Author: Chief Editor

SHANGHAI — Centenary Group, one of Uganda’s largest financial services institutions, has signed a strategic technology partnership with Huawei Technologies (Uganda) Company Limited in a move both companies say could reshape how millions of Ugandans access banking and digital financial services. The agreement, signed on May 21 in Shanghai, China, aims to accelerate Centenary Group’s digital transformation using artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity systems and data-driven banking technologies. For Centenary Bank’s more than four million customers, many of them in rural and peri-urban communities, the partnership could eventually mean faster loan processing, smarter mobile banking services, stronger cybersecurity protections and…

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As the famous saying goes, “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step.” The banking sector has had an interesting journey, traversing miles to finally reach the digital banking era we are all enjoying with ease today. Imagine having to carry a passbook where your banking records are kept with the aid of a banking officer. This is not a scenario that Gen Z would want to be part of, as they prefer real-time activity. Thanks to 21st-century technological advancements, one can now open an online account and complete the onboarding process independently without ever stepping into a banking…

The Afrobarometer Round 10 survey, titled “Rocking or Rocked? The State of Multipartyism and Political Party Appeal in Uganda,” launched on July 2, 2024, presents a nuanced picture of Uganda’s democratic landscape, highlighting progress and persistent challenges. Commitment to Democracy Uganda ranks among the top African countries in its commitment to democracy. However, public satisfaction with democratic processes is significantly lower. The survey notes, “Uganda’s progression toward full democracy has seen significant gains in the demand for democracy rather than in its supply, marking a shift from a predominantly supply-led to a demand-led democratic regime.” Democracy in Uganda Ugandans exhibit…

KAMPALA: Recent data from the 23rd edition of the Uganda Economic Update released by the World Bank reveals significant challenges and developments in Uganda’s fiscal landscape, driven by poor planning, routine use of supplementary budgets, and weaknesses in public financial management. These factors have led to overspending, fiscal slippages, and the accumulation of domestic arrears. Persistent Overspending and Domestic Arrears Uganda’s government has been grappling with persistent overspending and the accumulation of domestic arrears. During the first half of FY23/24, the government paid down USh 164 billion in domestic arrears, exceeding the target by 5 percent. However, this amount was…

Tooro, Karamoja, Bunyoro, and West Nile have highest levels of stunted children KAMPALA: The recent release of “The National Early Childhood Development Situation Analysis Advocacy Brief” by Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development paints a concerning picture of the state of early childhood development (ECD) in Uganda. As the second-youngest country globally, with a third of its population under eight, Uganda faces significant challenges in ensuring the well-being and development of its youngest citizens. Early Childhood Development (ECD) refers to the comprehensive approach to policies and programs for children from birth to eight years of age. This period…

KAMPALA: To bolster public health security and promote import substitution, the Ugandan government is injecting billions of shillings into the pathogen economy. This significant investment, announced by the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development during his Budget Speech for the Financial Year 2024/2025, highlights the tremendous progress made in developing vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other healthcare tools. “The pathogen economy has made tremendous progress in developing vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other healthcare tools for our public health security and import substitution,” the minister said. One of the notable achievements cited by the Minister is the development of a PCR…

The Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) has unveiled its roadmap for the registration of candidates for the 2024 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). The announcement, made through a press release, also highlighted strict penalties for schools and headmasters engaging in malpractices. Penalties for Charging Unauthorized Fees According to the UNEB Act 2021, section 33, it is illegal for schools to charge fees not prescribed by UNEB and label them as ‘UNEB Fees. “Heads of Centres and School Directors who violate this provision face penalties of up to 40 million…

Kampala, May 16, 2024 – The Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety of the Uganda Police Force has released its Annual Performance Report for 2023, revealing a significant increase in road traffic crashes and fatalities across the country. This comprehensive report provides a detailed statistical summary of the road traffic incidents reported to the Uganda Police from January 1 to December 31, 2023. Key Statistics and Trends The report indicates a worrying rise in the total number of road crashes, which increased by 16% from 20,394 in 2022 to 23,608 in 2023. Fatal crashes rose by 7%, from 3,901 in…

Over the past three months, several submarine cable interruptions across the African continent have resulted in a degraded Internet experience for users in multiple countries. Submarine cables connect Africa to the rest of the world using high-speed fiber optic infrastructure. As countries continue to roll out fibre optic infrastructure further into the hinterlands and last-mile access to customers, access to the global Internet largely depends on submarine cables. We carry over 90% of the Internet traffic to and from Africa via submarine cable systems. As more users in Africa adopt the Internet, together with the development of carrier-neutral data centres…