Island economies need about US$12 billion a year for climate adaptation but receive just over US$2 billion in international public finance SPECIAL FEATURE | RONALD MUSOKE | Across the turquoise lagoons and coral-fringed shores of the world’s small island nations, nature is both a lifeline and a vulnerability. From the …
Read More »FMO lends $20 million to I&M Bank for SMEs
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | FMO, the Netherlands’ development bank, has extended a $20million senior unsecured facility to I&M Bank Uganda Limited to expand lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a segment widely seen as vital to Uganda’s economic growth but often constrained by limited access to finance. …
Read More »COMESA’s airlines struggle to keep up
Regional watchdog, aviation experts push enforcement of 2025 consumer protection rules as delays and cancellations surge NEWS ANALYSIS | JULIUS BUSINGE | When Moses collected his luggage at an East African airport, he expected a routine arrival. Instead, he found opened gadget packages in his side bag—items he said he …
Read More »Rise of the AI soldiers
Ukraine has become the world’s premier testing ground for AI weapons on Russian troops, foreign mercenaries COVER STORY | AGENCIES | The Phantom MK-1 looks the part of an AI soldier. Encased in jet black steel with a tinted glass visor, it conjures a visceral dread far beyond what …
Read More »Aga Khan exits media to back high-impact sectors
This development comes at the time traditional media outlets worldwide are struggling with declines in core revenue streams, particularly print and broadcast advertising as audiencees goes online NEWS ANALYSIS | JULIUS BUSINGE | The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is poised to exit East Africa’s traditional media industry after …
Read More »Uganda’s NGOs at a crossroads as funding and regulation tighten
The NGO Bureau chief says about 7,000 NGOs operate in Uganda, though many have closed or downsized due to funding and compliance challenges Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The future of Uganda’s non-governmental organisation sector is increasingly uncertain, as a combination of donor withdrawal, regulatory scrutiny and operational …
Read More »On Trump’s Iranian misadventure
The coming costs of America’s new war on its competition with China, its allies in the region and the world economy THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | I wrote in this column on December 19th last year, praising Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy. In it, the US president …
Read More »What is happiness? A philosopher looks for answers
Today, consumerism and capitalism are the forces behind the digital technologies that manipulate our understanding of happiness ARTS | ANNE H. VERHOEF | When we seek happiness, what exactly are we searching for? And when we wish happiness on someone else, what is it that we truly desire for …
Read More »Israel and U.S. trumpet their collaboration in war against Iran
U.S. and Israeli military officials are talking as often as 4,000 to 5,000 times a day, divvying up targets across Iran NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | For the U.S. military, going into combat alongside allies is nothing new. For Israel, it’s a novelty. But military leaders in both countries are …
Read More »Afreximbank tops Bloomberg Africa loans ranking
Cairo, Egypt | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Export-Import Bank has ranked first as Mandated Lead Arranger and Bookrunner in the 2025 Bloomberg Africa Borrower Loans League Tables, reinforcing its position as a leading arranger of capital for African borrowers. The rankings recognize the bank’s role in mobilizing large-scale financing from …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price