East African Business Notifier

Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Matia Kasaija on behalf of the Government of Uganda and Sanjay Rughani the CEO and Head of Coverage, Uganda at Standard Chartered Bank have signed three Financing Agreements to fund key government infrastructure projects aligned with the Government's Ten-Fold Growth Strategy, aimed at expanding the economy to USD 500 billion by 2040. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa, Hon. Sam Cheptoris – Minister of Water & Environment, Dr. Ramathan Ggoobi, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ms. Maria Håkansson- Swedish Ambassador to Uganda, the Permanent Secretaries from Implementing Ministries, Dalu Ajene the CEO & Head of Coverage, Standard Chartered Africa, Sujithav Sarangi - Executive Director, Development & Agency Finance at Standard Chartered , Ms. Maria Kiwanuka - Board Chair Standard Chartered Uganda, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu and the three ...

By Ali Ssekatawa They say “the sun that rises slowly lasts till evening,” and 2026 is shaping up to be such a year for Uganda — one unfolding with steady confidence and carrying the weight of significant national promise.  January is quietly taking its bow, February waits in the wings, and the country steps forward with a renewed sense of political clarity, continental pride, and economic ambition. The Presidential Elections have concluded, leaving a firm verdict of continuity and signalling the electorate’s preference for stable stewardship. Meanwhile, across the continent, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco delivered its spectacle and passed the baton to East Africa, the region set to host the 2027 edition.  As the elders say, “when a path is trusted, even the footsteps become lighter.” The CAF handover reaffirmed that the Pamoja Bid is on course and that preparations are aligned with regional aspirations. Amid these political and sporting milestones, one theme thr...

Cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women globally, despite being almost entirely preventable. In Africa, it continues to claim lives not because science has failed, but because policy ambition has fallen short. Over 200 strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) exist, with 12 high-risk types responsible for most HPV-related cancers.  Although HPV vaccines can prevent almost 90% of cervical cancer, most women remain unvaccinated, leaving cervical cancer among the top killers of women worldwide, with more than 94% of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.  At current rates of vaccination and coverage, hundreds of thousands of African women will die from a cancer that could have been prevented with vaccines already available.  Cervical cancer hits the hardest where vulnerability is greatest. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies sub-Saharan Africa as the region with...

  By Michael Jjingo Are you faint-heartened? Business requires that brilliant founder, the lightning-bolt idea, and sometimes mythical overnight success. Yet anyone who has actually built a business knows the truth is far less glamorous and far more demanding.  Real success is forged through grit with focus: inner strength, guts, innovation, tenacity, and that unteachable fire within. As the saying goes, “Talent may start the race, but grit is what drags you across the finish line.” In business, brilliance opens doors, but endurance keeps them open.   Grit itself is silent and deeply unfashionable. It doesn’t announce itself on TikTok or wear expensive suits. It only shows up, every day, especially when things are not working.  Many ventures collapse not because the idea was weak, but because persistence ran out. This is why it is often said, “Success in business is less about having the right answers and more about refusing to stop asking the question...

As the year gains momentum, many Ugandans are realising that strong financial outcomes are rarely accidental. They are the result of early planning, intentional use of income, and access to flexible financial solutions that allow individuals to act decisively when opportunities arise.  For salary earners in particular, timely access to credit can be the difference between staying reactive and building lasting financial security. KCB Bank Uganda is repositioning borrowing as a tool for intentional financial planning through its Unsecured Personal Loan for salaried customers. By removing collateral requirements and simplifying access, the Bank enables customers to plan early, invest deliberately and pursue their goals with confidence, not as a last resort, but as a proactive financial choice. Across the country, salary earners are increasingly seeking structured ways to use their income to unlock opportunity. For a mid-career professional planning to upgrade their qualifications, ear...

Julie McCarthy WARWICK, NEW YORK – The latest United Nations Climate Change Conference ended in a political deadlock. COP30 in Belém produced no agreement to phase out fossil fuels, no binding plan to halt deforestation, and no meaningful increase in support for the countries already drowning – sometimes literally – in climate and ecological losses. For a summit held in the world’s largest rainforest, the symbolism was brutal. But the real story was not the political paralysis on the negotiating floor. It was the unmistakable signal that the economics of climate change have already moved on. To see the developments that really matter, we can look to corporate balance sheets, sovereign credit ratings, supply chains, and risk pricing. These show that the transition to carbon-neutrality is happening despite the dysfunctional politics surrounding the issue. When it comes to addressing major global risks, politics often fail until the economic math works out. In the case of climate change a...

  Moreno Bertoldi, Marco Buti MILAN/FLORENCE – Over the past year, the United States and China have consolidated their positions as the world’s leading superpowers, largely at the expense of everyone else. In both countries, growth has remained strong despite the disruptions and volatility caused by the breakdown of the rules-based international order, which US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have actively fueled. Yet these headline figures conceal deeper weaknesses. In the US, strong growth masks a K-shaped recovery that has given rise to a politically toxic affordability crisis. Trump’s tariffs, in particular, have kept inflation above the Federal Reserve’s target while failing to deliver any meaningful reduction in the current-account deficit. In China, by contrast, robust growth has been driven primarily by surging exports, with the country’s trade surplus  surpassing $1 trillion  for the first time in 2025. But the success of Xi’s “ new ...