UgandAbout – marzo 2011

Le percentuali di frequenza più basse si registrano nell’Africa orientale e meridionale, con dei tassi netti d’iscrizione pari al 24% per i ragazzi e al 22% per le ragazze. I giovani tra i 10 e i 19 anni sono 1,2 miliardi. L’88% di loro vive in paesi in via di sviluppo, costretti ad affrontare sfide difficilissime.
Sono più di 70 milioni gli adolescenti, nel mondo, che non frequentano la scuola media. E quasi la metà dei ragazzi in età di scuola secondaria resta a casa. Lo dice il Rapporto 2011 Unicef sulla Condizione dell’infanzia nel Pianeta, intitolato ‘Adolescenza: Il tempo delle opportunità’ presentato a Roma.
L’Africa in fondo alla classifica
Le percentuali di frequenza più basse si registrano nell’Africa orientale e meridionale, con dei tassi netti d’iscrizione pari al 24% per i ragazzi e al 22% per le ragazze. Sono dati che vanno inquadrati in un contesto ben preciso, che poco ha a che vedere con lo stereotipo dell’adolescente europeo: i ragazzi tra i 10 e i 19 anni sono 1,2 miliardi. L’88% di loro vive in paesi in via di sviluppo, costretti a confrontarsi ogni giorno con sfide difficilissime.
A voler fare un confronto, basti pensare che gli adolescenti nel mondo industrializzato rappresentano solo il 12% mentre sono uno su cinque in Africa sub-sahariana, in Asia meridionale e nei Paesi meno sviluppati. Oggi più della metà vive in Asia ma le proiezioni dicono che nel 2050 l’Africa avrà più adolescenti di qualunque altra regione del mondo
Istruzione e sviluppo
In questo quadro, è chiaro che 70 milioni di ragazzi fuori dalle medie sono una cifra preoccupante: “Senza istruzione – spiega il Presidente dell’Unicef Italia Vincenzo Spadafora – gli adolescenti non possono sviluppare le conoscenze e le capacità di cui hanno bisogno per affrontare i rischi di sfruttamento, di abuso e di violenza, che risultano più alti proprio nel secondo decennio di vita.
In Brasile, per esempio, tra il 1998 e il 2008 si è salvata la vita a 26mila bambini di meno di un anno, determinando una netta diminuzione della mortalità infantile. Nello stesso decennio, però, 81mila adolescenti brasiliani tra i 15 e i 19 anni sono stati uccisi“.
Una gamma di rischi
Tra i problemi, l’Unicef conta ai primi posti il rischio infortuni, i problemi connessi all’alimentazione, l’abuso di certe sostanze. Ed anche i problemi di salute mentale: si stima infatti che circa un adolescente su cinque soffra di problemi di questo tipo o comportamentali.
E poi: la disoccupazione che colpisce 81 milioni di adolescenti in tutto il mondo. Per non parlare delle violenze subite dalle ragazze che vivono nei Paesi in via di sviluppo (Cina esclusa) e che sono più soggette dei maschi al rischio di infezioni da HIV.
Su scala mondiale, un terzo di tutti i nuovi casi di sieropositività riguarda giovani tra i 15 e i 24 anni. E sarebbero più di 70 milioni le donne tra i 15 e i 49 anni che hanno subito mutilazioni genitali/escissioni (FGM/C), di solito prima dell’inizio della pubertà.
L’investimento-scuola
“Milioni di giovani in tutto il mondo - dice il direttore generale dell’Unicef, Anthony Lake – stanno aspettando interventi concreti da parte di tutti noi. Per questo l’Unicef si pone l’obiettivo di raggiungere le adolescenti e gli adolescenti: investendo nell’istruzione e nella salute si possono interrompere cicli radicati di povertà e disuguaglianza. L’adolescenza rappresenta un punto di svolta, un’opportunità“.
fonte www.repubblica.it - Anna Maria De Luca

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MUSEVENI’S BAD EXAMPLE
1 march 2011

Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni’s re-election for another five year term has placed him firmly among the sit-tight leaders of the African continent who must vacate office peacefully or be shoved aside by the power of the people. Museveni, who took over power in 1986 through a military coup has been in office for 25 years and despite failed promises he has made to relinquish power in the past, has continued to rule Uganda without any sign that he intends to leave office willingly.
Kizza Besigye, his one-time ally, who has been his main opponent and who was said to have won 26 per cent of the votes cast at the February 18, 2011 election, to come second after Museveni who was credited with 68 per cent of the votes, has rejected the results, claiming that the elections were rigged and that some voters were disenfranchised, and has called for peaceful protests and fresh polls.
Museveni, who had in reaction to the Tunisia and Egypt protests warned that such protests would not be tolerated in Uganda, has since Besigye’s call, stressed that there would be a clamp down on protesters. He even boasted that he would “catch and eat like cake” the opposition leader, Besigye and clamp in jail whoever participated in an Egypt-type protest.
This, clearly, is the stubborn and unrepentant posture of a dictator and sit-tight leader, the type of which must no longer be countenanced in Africa. The two major characteristics of democracy are that there must be periodic elections and term limits. Most of the sit-tight leaders who pretend that their countries are democracies manipulate the constitutions of the countries to extend their term limits and then conduct sham elections that return them to power as often as they stand for elections.
Besides Museveni’s Uganda, the same strategy has been in operation in Zimbawe, where Robert Mugabe has remained in power, as well as in Paul Biya’s Cameroun and Yahya Jammeh’s Gambia among several others.
The sit tight Presidents of Tunisia and Egypt were only recently dislodged by peoples power protests while Muamar Gadaffi’s more than 40 years rule in Libya is on the verge of collapse, also courtesy of sustained protests by disenchanted Libyans. Apart from the fact that these sit tight leaders thrive on corrupt enrichment and repression of the opposition in their countries, they are often also misled into believing that their people love them and that without them, their countries would collapse. Mubarak thought so and Gaddafi and Museveni think so.
Also, some leading western nations have been encouraging and even openly supporting some of these sit tight leaders, often because of their own selfish interests, especially when they see such sit tight leaders as favourably disposed to their ideological positions, or when such despots openly ally with them in the fight against terrorism.
Some of these western nations that do not tolerate subversion of democracy in their own countries have already endorsed the election of Museveni for yet another term, without consideration of the verdict of the foreign and local monitors who have supported the claims of Besigye that the election was marred by irregularities. Even if the elections were free and fair, the fact remains that there ought to be term limits in every democracy, and often, people are limited to two terms of four or five years.
Why should Museveni and the other sit tight leaders of Africa think that they must continue in office without end? Even when their time in office is not making any marked difference in the lives of their people, in terms of enhanced standard of living, development of infrastructure, eradication of illiteracy, poverty and killer diseases? Museveni’s insistence on running for another term and engineering his re-election is a bad example for other African countries that are still nurturing their democracies.
We hope that the leaders of these countries would shun Museveni’s example. His boast that he would “catch and eat” his opponent like cake is also unfortunate as it must bring back to the memories of Ugandans the horrors of the era of Idi-Amin when about 800,000 opponents of the then maximum ruler were murdered. Nobody can be bigger than his country and no one person can have a monopoly of knowledge of the way for ward for their country.
True democracy remains the way out because it gives opportunity for people to exercise their right to put people in positions of power and to replace them. As one of the opposition leaders in Uganda has said, the constitution of the country allows for peaceful protest.
The Ugandan Police and Museveni’s government must, therefore, refrain from repressing any protests aimed at drawing attention to the flaws in the polls. The people must have their say and, indeed, their way, while Museveni and other sit tight leaders in Africa must put machinery in motion immediately to hand over power to democratically chosen leaders. Otherwise civil wars, poverty, corruption, illiteracy, decayed infrastructure, diseases, hunger and other such challenges would continue to confront the affected countries.
The West must also refrain from supporting despots to sit tight in defiance of the will of the majority of their people. The Peer Review Mechanism (PRM) of the African Union (AU) has proved a toothless bull dog.
The AU and other sub regional groups must, therefore, work at evolving a mechanism that would allow them to intervene when the ruler of any country within their sphere of influence attempts to distort and violate the constitution of their country with a view to sitting tight in office.
Maybe, this would be the way out for African countries currently groaning under the yoke of sit tight leaders like Yoweri Museveni.
fonte www.allafrica.com

