Browsing: Uganda

Sub-Saharan hospitality investment platform Kasada Capital Management has reached a first close on its maiden fund Kasada Hospitality Fund LP with equity commitments of over USD 500 million.

This is in line with a first announcement disclosed in July 2018 by Katara Hospitality and Accor who are respectively contributing USD 350 million and USD 150 million. In a region which offers robust growth opportunities, the fund will target both greenfield and brownfield projects.

The hospitality market is currently one of the most promising and yet underserviced sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa where growing economies and emerging middle class are creating high-growth markets that are left largely untapped.

The first platform of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, Kasada Capital Management intends to bridge the gap between the local hospitality market players and international investors.

The team is co-led by Olivier Granet (CEO and Managing Partner) a former CEO of AccorHotels Middle East …

Allianz X, the digital investment unit of the Allianz Group, has announced that it has made an undisclosed amount of investment in SafeBoda, an East African based motorcycle hailing company.

Allianz Z, based in Germany referred SafeBoda as a major African ride-hailing platform that also offers various on-demand consumer and payment services in what is the entity’s first investment in an African-headquartered company.

SafeBoda, winner of the 2018 AppsAfrica Award, aims to offer reliable and safe transportation to its customers and its mobile payment platform is an example of digital companies contributing to financial inclusion across Africa.

It started in Kampala Uganda and has seen it expand into Nairobi getting good reception which made established competitors like Bolt (Formerly Taxify) and Uber revisit the manner in which they operated motocycle taxis.

For the Series B investment, Allianz X is co-investing with Go-Ventures, a venture fund whose cornerstone investor is GO-JEK. …

East African countries are set to attend the ninth East African Petroleum Conference and exhibition to discuss investment opportunities to enhance socio-economic transformation.

This year`s conference is themed:` East African Region – the destination of choice for Oil and Gas Investment Opportunities to enhance Socioeconomic Transformation.`

Chairperson of the organizing committee, Marin Heya said over the weekend that over 1,000 local, regional and international delegates will be attending the three-day conference that will be in Mombasa from May 8.

`The conference will help attract investors on oil and gas into the region given the potential in the region, ` Heya said.

He revealed that the Chinese geo-spatial and survey firm BGP and CNOOC are among the companies that are expected to attend the three-day conference.

The official also stated that the East African Community (EAC) member states, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda will exhibit at the conference alongside international …

Permanent Secretaries responsible for social, economic, environment, foreign affairs and international cooperation from Tanzania and Uganda have signed agreement to strengthen ties in the specific areas and for the protection of boundaries.

The agreement was signed in Dar es Salaam on 2^nd May 2019 after a two days meeting attended. Tanzania was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr. Faraji Mnyepe while Alfred Ollot, His Ugandan counterpart, led the other delegation.

Officials who participated in the meeting included permanent secretaries for ministries of livestock and fisheries, housing and settlements development, energy and water.

Experts from the ministries met prior to the meeting whereas they discussed on collaboratively working on the challenges facing Uganda and Tanzania, especially people living near the border. Their suggestions were submitted to permanent secretaries.

Major issues discussed during the conference were safeguarding the Tanzania/Uganda border and protection of …

A visiting renowned German scholar has cautioned Tanzania not to  sign an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) trade pact with the European Union (EU), saying the deal is rhymed against the country`s aspiration of becoming an industrial economy.

Addressing reporters in the capital, Dar es Salaam on 15^th April, 2019, Helmut Asche who is Professor of Economics, Politics and African studies at the University of Leipzig said as a country set to build industries and export produce, Tanzania should not sign deals that flood its market with imports.

The EPA is an anticipated trade deal between the East African Community (EAC) and the EU which gives EAC products total access to the EU market, with 82.6 per cent of imports from the EU allowed on the EAC market.

Professor Asche warned African countries against signing EPA because the arrangement does not favour their economies. He further said that Tanzania in …

Members of Parliament from eastern African countries are on 15^th April, 2019 expected to launch the Eastern Africa Parliamentary Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (EAPA FSN) – a sub-regional platform aimed at promoting the right to food in eastern Africa through improved legislation.

According to a statement issued on 14^th April, 2019 by the Food and Agriculture (FAO) of the United Nations, the launch is in line with the first annual meeting in Tanzania in 2019.

The platform came after realizing that malnutrition continues to be a major impediment to economic development, whereby it is estimated that 58 million children under the age of five years are too short for their age (stunted) in Africa.

`Childhood malnutrition is costing the African economy about 11 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) every year, whereas preventing malnutrition delivers $16 in returns on investment for every $1 spent in …

2018 profits dropped to US$6.1 million from US$18.8 million in 2017

Cement manufacturers-Bamburi Cement has expressed concerns over the Uganda-Rwanda border row, warning it could derail its earnings.

This comes amid a drop in net profit for the year 2018, reported at Ksh614 million (US$6.1 million) down from Ksh1.9 billion (US$18.8 million) in 2017.

“The difficulties experienced in the Uganda-Rwanda border have significantly impacted exports to Rwanda from Uganda and the Group hopes this matter is resolved expeditiously,” the company said in its financial statement signed by Chairman John Simba and Group Managing Director Seddiq Hassani.

The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) listed firm has however reported a 3.7 per cent jump in turnover, from Ksh36 billion (US$3.6 billion) in 2017 to Ksh37.2 billion (US$3.7 billion) in 2018 as cement volumes grew by nine per cent.

“The Group achieved this growth despite a market decline of five per cent in Kenya, …

Bottlenecks to the completing of the planned Trans African Highway include difficult terrain and climate conditions, inadequate funding for Road maintenance and upgrades as well as insecurity due to civil conflicts that have damaged roads that now require reconstruction.

There is a new-found political will and High-level commitments by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda to develop and upgrade the Northern Corridor Road Sections  of their country of the Trans-African Highway (TAH) Network No 8 from Lagos, Nigeria to Mombasa that is expected to open the whole of Africa to interstate trade.

Uganda and DR Congo are already working to fix the gaps of the northern corridor in Mbarara-Bushenyi-Kikorongo-Mpondwe-Kasindi-Beni-Komanda-Kisangani  which measures 940Km.

Bottlenecks to the completing of the planned TAH include difficult terrain and climate conditions, inadequate funding for Road maintenance and upgrades as well as insecurity due to civil conflicts that have damaged roads that now require …