Uganda Airlines has made an emotional return to the skies amid optimism and promising circumstances both locally and in the region. After a couple of postponements, the national carrier lifted off the ground to deliver its first passengers to the Kenyan capital Nairobi, on August 28. Within a week it has landed in Juba (South Sudan), Mogadishu (Somalia) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)- and soon to other regional destinations,  just in time for the recently launched African Union Open Skies Policy.  

Tullow Oil’s deal to farm down its interest on a section of Uganda’s Albertine oil exploration area, that has been pending for the last two and half years, collapsed on August 29. But in veiled and carefully crafted statements, both the Government of Uganda and Tullow, the two principals in the transaction, are pointing fingers different directions for causes of the flop.

Even though Uganda is seemingly bustling with innovations, scientific assessments through the Global Innovations Index (GII) show that the country is trailing in innovation grades  in the region. In 2018, Kenya was rated the most innovative among the East African Community countries (rating globally at the 78th), followed by Tanzania (globally at 92nd), Rwanda (globally 99th) and Uganda in fourth place (103 globally). The other members of the Eat African Community -Burundi and South Sudan- were not measured.

Uganda National Roads Authority has, after protracted  procurement challenges,  now handed the works for the 23.7km Busega- Mpigi expressway to a consortium of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railways 19th Bureau Group Company Ltd.

By Simon E. Omoding

Forbes Africa Magazine has announced its “30 under 30” list of luminaries for 2019. The listing, now in its 5th edition, is easily the region’s most rigorous measure of young grit, innovation and entrepreneurship. But if this list is anything to go by, then Uganda has a bit of soul-searching to do regarding her young generation’s  innovation and entrepreneurship grit.

Construction works for development of apartment blocks that will put  90 new housing units on to the market in 2020 have been launched by Build Net, a local real estate developer. Named Najjera Heights, the block occupies the former Match & Mix entertainment spot on the Kiwatule-Najjera road in Kira Municipality.

MV Sigulu ferry currently under  construction by a Danish Company, JHG Marine in Masese in Jinja,  will be ready for operation come November this year. The ferry owned by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) will connect Namayingo district and Lolwe Islands on Lake Victoria.

Cornwell Muleya, the former CEO of the defunct Air Uganda is returning as a technical adviser to the re-start Uganda Airlines, the national airline management has said. Announcing Muleya’s return on their Twitter account, Uganda Airline said Muleya has “over 20 years’ experience in executive, financial and strategic planning roles in aviation.”

The 183 megawatt (MW) Isimba hydro power dam has been launched after 47 months of construction. The new dam brings Uganda’s total electricity production to 1,167MW- over 1,100 of which is from hydro power. This gives the country a rating of average producer by Africa regional standards. However, when Karuma is brought on line at the end of this year with 600MW, Uganda’s total production will jump to over 1, 700MW, putting the country among the top quartile of high electricity producers on the continent.