COMMENT | JANE NALUNGA | In an increasingly uncertain global economy marked by geopolitical rivalry, fragile supply chains, climate shocks and shifting trade alliances, regional integration is no longer simply an aspirational development agenda; it has become a strategic necessity. For East Africa, the East African Community (EAC) represents one …
Read More »Why the African Union meeting for ministers responsible for trade matters for Africa
COMMENT | JANE NALUNGA | On 25–26 February 2026, African ministers responsible for trade will gather in Maputo, Republic of Mozambique, under the African Union (AU) framework. This meeting comes just weeks before the Fourteenth Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), scheduled for March 2026 in …
Read More »Who owns Africa’s agricultural data in the age of EUDR?
As EU rules tighten, EAC–SADC leaders should push for state-led traceability and regional compliance mechanisms COMMENT | JANE NALUNGA | The global trade architecture is currently undergoing a shift to one increasingly defined by stringent sustainability mandates and digital traceability requirements. This transition is most visible in the emergence of the …
Read More »Green Deal or Green Wall?
Inside the EU’s climate rules and the hidden costs they impose on African economies Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In mid-December 2025, under the chandeliers of a conference hall in Speke Resort Hotel-Munyonyo, in Kampala, a familiar tension surfaced in unfamiliar language. Delegates from across Eastern and Southern Africa …
Read More »Uganda’s tax trap: Why illicit flows threaten the next era of growth
Recent estimates by the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) suggest Africa has lost about $88.6 trillion through illicit financial flows COMMENT | JULIUS BUSINGE | As Uganda prepares for its 2026 elections, the country faces a challenge that extends beyond ballots and campaign slogans: its …
Read More »Africa’s fight with global credit ratings: Bias or hard reality?
Experts say Africa may challenge global ratings, but until it fixes its own numbers, institutions and governance, the mirror will only reflect what it already is Entebbe, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | When policymakers, economists and civil society leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community …
Read More »Experts call for reforms to strengthen Uganda’s coffee sector amid rising price volatility
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Stakeholders have called for urgent reforms and investments to build a resilient and equitable coffee sector in Uganda, as price volatility and structural weaknesses continue to undermine the country’s ambitions to become a global coffee powerhouse. This came during a hybrid multi-stakeholder dialogue held …
Read More »Budget Implementation: Experts welcome inclusive tax reforms, urge Govt to bridge implementation gaps
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As the government officially kicked off the implementation of the Shs 72.1 trillion national budget for the 2025/26 financial year on July 1, leading economic experts and financial analysts have praised the direction of the new fiscal plan—but warned that its success will largely …
Read More »Gulu, Amuru districts launch maize by-law to boost quality and market access
Kafeero pledged that the bylaw will be translated into local languages to ensure accessibility. All actors in the value chain will be trained on its contents before it is rolled out to all local governments. Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In a significant move to enhance the maize value chain …
Read More »Experts share insights on microfinance and poverty alleviation
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | While microfinance institutions are a vital source of credit for many businesses, experts are stressing the need for financial literacy to truly empower entrepreneurs and break the cycle of poverty. Jane Nalunga, Executive Director of SEATINI Uganda, says business training should be tailored to the …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price