Silvia Nyambura

By Our Reporter Hima Cement and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to supply 120,000 tons of cement to three mega infrastructure projects being carried out by the Chinese contractor in Uganda. The three projects that Hima will supply cement are the Entebbe International Airport Expansion, Mubende-Kakumiro-Kagadi (MKK) Road Construction Project and the Soroti – Moroto Road Upgrade Project. “Hima Cement clients benefit from the technical expertise and product innovation that are the hallmark of LafargeHolcim Group. This MoU is testament to our diverse product offerings and also avails solutions that fit the unique needs…

By Our Reporter A report commissioned by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and produced by partner and forecaster Oxford Economics, provides a snapshot of the region’s economic performance. It focuses specifically on Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Angola. According to the report, the African continent accounted for 41% of Kenya’s exports in 2016 while Europe and Asia each accounted for approximately a quarter of total exports. Uganda held the position of Kenya’s largest single export destination accounting for 11% of total exports during 2016. Agricultural products such as tea and…

By Our Reporter The Stanbic Bank Purchase Managers Index (PMI) for June indicates that operating conditions in Uganda improved over the past month on the back of renewed local demand which led to an increase in output, new orders, employment and the purchase of new stocks. Anne Juuko Stanbic Bank’s Head of Global Markets said, “The headline seasonally adjusted PMI posted a respectable 52.8 in June up from 51.0 in May indicating a further improvement in private sector business conditions for the fifth time in as many months. The upward trajectory of two of the private sector monitored categories namely…

By Our Reporter SWIFT has announced that 22 additional global banks have joined its block chain Proof of Concept (PoC), designed to validate whether the technology can help banks reconcile their international nostro accounts in real time. The PoC is part of the SWIFT gpi (global payments innovation) service, the new standard for cross-border payments. “Collaboration is the cornerstone of innovation. This new group of banks allows us to greatly extend the scope of multi-lateral testing of the block chain application and thus add considerable weight to the findings. We warmly welcome the new banks and look forward to their…

By Our Reporter Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Vice President of the Republic of Tanzania has formally announced her support and participation in the upcoming Tanzania Oil & Gas Congress due 11th September to 12th September 2017 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Organized by the CWC Group, the Congress will gather senior representatives from Tanzania’s Oil and Gas Industry including Governments, international oil companies, indigenous producers, international and national service providers, financiers and consultants. Confirmed speakers at the Congress are Charles Mwijage, Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, United Republic of Tanzania, SalamaAboudTalib, Minister of Lands, Water, Energy and Environment, Zanzibar,…

By Our Reporter Water may be one of the basic needs of life, but access to clean and safe drinking water remains a challenge for countless Ugandans. Pollution and rampant scarcity of this precious resource, coupled with expensive purification systems, makes safe drinking water difficult to avail. But a new cost-effective solution, Purifaaya Ceramic Water Filter launched in Nakawuka, Wakiso district promises to make drinking water available to everyone. “Up to 10 million Ugandans live without safe water and up to 75% of diseases such as diarrhea which affect them, are caused by a lack of clean water and proper…

By Our Reporter Uganda’s Ministry of Transport has initiated plans to review and amend the current Traffic and Road Safety Act, 1998.  According to Aggrey Bagiire, the State Minister for Transport, through this amendment, the Government shall put in place and enforce a comprehensive driver and testing regime. This will include adopting groupings of vehicles for driving licenses that are harmonized in order to have a driving regime that tallies with other partner states in the EAC Region. Bagiire who was launching the Professional Heavy Duty Driver training course in Kampala said last year 2016, about 3,503 persons were killed…

By Our Reporter Mineral Water Company Rwenzori and Pharmaceutical Company Panadol have been voted Uganda’s leading Superbrands. The results were determined through a comprehensive survey taken by marketing experts and over 1000 Ugandan consumers based in Kampala, Mbarara and Jinja. The process was managed by the London based company ‘The Centre for Brand Analysis’ specifically for the Superbrands program. Illustrating the increased consistency of the leading brands in the region, 9 brands maintained their presence among the top 20 leading brands as was the previous year. New entries into the Top 20 include Bata, Airtel Money, Shell, Royco Mchuzi Mix…

By Our Reporter Ethiopian Airlines in the week ending 30th June 2017 unveiled its state of the art Cargo Terminal-II. The inauguration event was graced by H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Shide, Minister of Transport and Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam the Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines. Making his remarks Desalegn said, “Today, the national flag carrier has become the largest aviation Group and the fastest growing airline in Africa unrivaled in efficiency with shining operational excellence. Above all, Ethiopian Airlines has played an important and irreplaceable role in the development of the economy, export and import activities…

By Our Reporter Stanbic Bank has contributed Ushs 10 million to the Young and Emerging Leaders Project (YELP), an initiative of the LéO Africa Institute.  Started in 2017, YELP will induct 20 outstanding thought leaders annually into a fellowship program designed to train and orient values of self-advancement, integrity, social responsibility and socioeconomic transformation. The project was established within principles of the African spirit of ‘Agaciro’, which espouses the dignity, self-worth and identity of the African as the cornerstone of leadership values. Speaking at the handover ceremony held at the bank in the week ending 30th June 2017, Stanbic Bank’s…