Browsing: Uganda

• The June 27th, 2025, US-brokered Congo-Rwanda peace agreement establishes a critical minerals’ plan for traceability and governance, potentially allowing more transparent trade and fewer chances for smuggling.
• DRC loses an estimated $1 billion annually to illegal mineral exports—much of it smuggled off through Uganda and Rwanda, which have become key exporters of gold and coltan yet they have minimal reserves.

As global powers posture for influence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the recent U.S.-brokered peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda reveals a larger, less visible agenda: securing unfettered access to one of the world’s biggest critical minerals store. While the deal promises regional security and economic integration in an ever volatile area, its deeper implications reflect the intensifying contest between heavyweights U.S. and China over who will shape—and profit from—Africa’s untapped critical minerals wealth.

“The Parties shall use this framework to expand foreign trade and investment …

• Uganda coffee business is experiencing a surge in both production and value of exports. 
• The country’s coffee export revenue rose to $1.97 billion in FY2024/25.
• Uganda President Museveni pushes for local value addition.

Uganda’s coffee sector is hitting new highs, with production rising from 7.8 million sacks in FY 2022/23 to 8.2 million sacks in FY 2023/24. The surge in output is fuelling a trade boom, with export earnings jumping from $845 million to $1.144 billion over the same period.

“This is a reflection of the sector’s growing commercial strength,” remarked President Yoweri Museveni. To sustain this momentum, he announced a USh30 billion allocation in the FY 2025/26 budget to the National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI) — an investment aimed at developing high-yielding, pest-resistant, and climate-resilient coffee varieties.

Museveni underscored that this investment anchors Uganda’s bold ambition: to scale up annual coffee production to 20 million sacks (60kg each) by …

• In Paris forum, energy chiefs seek an “integrated development of energy systems” on Africa’s resource wealth that balances affordability, sustainability and sovereignty.
• This push comes even as consensus grows that Africa’s energy mix must be as diverse as its development challenges.
• Captains of industry note that governments must move faster, cut through bureaucracy, and treat natural gas not as a waiting game, but as the bridge to affordable, inclusive, and sustainable energy systems.

The question of how to better harness Africa’s resource sustainably has seen industry chiefs from the continent suggest plans that could help different needs at the speed of need. “We don’t have the luxury of time,” declared Energean CEO Mathios Rigas, throwing down a gauntlet to African leaders, investors, and energy players at the closing session of the Invest in African Energy Forum.

Rigas wasn’t merely issuing a plea; he was unveiling a blueprint. A proven model …

• The strategy focuses on transforming food security systems in a holistic way—from soil to shelf—targeting the most vulnerable countries.
• AU Plan envisages turning agriculture into a catalyst for prosperity, sustainability, and resilience across the continent.
• Blueprint is supported by the newly signed Kampala Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), which is a goal under African Union Agenda 2063 plan.

In yet another push to realize food security for the continent’s 1.4 billion population, the African Union (AU) has officially launched the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2035, committing to a set of goals to boost food production.

This ambitious blueprint, which was unveiled during a high-level conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, seeks to mobilize up to $100 billion in investments, positioning agriculture not just as a tool for food security, but as a catalyst for prosperity, sustainability, and resilience across Africa.

Backed by …

• East Africa’s public transport sector, once synonymous with chaos and pollution, is now leading a quiet green revolution.
• From electric buses in Kenya to CNG-powered fleets in Tanzania, the region is ditching diesel for clean energy.
• Could this unexpected shift be the most defining leap to a sustainable future for urban mobility?

Across the populous cities and towns of East Africa, a quiet revolution is underway. The familiar roar of diesel engines is being replaced by the hum of electric buses, the whir of three-wheeled motorcycles, and the smooth glide of trains powered by clean energy.

Even Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is fueling fleets of buses and taxis, signaling a seismic shift as the region ditches oil for renewables. But here’s the twist: the unlikely hero of this green mobility transition isn’t high-tech startups, luxury carmakers or even woke government policymakers—it’s the public transport sector.

