Kampala, Uganda | URN | Civil society organisations have questioned whether Parliament is effectively exercising its constitutional mandate to scrutinise government borrowing, warning that weak oversight has contributed to Uganda’s rising public debt and poor returns from loan-funded projects. The concerns were raised during a dialogue between Members of Parliament …
Read More »SEATINI @30: The African institution seeking to reshape the continent’s place in global trade
Geopolitical tensions, climate change, technological disruption and shifting trade relationships are reshaping how countries engage with each other economically Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | For three decades, the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) has worked behind the scenes to give African …
Read More »Is Africa set to seize the moment as the global trade order is rewritten?
COMMENT | HERBERT KAFEERO | Just weeks ago in Maputo, African trade ministers took a step the continent has too often postponed: defining a common position before others define it for them. The February 26, 2026 meeting was a focused effort to consolidate Africa’s priorities ahead of the World …
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 »Why strengthening East African regional integration matters in a turbulent global economy
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 …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price