In The Magazine

Researcher says early results are promising, but human trials far off NEWS ANALYSIS | TITILOPE FADARE | When Mutiat Ibrahim, a pharmacognosy researcher at the University of Lagos, began surveying traditional medicine practitioners across Nigeria, she was cataloguing something many in formal medicine had long dismissed—the use of herbal rings and waist beads …

  Currently, petroleum prices are still significantly higher than pre-war levels, when Brent crude was trading below $73 per barrel before the outbreak of the Iran war   Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | Insurance leaders across Africa are warning of a potential economic slowdown as surging global petroleum prices …

Malema has vowed to challenge the judgment right up to South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, if necessary   Johannesburg, South Africa | AGENCIES | The leader of one of South Africa’s main opposition parties, Julius Malema, has been given a five-year prison term for unlawfully possessing a firearm …

  Utility boss calls for tighter coordination to tackle vandalism, illegal connections and metering losses   Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda’s push towards universal water access is exposing a new set of structural challenges, with the national water utility warning that illegal connections and infrastructure vandalism are eroding …

KCB targets the growth gap in female-led firms   Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda’s banking sector is sharpening its focus on women entrepreneurs, as lenders roll out targeted products to close a long-standing financing gap that has constrained the growth of female-led businesses. Against this backdrop, KCB Bank …

  Unwanted Witness report exposes personal data misuse in the past election cycle   COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | On May 12, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, 81, will take the oath of office once again, extending a presidency that has shaped Uganda’s political landscape for four straight decades. His victory in …

  Finance ministry figures released on April 9 show fourth-quarter disbursements of Shs17.444tn, lifting total releases to Shs77.001tn—106.4% of the approved budget and 95.1% of the revised plan   Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The government has released more funds than initially approved for the current financial year ending …

  Mobile money operators also highlighted the effect of digital transaction taxes on usage, noting that higher costs are already prompting some consumers to revert to cash   Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda’s proposed tax measures for the 2026/27 financial year have drawn criticism from civil society groups, …

  Urban centres are projected to contribute up to 70 per cent of the country’s GDP, underscoring the importance of structured urban development   NEWS ANALYSIS | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda is set to roll out a Shs 2.1 trillion urban infrastructure programme next financial year, backed by the World …

  Gender inequality is weakening Uganda’s trade competitiveness   COMMENT | GARD BENDA NTEGYEREIZE |  Uganda’s expanding footprint in regional and global trade, particularly through the East African Community (EAC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), signals a strong trajectory toward economic integration and growth. Yet beneath this progress …