWANDA has a reputation for enterprise. Its government has largely stamped out small-scale corruption and trimmed regulations, making the country the second-best place in Africa to do business, according to the World Bank’s widely-followed ranking. But the dominant political party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front …
Read More »Uganda fails to gain from high tea prices
20% decline in supply at Mombasa auction in first 10 weeks of 2017 pushes prices up Prices of tea at the Mombasa Auction, the world’s second largest selling centre have been high this selling season – at US$3 per kg in the first 10 weeks of 2017 compared to US$2 …
Read More »Patient’s record automation gains traction in East Africa
Wilson Kutegeka is the CEO of ClinicMaster International, the developers of a healthcare information management and medical billing software that automates patients’ transactions in health centres across East Africa. He spoke to The Independent’s Agnes E Nantaba about automation of patient’s health records. What are the key elements in your …
Read More »Uganda needs a caffeine fix
Insights from Vietnam’s coffee market success By: Astrid R.N. Haas Until recently Vietnam and Uganda shared a similar trajectory in the development of their coffee sectors. Today, Vietnam has emerged as the second largest coffee producer in the world. In Uganda, poor agricultural inputs and a failing institutional environment have …
Read More »Kampala hotels most expensive in East Africa
Expensive hotels: Top operators offer solutions to trend threatening tourism sector Build more high-end hotels and attract more international hotel chains to create competition and lower rates. Those are some of the views of experts in Uganda’s hotel sector about the high costs of hotel accommodation in Uganda which they …
Read More »World Bank chief heads to East Africa after announcing $57 bln in financing for Africa
Washington, United States | AFP | The World Bank on Sunday announced $57 billion in financing for sub-Saharan Africa over the next three fiscal years. Of that total, $45 billion will come from the International Development Association, the World Bank fund that provides grants and interest-free loans for the world’s poorest …
Read More »Plan to nurture African economies unites fractious G2
Baden-Baden, Germany | AFP | Ministers from the world’s top economies heralded plans to boost development in Africa on Saturday, at an otherwise fractious G20 gathering in Germany. Berlin, which holds the presidency of the powerful nations’ club this year, has made a hoped-for “Compact with Africa” a top priority for …
Read More »Nigerian airline lays off two-thirds of staff to cut costs
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s second largest airline Aero Contractors has laid off two-thirds of its workforce to save costs and prevent it from going under, a government agency official confirmed on Friday. The company said in a letter to employees on Thursday that it was “constrained to place (them) …
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