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OXFAM: AUMENTO PREZZI PER CIBO PREOCCUPANTE
3 marzo 2011

«C’è bisogno di un’azione coordinata a livello internazionale per sconfiggerne le cause. L’aumento dei prezzi del cibo è molto preoccupante.» non usa mezzi termini Farida Bena, portavoce di Oxfam Italia. Che aggiunge: «milioni di persone stanno scivolando nella povertà mentre faticano ad acquistare le scorte essenziali di cibo e sono sempre più numerosi coloro che rischiano di soffrire la fame».
L’annuncio odierno di un ulteriore aumento dei prezzi mondiali del cibo ha fatto registrare un nuovo record dell’indice FAO dei prezzi alimentari. «Una strategia attendista dei governi - continua Bena – nella speranza che arrivino buoni raccolti nei prossimi mesi, significherebbe giocare d’azzardo con la vita di milioni di persone e aumentare le probabilità di una grave crisi alimentare globale».
Che precisa: «C’è bisogno di una risposta coordinata a livello internazionale per affrontare le cause dell’aumento dei prezzi del cibo. Al contrario, decisioni prese individualmente e basate sugli interessi nazionali peggiorerebbero soltanto la situazione.
La risposta della comunità internazionale dovrebbe includere un’azione di contrasto alla speculazione per calmare i mercati, maggiore trasparenza sulle scorte di cibo e una marcia indietro sui biocarburanti. E’ inoltre necessario sostenere i piccoli agricoltori, affinché accrescano la produzione di cibo e siano parte di una soluzione sostenibile. E’ ciò di cui tutti abbiamo bisogno di fronte alle minacce dei cambiamenti climatici».
fonte www.vita.it

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ACCORDO SUL PETROLIO DEL LAGO ALBERTO
9 marzo 2011

La società britannica Tullow Oil ha raggiunto un accordo con il governo che dovrebbe permettere di avviare lo sfruttamento su larga scala delle riserve petrolifere custodite nel bacino del Lago Alberto, una zona al confine con la Repubblica democratica del Congo dove nel 2006 sono stati scoperti ricchi giacimenti.
L’intesa prevede il pagamento di contributi fiscali non versati da Heritage Oil, un gruppo canadese che aveva poi venduto le licenze per lo sfruttamento dei pozzi a Tullow Oil. In linea con un progetto allo studio della società britannica, l’accordo rafforza l’ipotesi di una cessione di parte delle quote azionarie ai francesi di Total e ai cinesi di Cnooc.
Secondo le stime degli esperti, il Lago Alberto custodisce riserve per due miliardi e mezzo di barili. Lo sfruttamento dei pozzi dovrebbe accompagnarsi alla costruzione di una raffineria, per un volume d’affari complessivo di 10 miliardi di dollari, circa sette miliardi e 200 milioni di euro. L’esigenza di trasformare gli idrocarburi in un fattore di sviluppo sociale è stata uno dei temi della campagna elettorale che, il mese scorso, ha portato alla riconferma del presidente Yoweri Museveni.
fonte www.misna.org

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A’LEVEL PERFORMANCE IMPROVES
9 march 2011

