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 »New AfCFTA-AGRA alliance targets farmer-centered intra-African trade
Despite Africa’s comparative advantage in agriculture, it accounts for the smallest share of global agricultural trade NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | The African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) have sealed a new partnership aimed at accelerating intra-African agricultural trade, in …
Read More »Trump says has a great relationship with Xi and a lot of respect for him
Xi says ready to work with Trump to steer giant ship of China-U.S. ties steadily forward BEIJING | Xinhua | Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that he hopes to work with U.S. President Donald Trump in the new year to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations …
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 »‘EU, US, shouldn’t beat us at World Trade Meeting’
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As the 14th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference approaches next month in Cameroon, Ugandan civil society leaders are urging African governments to speak with one voice in defending the continent’s trade interests. At a consultative meeting in Entebbe, Jane Nalunga, executive director of …
Read More »Innovative banking solutions accelerate cross-border finance as East Africa’s trade and travel grow
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cross-border banking is becoming increasingly central to East Africa’s financial system as rising trade, travel and labour mobility drive demand for seamless regional financial services. Banks across the region are expanding beyond their home markets through branches, subsidiaries and digital platforms to follow customers, …
Read More »European Parliament delays decision on EU-U.S. trade deal
BRUSSELS | Xinhua | The European Parliament has delayed until next week a decision on whether to restart work on the EU-U.S. trade deal, after pausing its approval process last week, in protest over U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland and his tariff threats against European allies, according to …
Read More »China’s vision for an open world economy in a turbulent era
BEIJING | Xinhua | The 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting opened on Monday in the snowy Swiss resort of Davos. As global leaders reconvene in the Alpine town, the world economy is grappling with a familiar yet intensifying set of challenges, most notably a surge in protectionism, unilateralism …
Read More »New alliance launches to boost Uganda’s digital trade and delivery economy
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s fast-growing digital trade and logistics sector has received a fresh boost with the official launch of the Alliance for Digital Trade, E-Mobility and Couriers (ADEC Uganda), a new industry body aimed at strengthening collaboration and advocacy across the sector. The association was unveiled …
Read More »Luxury tourism is a risky strategy for African economies
How successful is luxury tourism in Africa? What happens if it fails to produce higher tourism revenues: can it be reversed? And does it depend on what kind of government is in place? Pritish Behuria is a scholar of the political economy of development who has conducted a study in Botswana, Mauritius …
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