East African Business Notifier

  Simon Zadek, Natalie Samarasinghe GENEVA/LONDON—This year may be remembered as the one when climate change could no longer be ignored.  Rich economies are now suffering the devastating effects of global warming that have long plagued other countries. Wildfires, droughts, heat waves, and floods dominate the news, forcing political engagement and serious policy responses and business decisions. Even climate skeptics have woken up to the danger. In a summer of apocalyptic headlines—such as record heat boiling potatoes underground in South Korea—it was striking that France’s far-right National Rally cited research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the party’s long-standing bête noire, in their proposal for expanding air conditioning. Likewise, Austria’s version of Fox News sought to platform a climate scientist after years of downplaying human-caused climate change. It seems you no longer need to acknowledge climate change to prepare for its effects. Politic...

  BY PAUL TENTENA At Mulago National Referral Hospital Emergency and Accident ward, bed after bed is filled with young men and, on some occasions women passengers victims of road accidents especially caused while riding or travelling on a Boda Boda. The same situation is at a hospital at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, ward afterward, also is filled with young men recovering from road traffic injuries, many from boda boda (motorcycle) accidents. What stands out is not only the scale, but the pattern: these are often the most economically active members of society. For many families, a single crash means the loss of a breadwinner, rising medical costs, and long-term hardship. These are not isolated stories. Across the continent, similar tragedies unfold every day, reshaping families and placing long term strain on communities and health systems. It is a reminder that road safety is not abstract. It is deeply personal and urgently in need of action. This is the human face ...

  BY PAUL TENTENA Africa’s aviation sector is entering a period of significant expansion, but access to capital remains a major constraint for airlines seeking to grow their fleets.  As demand for aircraft increases, insurance could play a critical role in giving lenders greater confidence to finance them. With Uganda, ordering about six Boeing Aircrafts to add to its Uganda Airlines fleet, which is expected to be delivered in 2032, African fleets average around 13 years of age, and most carriers grow through quality used aircraft and engines rather than factory orders.  With engine shop-visit backlogs and new-delivery delays pushing spare-engine demand and values to record levels, the EIRS approach responds to a pressing need: airlines and lessors need engines financed today, and lenders need cover to do it. “Insurance exists to turn two risks, ‘what if the plane is destroyed or seized?’ and ‘what if the airline stops paying?’, into something a bank is allowed to lend ag...

BY PAUL TENTENA Countries and communities, especially in resource-rich Africa, must benefit most from the minerals in their own backyards, speakers affirmed at a Security Council debate on “Natural resources governance:  the foundation of peace, security and prosperity”. The demand for critical energy transition minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements is set to almost  triple  by 2030.  In its March briefing on energy, critical minerals and security, the Council heard that  mining has been linked to human rights abuses and conflict .  Ministers and delegates today stressed the importance of ensuring that these resources support development, even as they differed on what resource governance should look like. UN Secretary-General António Guterres drew attention to how revenues from illicit exploitation are pushing peace out of reach — “by strengthening armed and criminal actors, connecting local violence to re...

  The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in partnership with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), convened a Second Stakeholders' Consultative Workshop to guide the development of the COMESA Sustainable Tourism Development Framework, Implementation Plan and Regional Tourism Business Cases. The workshop gave Member States and key stakeholders the opportunity to review preliminary findings, validate the proposed strategic direction, and provide technical guidance ahead of the finalization of the Framework and its accompanying business cases. It builds on the First Stakeholders’ Consultation Workshop held in Diani, Kenya, in April 2026, which established the initiative's strategic priorities, identified key regional challenges, and agreed on a roadmap for developing the Framework. Opening the workshop, Mr Lotfi Hamza, COMESA Officer-in-Charge representing Director of Industry and Agriculture, welcomed ECA's technical and financial partn...

Amid the diversity of media messages and differing orientations, real achievements and major development projects remain the most credible criteria for assessing the nature of relations between countries.  They reflect the true extent of cooperation and partnership on the ground, away from any attempts at distortion or presenting inaccurate images. The inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant in Tanzania represents a prominent model of Egyptian-Tanzanian cooperation and embodies Egypt’s supportive role in Africa’s development journey through transferring expertise and contributing to the implementation of a strategic project that serves the aspirations of the Tanzanian people and supports sustainable development efforts. In this context, anthropologist Hassan Ghazaly, founder of the Pan African Initiative on media and journalism "Afromedia, stated that the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant project represents an important model of African cooperation based on partnership a...

By Ali Ssekatawa The year is 2029. Location: Masaka City. Venue:   Ssekabaka Daudi Chwa II EACOP Stadium.  On a wet November afternoon as the rain beats a gentle rhythm, the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi makes a grand entrance for the finale of the Masaza Cup, the annual Buganda Kingdom football tournament featuring teams from the 18 Counties, as the packed stadium thunders with loud cheers. Picture the scene! As the Kabaka of Buganda from 1897 to 1939, Kabaka Chwa II contributed immensely to the development and promotion of the football sport in what is known today as Uganda. From 1924 he captained the  Kabaka’s XI , one of the earliest football teams, co-founded Kampala Football Association, the precursor to the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), and donated the land on which Nakivubo Stadium, later renamed Nakivubo War Memorial Grounds, was built. More than 100 years later, on July 23, Buganda Kingdom in partnership with the East African Crude...