Candidates who sat for Senior Six examinations last year registered an improved performance compared to those of the previous year. The results, which were released yesterday by the education minister, show that there was a slight improvement in performance. More students qualified for the award of the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education certificates this time, accounting for 98.8% of those who sat for the examinations, compared to 98.6% in 2009.
The results were handed over to the education ministry by the Uganda National Examination Board’s (UNEB), Secretary Mathew Bukenya, and chairman Prof. Lutalo Bbosa. They were flanked by Bukenya’s deputy, Dan Odong, and education ministry section directors.
However, the improvement in performance was overshadowed by the fact that less than 20% of candidates had taken on science courses. The minister described this situation as a ‘risk’ to the nation. The arts (humanities) combinations, which were dominated by girls, took a lion’s share. This implies that fewer students, especially girls, will compete for science courses, since the Government only sponsors science courses in public universities.
Bitamazire, in her address, said: “The Government is considering reviewing the science syllabus at A’level and the subject combinations, to make the A’level course focused and practically-oriented for better application of knowledge and skills.”
A total of 101,495 candidates registered for the final examinations, compared to 98,217 candidates in 2009 – an increase of 3,278. But of these, only 99,904 candidates sat the examinations compared to 96,741 in 2009. About 62.5% of all the candidates got at least two principal passes. This means they are eligible for admission to universities.
A total of 61,820 students have qualified for tertiary institutions, compared to 60,370 in 2009 – an increase of 1,450. For one to be admitted to a university, he or she must have obtained two principal passes.
Female students posted a slightly higher pass rate, although males have performed better overall. Female students performed better than males at the A to E grades level in entrepreneurship education, Islamic and Christian religious education, geography, literature in English, mathematics, biology and foods and nutrition. However, male candidates were better in economics, physics, chemistry and fine art.
Significant improvement in performance was registered in history, entrepreneurship education, agriculture, chemistry, biology and food and nutrition. Bukenya told the press yesterday that there was a high quality of work presented by candidates from various schools, “indicating adequate preparation of candidates in those centres.”
Bukenya added that: “poor communication skills also affected the quality of answers, especially in questions that required extended essay writing.” Candidates with a poor command of the English language had difficulty in interpreting questions and often missed out key words that defined the issues to be dealt, according to UNEB.
The UACE examination requires a candidate to demonstrate maturity, ability to apply knowledge, to analyse and give value judgment. “These skills were demonstrated in schools where teaching appeared to be effective, but were lacking in scripts of candidates from many rural centres” Bukenya added. Meanwhile, Lugazi Homeland College had its centre withdrawn for “serious administrative flaws inimical to the proper conduct of UNEB examinations”.
More 68 candidates from various schools across the country had their results withheld pending investigations for alleged examination malpractice. The Public Universities Joint Admissions Board will in a few weeks’ time begin the selection process for students to admit on merit.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug – Conan Businge & Francis Kagolo

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WILL YOU MAKE IT TO UNIVERSITY?
9 march 2011

Competition for places at university this year is likely to be even stiffer due to increased candidature and improved performance at A’level. About 99,904 sat for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations last year, an increase of 3.3% from 98,217 the previous year.
The overall performance of candidates improved with 61,820 obtaining two principle passes, the minimum qualification for university and tertiary education, up from 57,510 in 2009. As a result, this year’s university cut-off points for various courses are likely to rise over last year’s.
With the 27 universities only able to accommodate about 30,000 fresh students a year, the competition will be even stiffer for the 4,000 state scholarships. Of the 27 universities in Uganda, only five are public. But the majority of students prefer these because of their higher social or academic standing. For the fifth year running, the Government will not sponsor certain arts courses, such as the degrees in urban planning, adult and community education, mass communication and tourism.
Other programmes that are purely private are Bachelors of arts, social work and social administration, human resource management, development studies, library and information science, social sciences, arts with education and secretarial studies. The Government stopped sponsoring these courses as part of its new policy to promote sciences and courses considered critical for national development.
Among those still being sponsored are architecture, information technology, computer science and economics, engineering, pharmacy, medicine, agriculture, veterinary medicine, food science and technology, statistics, quantitative economics, surveying and law.
Students who fail to get state sponsorship in these programmes apply for admission on private sponsorship after the government admissions are concluded. However, a number of students are increasingly opting for private universities some of which have become very competitive as well.
The weighting criteria
A computerised weighting system is used. The points depend on the number of applicants per course and the capacity of the faculties. Under the weighting criteria, all subjects taken at A’level are grouped into four categories: essential, relevant, desirable and others.
For a given candidate, not more than three subjects taken at principle level shall carry a weight of 3, 2 or 1. Principle subjects in excess of three shall be designated as others and weighed at 0.5. Not more than two subjects are designated as essential. A pass in a subject taken at subsidiary level such as general paper carries one point.
For example, assume the cut-off points for law was 50.3. Candidate X scored AAAC in literature, economics, geography and French respectively. The candidate also scored a credit in general paper. Bearing in mind that an A carries a weight of six points, B -five, C – four, D – three, E – two and O – one, and assuming the first two subjects (literature and economics) are essential for law, the third (geography) relevant and the fourth (French) desirable, candidate X’s weight would be calculated as follows:
Literature: A (6X3) = 18
Economics: A (6X3) = 18
Geography: A (6X2) = 12
French (others) C (4X0.5) = 2
General paper = 1
Total: 51.0 points
O’ level marks also account for university entry. A distinction at O’ level carries 0.3 points while credits are rated at 0.2, and passes at 0.1. Female students are also added 1.5 points.
Sports personalities, people with disabilities and biological children of university staff also have affirmative action of various points. All these are then added to the A’level and O’level results to determine the cut off points.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug – Conan Businge

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BANK OF UGANDA INTERVENES IN FOREIGN MARKET
10 march 2011

The Bank of Uganda said on Thursday it was intervening in the foreign exchange market by selling foreign currency. Commercial banks quoted the shilling just up against the dollar at 2,380/2,389 compared to 2,385/90 at the close of trade on Wednesday.
“The central bank has been in the market and sold an unspecified amount of dollars. The impact has been there but not big. Before they intervened, we were trading the shilling at 2,385/90 and now it is at 2,380/85” said Faisal Bukenya, head of market making at Barclays Bank.
“Bank of Uganda doesn’t wait for any particular level to intervene, what it doesn’t want is extreme volatility which happened between yesterday evening and today morning… In that short period the shilling lost 10 shillings.”
A combination of speculative trading by offshore players and soaring demand from corporates for dollars has depressed the shilling since January. The shilling hit a record low of 2,395/2,400 in January as demand from importers for dollars rose and both corporate clients and aid agencies – mindful of a presidential election in February – held on to their hard currency.
The lows prompted a Central Bank pledge that it would “aggressively” beef up the currency to keep the shilling from that level.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug

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CARESTIA E SICCITÀ AFFLIGGONO MIGLIAIA DI UGANDESI
11 marzo 2011