From Dar es Salaam to …

• For Uganda, upcycling waste textiles could create green jobs, with novice tailors earning US$4.6 per day and professionals making up to US$17.9 per day.
• However, to fully realize this opportunity, policy support, and investment in recycling infrastructure is vital.
• Equally, stakeholder collaboration will be crucial for transitioning Uganda towards a circular textile economy.

In the heart of Kampala, Owino Market thrives as Uganda’s largest second-hand clothing hub, welcoming thousands of traders and customers daily. While this trade powers the local economy, it also generates significant textile waste, contributing up to 48 tonnes of waste daily.

With most discarded textiles ending up in landfills, burned, or informally repurposed, a growing movement is seeking solutions—one that could turn waste into wealth. Can this initiative in Uganda be mapped onto other economies across the East African Community (EAC) where the trade in second-hand clothing is a booming business?

A recent study by WasteAid, …

• Uganda’s booming second-hand clothing market supports thousands of livelihoods but generates massive textile waste, with up to 48 tonnes discarded daily, most of it ending up in landfills.
• While informal waste collectors and tailors repurpose some textiles, the country lacks structured recycling systems, exacerbating environmental challenges.
• The Uganda Circular Textiles Project presents a solution by promoting upcycling and a circular textile economy, which could create green jobs, reduce waste, and attract investment in sustainable fashion.

In Uganda’s Owino market, one has to muscle their way as stalls overflow with piles of second-hand clothing, with traders out-shouting each other to win bargain-hunters looking for affordable fashion.

From trendy jeans to branded jackets, the market offers a vast selection at prices that fit virtually every pocket. At the moment, Uganda is one of Africa’s largest importers of second-hand clothing, bringing in 80 million kilograms in 2023 alone, generating US$70.85 million in tax …

• Excelsa coffee, a century-old discovery from South Sudan, is gaining global attention amid a climate-induced coffee industry crisis.
• Climate change is devastating top coffee producers like Brazil, causing a 12% output decline and record-high prices.
• As extreme weather threatens global coffee supply, Excelsa is emerging as a potential resilient alternative.

At the moment, a century-old discovery from South Sudan, Excelsa coffee, is the name on every coffee connoisseur’s lips. The wonder bean is now making waves in the global coffee scene as climate change tightens its grip on the world’s leading coffee-growing regions, manifesting by faltering production amid soaring prices. As the industry search for solutions, Excelsa is emerging as a potential game-changer.

According to the Global Coffee Market 2024 report, Brazil—the world’s top coffee producer—is set to suffer a 12 per cent decline in output due to extreme weather. The same fate is unfolding across other coffee-growing powerhouses, …

• The 8-member bloc will showcase its diverse attractions under the brand “Visit East Africa: Feel the Vibe” during the March 4-6 trade fair in Berlin, Germany.
• EAC aims to attract international tourists and investors by highlighting the region’s rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and unique attractions.
• The EAC stand at ITB will also provide an opportunity to member countries to showcase their offerings and further penetrate the international market.

Stakeholders in East Africa’s tourism industry have joined forces to make the East African Community (EAC) the word’s next travel and hospitality hotspot during the March 4th-6th, 2025, International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the EAC said it will, for the first time, participate in the global expo as a single entity in the world’s largest tourism trade fair.

According to the EAC Secretary General Veronica Nduva, the bloc will showcase its diverse attractions …

• On 16 November last year, Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale were abducted from Nairobi.
• They resurfaced on 20 November when they were arraigned in General Court Martial in Kampala, Uganda and charged with offences relating to security and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
• Kizza Besigye, 68, is currently on a hunger strike in a military detention centre where he is reported to be in ill health.

Amnsety International has thrown its weight behind increasing calls for authorities in Uganda to release opposition chief Kizza Besigye who is currently on a hunger strike in a military detention centre.

In a statement on Friday, Amnesty International noted that the former presidential candidate who ran against President Yoweri Museveni is grappling with deteriorating health.

Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said: “Ugandan authorities must immediately respect the Supreme Court order, uphold the rule of law …