The region is growing, but fiscal fragmentation is keeping businesses from trading freely across borders NEWS ANALYSIS | AHMED FARAH | East Africa’s growth story remains one of the most encouraging on the continent. The IMF projects the East African Community (EAC) to grow by 5.6% in 2026, above …
Read More »Uganda targets high export earnings with processed pineapple trade
Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Uganda’s first commercial export of canned pineapple to China is being presented as more than a ceremonial trade breakthrough. Government officials, investors, and development agencies say the shipment reflects a wider attempt to reposition Uganda from an exporter of raw agricultural commodities to …
Read More »Xi, Trump reach series of new common understandings
BEIJING | Xinhua | Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning the two countries and the world and reached a series of new common understandings, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday. The spokesperson made the remarks on …
Read More »Uganda hails Canton Fair as gateway to trade, investment opportunities
Kampala, Uganda | Xinhua | Uganda said Wednesday that the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is a strategic platform for boosting trade and investment partnerships. Uganda’s participation in the fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, was aimed at expanding exports, attracting foreign direct investment, and …
Read More »Making China’s trade opening work for Africa
Africa must position itself to turn China’s tariff-free trade opportunity into real gains COMMENT | JANE NALUNGA | On 1 May 2026, China–Africa trade relations entered a significant new phase as commitments under the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) took effect. These measures extend zero-tariff treatment to nearly 9,000 …
Read More »China provides new development opportunities for Africa with zero-tariff policy
BEIJING | Xinhua | China, with its newly announced zero-tariff policy for African countries and its supersized market, will provide Africa with new development opportunities and help African countries navigate the current global economic turbulence, according to Chinese authorities. The Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Wednesday that …
Read More »Trade Order Chaos: Vendors’ livelihoods hang in the balance
Kampala, Uganda | URN | After months of tense evictions and confiscated merchandise, the Ministry of Local Government has promised a reset. Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya told traders’ leaders on Wednesday that government will secure “enough alternative trading spaces” and that enforcement of the nationwide Trade Order operations must be “fair …
Read More »Government suspends enforcement of trade order after public outcry
Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Government has suspended the enforcement of “Trade Order” operations across the country. The move follows intense pressure from the House and growing public outcry over the treatment of urban vendors. Addressing the House during today’s plenary session, the Minister of State for Trade, Industry …
Read More »Karamoja leaders warn Sovereignty Bill 2026 risks choking aid, trade, and investment
Napak, Uganda | URN | Leaders in Karamoja have warned that the Protection of Sovereignty law could cripple the region’s economy, disrupt peace building, and reverse development gains by redefining “foreign influence” and capping external funding. In a position paper released this week, Karamoja leaders said the Bill, while aimed …
Read More »The geography of power and the price of ignorance
COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | When commenting on the 1980–1988 Iraq–Iran war, Henry Kissinger once remarked that it was “a pity both sides can’t lose”. It was a chilling distillation of a worldview in which distant conflicts are not tragedies to be resolved, but instruments to be managed. Alongside Zbigniew …
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