Migliaia di persone che vivono in 36 dei 112 distretti dell’Uganda sono in grave pericolo di carestia per la siccità causata dal fenomeno de La Niña. Gli agenti sanitari hanno lanciato l’allarme epidemia per malattie come diarrea e dissenteria, dovute alle scarse misure igienico sanitarie.
“La situazione richiede particolare attenzione, molte famiglie sono prive di generi alimentari” si legge in un comunicato diffuso del Ministro per la Prevenzione delle Catastrofi, Musa Ecweru, diffuso dall’agenzia IRIN, delle Nazioni Unite.
Il Ministero teme una imminente grave crisi idrica e alimentare in alcune zone del paese. Secondo le previsioni meteorologiche, l’Uganda si troverà a fronteggiare un lungo periodo di siccità, nonostante le piogge previste per il mese di marzo che comunque non saranno sufficienti per l’agricoltura.
In alcuni dei 36 distretti colpiti, i pozzi si stanno prosciugando e i residenti sono costretti a percorrere lunghe distanze in cerca di acqua. I venti forti stanno distruggendo le strutture e la circolazione è ostacolata dalle temperature che vanno da 35 a 38 gradi Celsius durante il giorno.
Al nord, gli ex sfollati reinsediati nei villaggi dei distretti di Acholi sono vittime di frequenti incendi e dell’abbassamento dei livelli delle acque dei fiumi.
La siccità ha colpito anche la produzione di elettricità. I torrenti Aswa, Ayugi, Unyama e Pager, nei distretti Amuru e Kitgum, si stanno prosciugando. I pastori che vivono nei distretti di Nakasongola e Bullisa, della regione di Bunyoro, sono preoccupati per il bestiame che non ha dove pascolare.
Le piogge torrenziali del 2010 hanno gravemente colpito alcune zone del paese aggravando la precarietà delle riserve alimentari.
fonte www.fides.org

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TOP SCHOOLS
11 march 2011

St Mary’s Kitende, Uganda Martyrs, Namugongo, Kings College Budo and Trinity College Nabbingo continued their catfight as top schools in the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education, an analysis of the results shows.
Assessed on the highest number of students obtaining four As in four subjects, St Mary’s Kitende, with 25 students, emerged at the top beating Uganda Martyrs Namugongo which had 11 students. A total 479 students sat their A-Levels at Kitende compared to Namugongo’s 209—implying that in percentage terms Namugongo could have performed better. In Kitende, 62 students scored 3A’s, 101 got at least 2A’s while 162 had at least an A.
In aggregate terms, 25 students at Kitende scored 25 points, 58 scored between 23 and 24 points, 101 had between 21 and 22 while 132 scored at least 20. At Namugongo, 11 students had 25 points while 25 scored 24 points, 22 students had 23 points representing a total 47 students scoring between 24 and 23 points out of a total 209 students who sat at the school.
The Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) and the Ministry of Education stopped ranking of schools over fears that it tempted schools to engage in examination malpractice to perform well and attract more students. There were also concerns that focusing only on examination results denies student wholesome education. But this has not stopped the chase for good grades by schools and parents.
Cutthroat competition
Therefore, the results released this year show similar cutthroat completion for dominance. In the top 10 places based on analysis of results on the basis of most As scored and students with a total tally of aggregate 20 and above puts St Joseph’s College Naggalama, Kings College Budo, St Mary’s college Kisubi, Kawempe Muslim, Lubiri secondary, Gombe SS and Merryland High School Entebbe ahead of the pack.
Among the top 20 are Naalya SS Bweyogerere, Seeta High School, and Nsambya Hillside which replaced the once popular traditional schools like St Balikuddembe Mitala Maria, Namilyango College, Katikamu Secondary School and Ndejje Secondary School among others.
In the 2010 UACE A level results, a total of 61,820 students qualified for admission in public universities compared to 2009’s 60,370 and 2008’s 57,510. Government has also shifted focus to sponsoring sciences based courses. Nabisunsa and Gayaza High schools that used to be among the top five schools in the country, however, registered a decline with each having only 3 and 2 students with 25 points respectively while in Masaka District, Masaka Secondary School competed favourably with St Henry’s college Kitovu to break the latter’s academic dominance.
Over all, performance improved by 0.2 percent from 98.6 in 2009 to 98.8 last year. Higher Education Minister Mwesigwa Rukutana attributed the improvement to better facilities both in private and public schools.
“The standard and quality of education in those schools have tremendously improved. The quality is the best in the region and we are getting students from all African countries to come and study here” Mr Rukutana said. He added: “Better instructional materials have been put in place, the teacher to pupil ratio has also improved from 1 teacher per 56 students to at least one teacher per 53 students and we shall continue until we achieve one teacher per 40 students ratio. Initially all the schools were not being inspected but this is being done now.”
Mr Rukutana said government-aided schools did well because more laboratories and multipurpose science rooms have been constructed. This however, does not explain why sciences are still being poorly done and more students are preferring arts subjects.
Schools speak
Commenting on the improved performance for private schools, Mr Chris Bwiire, the director of studies at Merryland High School, says private schools take competition very seriously and are more serious when it comes to learning. “Private schools take performance as a survival strategy and they have to meet all the costs like infrastructure and consumables unlike government-aided schools. Today’s parents look out for performance and discipline and private schools know that this is what can keep them going yet there is a lot of laxity in schools” Mr Bwiire notes.
Commenting on his school’s performance, the Director of St Mary’s Kitende, Mr Lawrence Mulindwa, said he introduced more tests and carried out continuous assessments that enabled his students pass with flying colours. “We basically gave our candidates adequate time for preparing for the exams and also pressure from the previous years’ performance pushed the students to strive higher” he noted. He said success came as a result of effective teaching.
Traditional schools have always maintained good standards and the good performance is attributed to experienced teachers some of whom are directly involved in the setting and marking of exams. The rural-urban divide also continued to manifest itself. Most excelling schools are based in urban areas, especially in the central region, while the rural ones still struggle.
For example top schools like Kitende, Namagunga and Namugongo are all in Wakiso, Kampala and Mukono districts. Far-flung districts like Nakapiripirit and Butaleja were among the worst performers. Others are Katakwi, Zombo and Kyegegwa.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug- Mercy Nalugo & Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa

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500 KARIMOJONG HOMESTEADS TO BE DESTROYED FOR DAM CONSTRUCTION
12 march 2011

A total of 500 homesteads foundat the foot of Mt Moroto in Katikekile Subcounty in Moroto District are to be evicted to create enough space for construction of a water dam.
‘Daily Monitor’ has learnt that government was under pressure to construct a multipurpose dam in Karamoja as a measure to solve persistent water shortages which is hindering development in Karamoja region. A multipurpose water dam that will cover one and a half kilometers will be constructed under Mt Moroto by the government of Uganda in partnership with the Israel government.
For the last three days Israeli engineers with the officials from the Office of the Prime minister have been camped in Moroto doing a survey on where the dam will be constructed. Apart from homesteads, the dam construction will also affect many offices including Gum Arabic, Karamoja Development Agency (KDA), and the Karamoja Museum.
The assistant Chief Administrative Officer in charge of Production Mr Edward Eco said plans were underway for the relocation of the affected 500 homesteads. Eco explained that the efforts are geared towards assisting the Karimojong to solve the problem of water shortage which is the cause of conflicts among the Karimojong. He said the dam will also help in boosting food production using irrigation technology.
Construction of the dam is expected to commence within this year. However, the homestead owners who will face eviction are sceptical about the programme implementation. “We hope we are evicted for the purpose of dam construction which will help all of us, but not evicting us then our land is given to investors” Lojore Paul, an elder, said.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Steven Arion

