East African Business Notifier

Mekala Krishnan, Sylvain Johansson, Kanmani Chockalingam BOSTON/GENEVA/SEATTLE—As world leaders gather in Antalya, Turkey, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), climate adaptation is high on the agenda. The economic case for action is compelling.  Measures ranging from flood defenses to cooling and irrigation technologies can prevent losses—including property damage, lower productivity, and reduced agricultural yields—worth many times their cost. Yet the world invests only a fraction of what’s needed, leaving many people and assets inadequately protected from extreme weather. The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) found that the world spends approximately $190 billion annually on 20 proven adaptation measures that protect against heat, wildfire, flooding, and drought. But this is just one-third of the $540 billion needed to protect everyone exposed to climate hazards at developed-economy standards.  These measures could cost $1.2 trillion per year when the wo...

The Government of Austria, through the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), and UNICEF today signed a grant agreement under which Austria will provide EUR 3.5 million (approximately UGX 14.96 billion) to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for children and families in the refugee-hosting districts of Yumbe and Madi-Okollo in West Nile. Together with UNICEF’s contribution of EUR 390,000 , the programme is valued at EUR 3.89 million . The three-year programme, Strengthening the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus through WASH and Climate Action in West Nile , will be implemented from 01 October 2026 – 30 September 2029 and will directly benefit more than 72,000 people, including approximately 14,925 children enrolled in primary and secondary schools. Key interventions under the programme will: ·          Improve access to safe, climate-resilient WASH services for approximately 50,000 people through five health...

By Kaziro Kyambadde Uganda’s next phase of economic transformation will not be determined simply by how much capital the country can mobilize, but by where that capital flows, what it finances and what it ultimately enables. The Ugandan economy has given us reason for confidence. Growth has held at a strong pace, estimated at around 6.3 to 6.4 percent in both FY 2024/25 and FY 2025/26, and private-sector credit continues to expand. But growth and credit volumes alone do not tell us whether financing is reaching the businesses that will define Uganda’s next decade. Bank of Uganda data show commercial-bank shilling lending rates sitting in the high teens, reported at around 18.9 percent in April 2026, with some easing since. At that cost, financing struggles to reach investments whose returns are measured in years rather than months. The real debate is not only how much credit is available, but what it enables, and whether it can be made affordable and patient enough for investments that...

By Quintin Roberts, regional sales manager, Genetec Luxury retail has always faced unique security challenges. High-value merchandise has long made high-end boutiques, jewelry stores, and fashion houses attractive targets for theft. Today, however, security leaders are managing a broader and more complex set of risks. Unlike many other retail environments, luxury stores are designed around personal service, exclusivity, and carefully curated customer experiences. Security decisions must support those objectives rather than compete with them. Organized retail crime now involves increasingly coordinated and sophisticated attacks. Some attacks are carefully planned and target distribution centers or manufacturing facilities. Others are opportunistic, involving groups that enter a boutique, seize merchandise, and leave within minutes. At the same time, luxury brands must protect employees, maintain customer confidence, and preserve the premium experience that distinguishes their stores. Ph...

Carlos Nobre, Lee White SÃO PAULO/STIRLING—The enormous climate, water, and biodiversity benefits generated by tropical forests accrue to the entire world. But hardly any of the economic value created is captured by the countries and communities that safeguard them. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) was launched at last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém to start correcting this imbalance. For too long, it has been more profitable to destroy tropical forests than to conserve them, even though they provide services essential for the survival of many countries and for the welfare of us all.  The Amazon recycles nearly half of its rainfall and exports moisture that shapes precipitation patterns across South America and beyond. The Congo Basin, with its peatlands that store roughly 30 billion tons of carbon , is one of the planet’s great carbon reservoirs, while many of the plant and animal species in Borneo are found nowhere else on Earth. Mor...

Uganda’s coffee story has long been told through the beans it grows and the markets it supplies. But at the launch of the Uganda Coffee Group at Kapeeka Industrial Park, the conversation shifted to ensuring more of the wealth created by Uganda’s coffee is earned, built, and retained in the country. KCB Bank Uganda has joined the Uganda Coffee Group as one of the partner s , supporting a private sector-led initiative designed to strengthen Uganda’s coffee value chain by connecting farmers, cooperatives, processors, manufacturers, investors and financial institutions. The launch, held at Namunkekera Industrial Park in Kapeeka, brought together stakeholders from across the coffee industry to mobilise investment and support a new approach to commercialising one of Uganda’s most important agricultural commodities. Chief fundraiser General Salim Saleh, the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation and Senior Presidential Advisor, called on stakeholders and Ugandans to support the initi...