East African Business Notifier

BY PAUL TENTENA   Anzana Electric Group (“Anzana”) has raised a $20 million senior secured portfolio debt facility from British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, to accelerate the construction of run-of-river hydropower projects across Africa.   Run-of-river hydropower projects in Africa can play an important role in expanding access to electricity. But smaller projects under 10MW often struggle to secure long-term debt financing. This facility is designed to reduce the high upfront costs and long timelines that usually come with arranging project-specific financing.   The BII facility will provide construction financing to Anzana’s well-developed hydropower portfolio, focused on small- and medium-scale plants with potential solar hybridization, in East, Central and Southern Africa.   Through this facility, Anzana expects to unlock 10MW of newly installed distributed baseload generation capacity by 2030, gen...

BY PAUL TENTENA   Africa must urgently close the financing gap for water and sanitation investments if the continent is to accelerate progress on sustainable development, climate resilience and economic transformation, Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, said at the African Development Bank Group 2026 Annual Meetings. Gatete, who was speaking at a high-level event on Financing Africa’s Water Investments, commended the African Development Bank Group, the African Union Commission, the African Ministers’ Council on Water and partners for convening what he described as a timely and strategic discussion on Africa’s water future. “The challenge is not a lack of solutions; it is about how we prioritize, finance and implement them at scale,” Gatete said, noting that the discussions had highlighted practical experiences, concrete pathways and the urgent need to translate ambition into action. He said the event came at a critical moment for the implement...

By Priscilla Najjuma Forget the stiff, corporate headshots and the formulaic social media feeds. In Uganda, where hospitality runs deep, the entrepreneurial spirit is vibrant, and the handshake still holds weight, personal branding is less about a manufactured persona and more about an authentic, deeply rooted legacy .  It’s about being the delicious, consistent, and memorable "matooke"  in a world of fast-food trends. My own journey into this topic was recently enriched by finishing an in-depth course on personal branding , which crystallized the theoretical brilliance and inspired me to translate it into a distinctly, wonderfully Ugandan reality. A brand so rich and true to who you are that people won't just notice  you, but actively seek you out. Your journey begins with a deep knowledge of your own landscape, much like a Boda-Boda driver knows every shortcut and roadblock. Instead of copying Western influencers, weave your unique value into your own story, culture, an...

  By Elijah Tumusiime Agriculture is a major pillar in the Ugandan economy, contributing to over 25% of the country’s GDP.  However, a large portion of the industry has depended on antiquated techniques for decades, which restricts market access and productivity. As internet connectivity starts to change how farmers grow, harvest, and market their produce, a shift in how things are done is taking place. The internet is increasingly becoming as crucial to farming in Uganda's rural villages as rainfall and rich soil.  Farmers now have access to pest alerts, crop management guidance, and real-time weather forecasts via connected mobile phones and internet platforms. They can reduce losses and increase yields by using this information to make better decisions about when to plant, water, or harvest. Another significant benefit of connection is the availability of market data. In the past, many farmers relied on intermediaries to update prices and find buyers, which frequently ...

  BY PAUL TENTENA The rapid rise of climate litigation is reshaping how energy policy is defined and enforced worldwide, with courts increasingly setting the parameters of climate action. Advisory proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) are establishing legal interpretations that extend far beyond national borders, influencing how governments regulate emissions, approve projects, and manage natural resources. For Africa, the implications are significant. While the continent contributes less than 4% of global emissions, it faces mounting pressure to align with legal standards largely shaped outside the region.  Without stronger participation in these proceedings, African states risk having climate obligations defined externally – with direct consequences for industrialization, energy access, and investment flows. Against this backdrop, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) has moved to intervene in a landm...

Erik Berglöf BEIJING—The global water cycle is our planet’s life-support system. It is a powerful environmental pump, with forests transpiring moisture and replenishing giant atmospheric rivers of freshwater.  It is also a global thermostat, regulating the climate through evaporation and cloud formation. And it is a giant filter, purifying water as it percolates through the soils and wetlands. But while all life depends on the water cycle, it is coming under increasing strain and losing its ability to perform these essential functions, leading the United Nations to  declare  a new era of “global water bankruptcy.”  Rising temperatures, ecosystem degradation, and shifting rainfall patterns are weakening the natural systems that regulate water flows and quality, while conventional infrastructure, designed for historical hydrological conditions, is increasingly exposed to variability, sedimentation, and shock. To protect the water cycle from these competing pressures, w...

By John B. Habumugisha Uganda’s aspiration   to   integrate into   the   global   community   dates back to   the   1850’s -   the era   of   early   explorers,   whose   construction   of   railways   and   ports   laid   the   foundation   for this   connection.   Years   later,   much   of   the   infrastructure   they   left   behind   still   forms   the backbone of African economies. With   the   construction   of   new   engineering   projects   like   the   Standard   Gauge   Railways   in Kenya   and   Tanzania,   the   suspended   3.   2km   Kigingo   -   Busisi   Bridge   across   Lake   Victoria and   the   East   African   Crude   Oil   Pipeline ...