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CHANGE OF AGRICULTURE STANCE SHOULD BE UPHELD
15 march 2011

During the recently concluded election campaigns, President Museveni raised people’s attention to agriculture as one of his priorities. Bill board campaign messages highlighting agriculture were a common encounter, and in his words, the President has often acknowledged that agriculture is the backbone of the Ugandan economy.
Indeed, the President’s 2011 election manifesto includes (among other things) the stimulation of agricultural production and productivity. The perceived change of stance on agriculture is a harbinger for good times ahead, especially for the peasant farmers whose importance is always recognized and exploited at election because of their numbers. There is no better time than this for the President to consider changing his stance on agriculture. The country is watching to see whether the election promises will translate into policy reforms and programs of action, what many call “walking the talk“.
For the larger part of Mr Museveni’s tenure of office as President, Uganda has witnessed an unprecedented decline of agricultural GDP from 51% in 1990 to 20% currently. If this downward trend continues, the agricultural GDP will be below 8% in 2020 and below 2% in 2030. If this does not tantalize you, just read on. In 1990, with 50% of agricultural GDP, 86% of the country’s labourforce was employed by agriculture.
Twenty years later, in 2010, a 31% reduction of agricultural GDP from 51% to 20% has caused a negligible 6% reduction of agricultural labourforce from 86% to 80%. This would mean that even when agriculture is adding progressively less value to the national economy, it remains the only option for the majority of the people, especially the smallholder farmers.
The reportedly growing sectors of the economy, ie the Industry and service sectors have failed to absorb the would-be off farm labour. Agriculture receives 3.8% of the country’s annual budget allocation, which is expected to increase to 6.5% by 2014/15 according to the National Development Plan (NDP).
Meanwhile, Dr Godfrey Bahiigwa of Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture says there is need to increase agriculture spending to the tune of 26% of the national budget to generate 6% annual growth rate of agriculture up from the current 1.4%. If the NDP projection of 6.5% budget allocation to agriculture is implemented, the sector will grow at a rate of 2.35 per annum.
At this rate, MDG1 on eradication of poverty and extreme hunger will not be achieved. Therefore, the NDP projection is very much out of tune with international commitments.
The Maputo Protocol and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) commit signatories including Uganda to allocate at least 10% of their budgets to agriculture. By contrast, Rwanda, our neighbours in the south, are making steady progress. Between 2007 and 2010, Rwanda increased their agricultural budget from 3.5% to 7% and there is no doubt that they will soon hit the 10% target.
The much sought after modernization of agriculture will remain a travesty as long as Government does not wake up to the realization of the need to invest massively in agriculture as a necessary precondition for industrial development, monetization of the economy and food security.
A recent Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report reveals that nine million Ugandans are currently facing an acute food shortage. We can learn important lessons from the British industrial revolution. At the time when Britain was experiencing fast population growth, massive investment in agriculture was undertaken.
This resulted in exponential increase of net income from agriculture through enhanced agricultural productivity.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Medard Kamujuni

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RISING INFLATION HURTING LOCALS’ STANDARDS OF LIVING
15 march 2011

