Once again, Africa finds itself on the receiving end of global crises; paying the price in growth, stability, and livelihoods NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | When the so-called coordinated military strikes by the United States and Israel hit Iranian territory on Feb. 28, the escalation marked a decisive …
Read More »The money that keeps Uganda going
With a new dashboard, the Bank of Uganda is finally mapping the billions of dollars sent home by its diaspora Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In the early morning hours at Entebbe International Airport, the departure hall often fills with a quiet, nervous energy. Small groups of young Ugandan …
Read More »U.S-backed health systems transition to Ugandan control in major digital shift
After years of U.S-backed investment, the transfer of data systems marks a shift from external support to state control COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | In a district hospital in eastern Uganda, a mother waits as a clinician opens an electronic medical records system instead of reaching for a paper …
Read More »Lake Mutanda: An island of art and ambition
The lake is Uganda’s newest cultural landmark; where art, architecture, and ecology meet the Virunga Mountains ART FEATURE | RONALD MUSOKE | On the volcanic waters of Lake Mutanda in the southwestern Uganda district of Kisoro, a new cultural geography is quietly taking shape. It does not announce itself …
Read More »How Uganda opened the school gates and the learning crisis walked in behind
UNESCO GEM report shows how early universal education expanded access, but struggled to convert enrolment into meaningful learning COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | When the Uganda government opened the school gates in the late 1990s to four children per household across the country, it was lauded as one …
Read More »Alan Kasujja: The man who walked into the noise
Inside his first moments at the Uganda Media Centre and the deeper crisis of Government’s fractured voice Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | The rain came first, as it often does in Kampala; sudden, insistent, and cleansing. It fell through the morning of March 24, washing over the city’s …
Read More »Green Gold: Unlocking the market value of East Africa’s agroecology
Smallholders are already saving soils, biodiversity, and communities; they just need the market to notice Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In global markets, value often depends on visibility. Coffee is graded; organic produce is certified and fair trade comes with a label. Yet agroecological products; grown with care for …
Read More »How women are still walking miles for water and paying the price
Each day spent fetching water steals time, education, and opportunity, highlighting inequalities that persist worldwide NEWS FEATURE | RONALD MUSOKE | In the vast, sun-scorched plains of Uganda’s northeastern region of Karamoja, the search for water begins before the day has properly broken. In scattered homesteads across this semi-arid region, …
Read More »How tourists are bankrolling Island States’ conservation efforts
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 »How Estonia built a digital state, and what Uganda can learn
Estonia’s digital state didn’t happen by accident and its lessons could help Uganda build smarter public services SPECIAL REPORT | RONALD MUSOKE | On a mild morning in late May 2023 in Tallinn, the medieval capital of Estonia perched along the Baltic Sea, nearly 600 policymakers, digital experts and government …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price