Author: Giza Mdoe

Uganda has digitized land management system to ease transactions. Real estate stakeholders urged to align with the new digital system. Stakeholders cautioned to conduct due diligence along with use of the new system. Authorities in Kampala have launched what they call as the Uganda National Land Information System (UgNLIS), a digital platform which the country’s Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is banking on to modernize management of the key resource. According to an update from the ministry, the initiative seeks to eliminate inefficiencies in land management in the country. The ministry says that by digitizing land records, they…

Drought and bad weather in Russia have left the country staring at record-low production. This is bad news for key importers including countries in East Africa. Russian wheat crop is expected to fall to an 11-year low this season. Prices of wheat are expected to rise even higher globally. The worsening numbers of Russia wheat production are hitting the headlines in East Africa as the region braces for higher consumer prices in 2025. A dip in Russia wheat output poses huge risk to East Africa, a market that heavily relies on imports to plug its own production gaps. For farmers…

Russia and Tanzania are holding trade talks aiming at revamping commercial ties between the two nations. At the moment, Russia projects at doubling trade with Tanzania. Russia to use Tanzania as a single port of entry to access the African market. Russia has pledged to double current trade value with Tanzania as authorities from the two countries met in Dar es Salaam Tanzania. The pledge was made at the first Russian-Tanzanian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation at the start of the week in Tanzania’s commercial port city where the meeting is being held. Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov…

Tanzania cashew nut prices triple. The country plans to export processed nuts by 2027. Over 1500 acres set for a cashew nut industrial park. Tanzania is planning to move from the export of raw cashew nuts to processing in-country and export added value exports of the product. Notably, the Tanzania Mercantile Exchange (TMX) has reported that the East African country’s cashew nut prices have more than tripled, growing from several cents per kilogram last harvest to over two dollars this season. “This is the first time prices have increased to such record high. We welcome this development as the auctions continue,”…

Less than 40% of adult population in Tanzania has bank accounts. Central Bank aims to increase integrated financial services access to 80% by 2028. Lack of collateral affecting disadvantaged populations from accessing bank credit. Financial inclusion in Tanzania has increased considerably but with less than 40 per cent of the adult population having an account at financial institution, a pointer that policymakers in the country have a lot of work to do. To this end, the government, through the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), has announced plans to increase integrated financial services access to 80 per cent of the population by 2028.…

The AfDB has partnered with payments giant Mastercard and committed $300 million to MADE Alliance in a deal aimed at digitalizing farmers in Africa. Over three million farmers in East Africa are projected to benefit from the MADE Alliance project. Overall, MADE Alliance will provide digital access for 100 million people over the next decade. A new initiative dubbed MADE Alliance, has set out to mobilizing resources in an effort to digitize farmers and their operations across Africa as the shift towards digital economy gathers pace. In a deal being powered by the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group in partnership…

Illicit financial flows causing major losses to Tanzania’s mining industry. Experts cite tax avoidance as the leading motive behind Illicit financial flows. Tanzania moves to enforce strict laws to curb Illicit financial flows. Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) in Tanzania’s mining sector has become rampant despite government efforts to control the sector. Last month, almost 16 kilogrammes of smuggled gold were seized at the Dar es Salaam Port, a pointer to rising crime amid efforts by the East African country to power growth through increased investment in the mining industry. Illicit financial flows refers to “the cross-border movements of illegally earned,…

Lake Victoria biodiversity is been destroyed by overfishing Researchers advice set up of common regulations among EAC states Due to overfishing, stock of commonest fish is falling drastically Overfishing is depleting fish in Lake Victoria with all three countries—Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania—that surround the massive fresh water body reporting a steady decline in output. On the Ugandan side, it is reported that fisheries that mushroomed around the lake region are shutting down at an alarming rate. “More than ten factories around the lake have closed and the remaining 25 are operating below capacity,” reported Jinja, a Uganda based inter-governmental organization.…

Tanzania is Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer and ranks 18 in the world. The country is ramping up production of the precious metal, targeting over 6 tonnes of gold annually. Gold miners and traders asked to allocate no less than 20% of their gold output to Central Bank of Tanzania. Tanzania’s national gold reserve is growing and recent push geared at speeding up the growth of the country’s reserves signal to better days ahead for the nation’s currency. In the latest move, Tanzania has ordered all gold miners and traders to allocate no less than 20 per cent of their gold output…

Rwanda is considering agro-processes to enhance its geothermal resources base. Africa’s geothermal investments are projected to reach $35 billion by 2050. By 2050, geothermal power capacity in Africa will more than double Europe’s capacity. Rwanda geothermal energy offers the East African country a way to diversify its sources of electricity and reduce reliance on imported energy. According to official reports, Rwanda is aiming to add 30 megawatts of geothermal power to its electricity grid but it is also considering other uses of the energy resource, owing to the costs related to electricity generation using geothermal resources. “We are focusing on developing…