Uganda’s GDP growth is projected to be 6.4 per cent in 2011. However, this is looking unlikely due to fast rising inflation. Prices of items including food, rent, clothes, transport fare, school fees and other household items have all gone up in large amounts in the past few months.
This is as a result of the high wholesale price that has put pressure on businesses forcing them to pass on the high prices to their customers. The measure of wholesale inflation-the Producer Price Index for manufacturing, which measures changes in prices charged by producers for the goods manufactured, rose to 18.3 per cent in December 2010, from 15.3 per cent in November the same year.
The rise was driven by soaring international prices of raw materials resulting from the depreciation of the shilling against major trading currencies, especially the dollar. The depreciation of the shilling is said to have brought in imported inflation from Uganda’s trading partners like China where commodity prices have increased significantly.
As a result, prices for food products rose to 24.6 per cent during the period, up from 22.1 per cent. Prices for drinks and tobacco rose to 18.3 per cent; textile, clothing and foot ware prices went up by 7.3 per cent while those for chemicals, paint, soap and foam products rose by 27.4 per cent. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the shilling has been depreciating by an average of 15.4 per cent against the US dollar on a year-on-year basis since July 2010.
The consumer price index indicates that inflation hit 6 per cent in February, up from 5 per cent recorded in January 2010 and Bank of Uganda anticipates it to rise to 7 per cent by June 2011, given the current events in the market especially the political turmoil in the oil producing countries like Libya, Iran, Bahrain and Tunisia. This 7 per cent projected figure is, however, higher than the central bank’s target of 5 per cent. UBOS says the rising food prices have continued to drive inflation upwards in the past months.
The annual food price for February rose to 8.9 per cent, from 3.6 per cent in January 2011. Contributing to the sharp rise in food prices were increases in the prices of sweet potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, green pepper, bitter tomatoes, fish, fresh milk, bread, margarine and refined oil due to low supplies to markets. For instance, a kilogramme of bread costs Shs 3,000, up from Shs 2,300 in November 2010, a litre of cooking oil goes for Shs 6,500, from Shs 4, 000, a kilo of rice costs Shs 2,500, up from Shs 2,000 while a kilo of meat cost Shs 7000, up from Shs 5000.
The price for a kilo of beans rose from Shs1,200 three months ago to Shs 2,300 in March, fish cost Shs 8,000 a kilo, maize flour costs Shs 1,800, up from Shs 1300 while sugar goes for Shs 3000, from Shs 2300. However, as the economy continues to register rising commodity prices, paychecks are not getting any bigger to match the pace of inflation. Failing to adjust salaries in accordance with the rising inflation means that most salary workers will be unable to meet their financial obligations.
The situation could even be made worse given the fact that Uganda has no commensurate minimum wage for workers. The country’s minimum wage of Shs 6,000 per month was last set in 1984, under Obote II regime and currently, different employers pay their workers as they please.
Mr Leonard Mutesasira, a Kampala businessman told Business Power said in an interview that as prices continue rising, there might be an increase in the defaulting rates on loans as people, especially those with a fixed income will see it wise to spend their money on food and other basic items rather than paying loans.
Mr Mutesasira adds that rising inflation might constrain banks’ long-term lending since they have to factor in inflation in the lending interest rates. “With the rising inflation, banks can only do better on short-term lending since it allows for revision of interest rates” he notes.
Mr Mutesasira adds that although UBOS puts inflation at only 6 per cent now, it might be much higher given the high commodity prices on the market, which he says seem to have gone up by almost 15 per cent in a year. The high cost of living for salary and wage earners is further affected by high taxes which increase depending on one’s gross pay, which further reduces consumers’ expenditure.
For instance, Uganda’s Pay As You Earn threshold is the lowest in the region at Shs 130, 000 and the final figure of the tax paid depends on one’s gross pay. This threshold was introduced in 1997, but the value of the shilling and cost of living have since changed, meaning that it no longer reflects the economic reality.
Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, a poverty eradication consultant and professor of Economics at Makerere University said rising inflation erodes the value of savings and could also prompt banks to raise lending rates. High inflation, he adds, consolidates the widening wealth gap in the country as low-income earners feel the pitch more than the rich, it also curtails investments due to low returns on investment and affects business planning and strategic investment decisions. “Rising inflation is a bad indicator to economic growth because one can’t make investment decisions basing on the current market prices since they can’t be the same a month or two later” he says.
Although he doesn’t rule out the effect of high fuel prices, drought and depreciation of a shilling as causes of the high inflation, Mr Mutesasira says there are a number of factors that might be responsible for the skyrocketing inflation. Among them, he says, could be the increased supply of the shilling in the economy, following the just concluded electoral season in Uganda.
“When BoU issued new notes, it was supposed to withdraw old ones from circulation but its surprising that you go to a bank and they give you old notes” he explains. “It’s not possible that the Uganda shilling loses value against currencies in the East African region. How come other countries in the region are not as much affected as the Uganda shilling?” he asked.
However, Mr Lawrence Bategeka, a senior research fellow at the Economic Policy Research Centre, Makerere University, says that following the political fever in the electoral period in the country, importers and manufacturers might have stopped importation and production of goods to watch the political environment. This resulted in low supplies to markets, forcing prices to rise due to the few goods on sale.
Mr Issa Sekito, the spokesperson of Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) says that the current inflation is not much to worry about for traders because he believes that the rise in commodity prices enables them to earn more money which can then be invested back to grow the economy. “The trading community is not yet alarmed by the current inflation rate but we only need to take precaution to see that it doesn’t go beyond the single digit” he said.
He believes that the only reason people are anxious about the increase in prices is the subsistence tendency of most Ugandans. “If one sells you a kilo of sugar expensively, you also have reason to sell your bunch of banana or irish potatoes expensively” he adds. For salary workers, Mr Sekito says the government should institute a minimum wage which should be reviewed depending on the inflationary trends in the country.
He blames the lack of a minimum wage to weak labour unions that have failed to push the government to institute a minimum wage. “Traders are not ashamed to take everything you earn per month because this is a free market driven by forces of demand and supply” he explained.
Mr Vincent Nsubuga Musoke, a principle statistician in charge of prices at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics said the rising cost of living requires that one either widens their income source to earn more money so as to maintain similar living standards or cut down the cost of living by reducing expenditures.
For instance, one can decide to use public transport instead of driving to work or eating beef instead of eating chicken. To tame inflation, economists say that the central bank has to institute programmes aimed at lowering lending interest rates because flooding the economy with new money could also ignite more inflation and reduce expenditure on public administration.
They argue that the central bank should also stop pushing money in the economy, but instead withdraw the excess shillings from circulation. Bank of Uganda recently intervention in the foreign exchange market when it injected $100 million as it sought to stabilise the shilling against the dollar.
It also issued a Shs 100 billion Treasury Bond with tenors of two-years and ten-years with a total amount of Shs 50 billion each.
The move aimed at mopping up excess liquidity in the market in the central bank’s effort to ensure a sound financial system and control risks of high inflation in the country.
fonte www.allafrica.com – Faridah Kulabako

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RISING FOOD PRICES HIT FAMILIES
23 march 2011

Aa the cost of living rises, Ugandans are digging deeper into their wallets to make ends meet. Asuman Arafat, a resident of Jinja who works in an Indian-owned wholesale outlet, has been compelled to temporarily send his wife back to her parents. “I have also taken our only child to my parents” he said. Food prices around the country have more than doubled since last December, resulting into food shortage.
According to yesterday’s survey by ‘New Vision’ the price of maize flour has risen to sh2,000 a kilogramme, up from sh1,000 in November last year. The price of beans has also shot up from sh2,000 to over sh2,600 per kilogramme, while a bunch of matooke has gone up by over sh10,000 from sh15,000 last year.
Prices of beef, fish, rice and milk have also risen considerably. Some traders interviewed yesterday attributed the sharp rise in food prices to last year’s general poor harvest. Traders say this, coupled with an increase in food exports, particularly to South Sudan, has led to food shortage.Others blamed the problem on the long dry spell that hit most parts of the country since early January.
The ‘New Vision’ survey showed that prices of most essential manufactured household commodities have also shot up by an average of between 5 to 10% in the past three months. The price of a pack of match box, for instance, has risen from sh400 to sh500, while that of cooking oil increased by 5,000 from sh9,500 per three-litre jerrycan.
The prices of toilet paper rolls, sanitary pads, kerosene, ghee (Blue Band), and toothpaste, among other commodities, have equally escalated, worsening standards of living for the low and middle income earners. Figures from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) released recently indicated that headline inflation jumped to 6%, from 5% in January, surpassing Bank of Uganda’s target of keeping the cost of living measure at below 5%.
UBOS says the pricing outlook is expected to eat deep into the savings of the high-income earning Ugandans, while the lower earners are cutting their expenditure on basic commodities, a move that will deny manufacturers the new demand they need to boost production and create new jobs. Most traders yesterday said food consumption had reduced as a result of the high prices.
The situation has forced food rights activists to suggest tough measures like asking the Government to start restricting food, especially maize, exports to neighbouring countries and regulate prices. Musa Ecweru, the disaster preparedness minister, told New Vision that the food situation in some parts of the country was running out of control due to drought.
Teso, Tororo, Butaleja and parts of Bugisu, he said, were hardest hit due to flooding and landslides. “Some families are going without a meal and many are gambling on what to eat everyday” Ecweru disclosed. H
e said his ministry had sent out messages to advise the public to store food but they had already sold out the food. “It seems there were many pressures on the food.” Ecweru added that the ministry was working with UN agencies to bring the situation under control.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug – Francis Kagolo

