East African Business Notifier

BY PAUL TENTENA Uganda has launched a major three-year initiative to strengthen climate resilience across its livestock, land and insurance systems, marking a significant step in a broader regional effort to transform food systems in the face of escalating climate shocks. The initiative, part of the programme on “Accelerating Food Systems Transformation for Resilience to Climate Change in Africa”, is led by the Government of Uganda in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). It will also be implemented in Kenya and Somalia. Livestock is central to Uganda’s economy, supporting an estimated 4.5 million people and contributing about 17 per cent of agricultural GDP. Yet, the country remains vulnerable to climate change and weather variability, necessitating the need for building resilience of livestock-based food systems. The new ...

By Sheila Catherine Abamu A familiar, heartbreaking scene plays out across Ugandan courts, local council offices, and family compounds every single week.  A husband dies. Within days of his burial, his widow who has farmed the family land, raised children there, and contributed to the household for decades watches as her in-laws arrive to take over the property. She has no land title, no letters of administration, and no lawyer. What she has is a lifetime of unrecorded contribution and a legal system she cannot navigate. In Uganda, the conversation around women’s land rights often focuses on the absence of legal frameworks. Yet, on paper, our architecture of protection is remarkably robust. The Constitution guarantees equality and the fundamental right to own property.  The Land Act provides one of the sharpest legal tools available: Section 40, which mandates spousal consent and prohibits any dealing in family land without it. Furthermore, the progressive Succession (Amendmen...

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) hosted a high-level delegation led by the Chief Justice of Uganda, Dr. Flavian Zeija, and the Governor of the Bank of Uganda, Dr. Michael Atingi-Ego, at Pump Station One in Kabaale, Hoima District, where they received a firsthand update on the progress of the pipeline ahead of Uganda's first oil. The delegation toured the facility and received updates on the construction of the 1,443-kilometre pipeline and its readiness to support Uganda's commercial oil production. The visit brought together Justices of the Supreme Court, officials from the Judiciary, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) and EACOP shareholders. Speaking during the visit, EACOP Deputy Managing Director, John Bosco Habumugisha, said the project has now reached 91 percent overall completion, against a planned progress of 94 percent, adding that the entire pipeline has already been welded. “As we ...

The evolution of banking from what it was, brick-and-mortar, to what we are witnessing today is all thanks to the growth in technology and innovations that have enabled digitisation in banking, so that more people are ushered into formal financial services through self-serve options. Gone are the days when customers had to queue in the banking halls for their transactions, such as money transfers, bill payments, loan applications, checking balances, or even opening accounts. Instead, mobile applications, digital wallets, smart ATMs for cardless withdrawals, and online banking are innovative solutions that allow one to transact at their convenience. In line with its purpose of fostering prosperity for Ugandans, Pearl Bank has placed digitization at the forefront of its strategy, and this can be evidenced through its alternate banking platforms like: Pearl Mobile App, ZeroFlex digital account, Wendi mobile wallet, and the online banking platform. Due to their customer-friendly interface,...