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BICYCLES AT THE HEART OF EMPOWERMENT SCHEME FOR RURAL WOMEN
24 march 2011

The bicycle has become a symbol of hope for hundreds of women who have been trained in repairing one of life’s favorite transport modes. More than two hundred women from around the Bwindi National Park, in the country’s southwest, have been taking part in a two-week course on bicycle repair, organized by the group Ride 4 a Woman.
The idea of the workshop is simple: to help disadvantaged women gain new, marketable skills and at the same time promote an environmentally-friendly form of travel, namely, cycling. It’s part of the Social Bike Business Program, now being developed in Uganda. The model originates with One Street, an international cycle advocacy organisation located in the United States, in Prescott, Arizona.
The idea has spread to Los Angeles and further afield to places such as Budapest, Hungary and Prague, Czech Republic. For the women who participated in the Uganda workshop, it was an eye opener to the multiple possibilities of the bicycle.
The new face of bicycle mechanics
Feredisa Kamahanga, one of the participants said, “I am very excited about this. For the first time I can now remove a tyre from a bicycle and put it back.” She added “I have gained training as a bike mechanic … and I can’t wait to fix my first bicycle!” Sue Knaup, director of One Street, came to Uganda to hold the workshop and said she “was impressed at how quickly the women picked up on the idea“.
Even though many of the women had never cycled before, Ride 4 a Woman has big plans for them. “Next is job training, which will give the women professional skills to earn a much better income and hopefully break out of the cycle of dawn-to-dark work” explained Knaup. In Uganda, women are often discouraged from mechanical activities or from riding a bicycle. Avenues such as this venture offer new territory for the women to cover.
Big plans ahead
Ride 4 a Woman’s executive director Denis Rubalema has big plans for the project. “We have already begun construction the first phase of the women’s centre on their property, which is due for completion in November.” The centre will house a venue for training courses, a bike repair station, a bike shop, and eventually a bike manufacturing section. It will also be the hub of all local activity.
Rubalema believes that the space will create a lively social atmosphere for the women. In addition to bikes, the women will also engage in other skills learning such as crafts, cooking and tailoring. “The project will have a profound impact on the livelihoods of the women and their families” says Rubalema. Women will now be able to earn money repairing bikes, but they can also use bicycles as taxis, as well as to transport goods to the market.
According to a 2008 World Bank report titled ‘Africa Development Indicators’, Uganda not only has the world’s youngest population but also the highest youth unemployment in the world. Statistics for women unemployment are hard to come by, but unemployment among youth aged 15-24 stood at 83 percent.
Tourism plans
Tourism also features prominently as part of the centre’s grand plan. Guided bike rides are offered to tourists visiting the national park or venturing into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which provides a home for gorillas. The area is known for its endangered mountain gorillas and has been described as one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth. Tourists also frequently buy local handcrafted products. Tourism is the country’s fourth largest foreign currency earner and provides thousands of people with employment.
The Ugandan Wildlife Authority is supporting the project, as they actively promote the bike tours and cooperate with Ride 4 a Woman. They are also creating an exciting trail for cyclists to use in the forest. The government is also supportive of these programmes, which figure into the development goals, especially as women are at the heart of development in the country.
The local and district authorities have also come out in support for the Social Bike Business Program. Knaup has also helped Ride 4 a Woman secure a wholesale account for quality bike parts since her return home to the U.S. This is the first time that such bike parts are entering Uganda.
Given the generally low quality of bikes available in the country, this will come as a boon to both ordinary citizens and to the women in the Bwindi area who are mastering the trade. Rubalema underscores the high potential that the bicycle has in store for the programme and for the women of southwestern Uganda. “Our biggest dream is to see the women in the area become empowered women. After all, that is how our mission reads: to empower women using bicycles.”
fonte www.allafrica.com – Justin Hyatt

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SCHOOLS SERVE CHILDREN LESS FOOD
24 march 2011

Schools across the country are choking under the weight of the increased commodity prices; with some rationing food and others on the brink of closing early this term. The high cost of living has made it very expensive for some schools administrators to effectively remain in operation. In some schools, the number of meals and amount of food has been reduced, while in others, co-curricular activities have been scrapped to save money for food. Others have removed some items from the menu.
Government is in the process of reviewing the budgetary allocations to all levels of education in the coming financial year. The education ministry, according to its publicist and under-secretary (finance) Aggrey Kibenge, is “aware of the hike in commodity prices, and we are concerned.”
What do school heads say?
- Aziida Nsubuga, deputy head mistress, Old Kampala SS
We had budgeted to spend sh266m on food for the entire year but the actual expenditure will be above this. All allowances have been suspended due to hiked prices for essential commodities. We used to give students meat once a week but this has been stopped.
- Agnes Ssebayiga, head teacher Makerere College School
The menu has not changed. We expected commodity prices to increase and budgeted accordingly. We are also getting a lot of supplies on credit and will pay later.
- Dorothy Kiggundu, deputy headmistress, Mengo SS
We have 3,000 students and 180 staff members to feed. The expenditure has increased yet we have not increased school fees. But we are lucky to have a school farm where we get some food to supplement.
- Margaret Watuwa, headmistress kololo SSS
We used to spend sh2m on providing lunch to 520 A’ level students for a fortnight; but now our expenditure on food has shot up to sh3.2m. We have reduced on the meat and matooke we prepare for teachers from twice to once a week.
- John Buinza, head of Shimon Demonstration School
We have reduced on the food rations. The education ministry requires that every UPE child in P3-P7 pays sh10,000 for lunch and sh5,500 for pupils in nursery. If the situation continues like this, we might begin serving the kids porridge for lunch.
- Ahmed Baagala, deputy head teacher Kololo High
We used to buy a kilo of maize flour at sh800 but the price has doubled. We spent sh1.3m on posho and beans for the first half of this term but we are going to pay sh2.6m in the second half.
- Muhammad Kigere, DOS Hamdan Girls High School
We stocked our food supplies last July. We have rice, beans and maize flour in stock. So we are still relying on the old stock. We have not started experiencing the pinch.
- Claire Nduhura, Headmistress City High School
We are finding it a little bit hard to feed students. Government schools are the most affected because they cannot easily increase school fees. Judging from last year’s expenditure, we had estimated to spend sh34.5m on food this term but already sh28m has been spent yet we still have another month to go. We used to give them soya peas twice a week but we have failed, due to the high prices.
- Florence Akello, head teacher St Mary’s Magadalene Lira
l have failed to get the type of beans my students like.The School has 884 students and they eat 140 kg of posho everyday. Next term, we shall stock beans and posho in large quantities
- Charles Otim, deputy head of Nkonkonjeru Primary School
A sack of maize flour that used to cost sh100,000 is twice the amount. We have had to ration food for our pupils to avoid wastage. As a result of higher prices, there might be a slight increment in fees.
fonte www.newvision.co.ug – Conan Businge

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UGANDA, UNA CENTRALE A BIOMASSA DA 40MW VICINO KAMPALA
14 marzo 2011

Una centrale elettrica a bio-massa da 40MW sarà costruita nella localita’ di Namungoona, nel distretto di Kampala. L’opera, dal costo previsto di circa 160 milioni di euro, sarà realizzata da una partnership tra Sesam Energetics, uno dei protagonisti più attivi nel mercato locale delle rinnovabili, e l’americana Taylor Biomass Energy, con sede a Montgomery, nello Stato di New York.
L’impianto sorgerà nei pressi della strada che collega Namungoona a Lugala, in una zona che ospita una sottostazione elettrica, che sara’ collegata alla centrale.
L’amministratore delegato di Sesam Energetics, Maalanti Noah, ha riferito in un’intervista ai media locali che la centrale avrà la capacità di lavorare giornalmente circa 1.030 tonnellate di rifiuti solidi prodotti dall’area urbana di Kampala e dall’hinterland della capitale ugandese, e che dell’energia prodotta fruiranno oltre 35.000 nuclei familiari.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, 154 MLN PER SVILUPPO REGIONI CENTRALE E OVEST
22 marzo 2011

Il governo ugandese ha avviato un programma di sviluppo da un costo stimato di oltre 154 milioni di euro a favore dei distretti di Luwero e Ruwenzori, situati rispettivamente nelle regioni centrale e occidentale. Del programma beneficeranno le comunità che sopportarono il peso socio-economico della guerra civile che ne devastò il territorio a più riprese, nei periodi 1981-1986 e 1996-2003.
In una dichiarazione a Kampala, il segretario permanente dell’Ufficio del primo ministro, Pius Bigirimana, ha annunciato che il piano prenderà il via con un progetto iniziale del valore pari a circa tre milioni, cui si aggiungeranno successivamente stanziamenti di denaro pubblico e di aiuti allo sviluppo da parte di Stati esteri.
Bigirimana ha aggiunto che le autorità locali dovranno sottoporre al più presto al governo i progetti ritenuti piu’ urgenti per la definitiva approvazione.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, SARA’ POTENZIATO ACQUEDOTTO KAMPALA
24 marzo 2011

L’acquedotto della capitale dell’Uganda sarà potenziato per permettere approvvigionamenti adeguati a tutti i quartieri. L’Ente idrico ugandese ha annunciato la costruzione di una seconda stazione di trattamento delle acque a Katosi, una ventina di chilometri a sud-est di Kampala.
L’impianto, ha rilevato l’amministratore delegato dell’Ente, William Muhairwe, “servirà ad alleggerire la pressione attualmente esercitata sulla stazione di Ggaba e fara’ fronte adeguatamente al fabbisogno idrico della capitale, dove si registra una costante crescita demografica“. Muhariwe ha assicurato che il nuovo impianto sarà completato nel giro di tre anni.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA, IL GOVERNO INVESTE NELLE STRADE
25 marzo 2011

Il settore stradale farà la parte del leone nel bilancio dello Stato ugandese per l’anno 2011-12. Lo ha annunciato il ministro delle Finanze di Kampala, signora Syda Bbumba, in un incontro con i giornalisti nell’intervallo di una riunione del consiglio dei ministri, rilevando che “anche nel prossimo anno saranno consistenti i finanziamenti al settore stradale, al fine di completare i lavori in corso e avviare la costruzione di nuove arterie“.
Nel bilancio 2010-11, così come in quello precedente, al settore delle strade furono dedicati fondi pubblici pari a oltre 8 miliardi di euro.
L’operazione, ha spiegato il ministro, serviraà anche a “stimolare la crescita, creare impieghi e ridurre la disoccupazione giovanile“.
fonte www.agi.it

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UGANDA E BURUNDI INVIANO ALTRI 4000 SOLDATI A MOGADISCIO
28 marzo 2011

Domenica scorsa Uganda e Burundi si sono impegnati a inviare entro metà marzo altri 4 mila soldati in supporto alle truppe Amisom (esercito dell’Unione Africana in Somalia), incaricate di reprimere i gruppi islamisti insorti: da quattro anni il Paese è scosso da ribellioni intestine guidate da al-Shabaab, gruppo collegato ad al-Qaeda, e dall’organizzazione Hizbul Islam.
La decisione è stata presa dopo una visita dei generali burundese, Godefroid Niyombare, e ugandese, Aronda Nyakairima, nella capitale somala, Mogadiscio. Mille soldati del Burundi sono già stati inviati sul posto.
Il governo federale transitorio, appoggiato dal’Onu e guidato dal presidente Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, controlla solamente metà della capitale ma le truppe dell’Amisom stanno combattendo strenuamente contro i ribelli per estendere il controllo sull’intera area cittadina: la comunità internazionale considera l’attuale governo di transizione come la migliore possibilità di riportare stabilità nel Corno d’Africa, dopo due decadi di conflitto.
fonte it.peacereporter.net

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Cambio valuta: in data 30/03/2011 1 dollaro USA è pari a 2405,25 scellini ugandesi, 1 Euro è pari a 3400,4204 scellini ugandesi

UgandAbout è un servizio dell’Associazione Italia Uganda Onlus a cura di Simona Meneghelli

Tag:acqua, Amisom, aumento prezzi, Bank of Uganda, bicycles, centrale a biomassa. acquedotto, educazione, istruzione, Kampala, Karamoja, Lago Alberto, Museveni, petrolio, rising prices, Uganda, university

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