Category: Daily Monitor

The 2025 KPMG African CEOs (chief executive officers) Outlook survey results released yesterday indicate that unlike past years when it was believed that Artificial Intelligence (AI) would create job cuts, several CEOs now view it as a tool that is sharpening employee efficiency.

The report compiled by audit firm KPMG titled: ‘KPMG Africa CEO Outlook: A new wave of business confidence quietly taking shape across Africa,’ which was released yesterday, indicates that 71 percent of the 130 African CEOs who were interviewed last year are investing in generative AI, talent, ESG, and cybersecurity as the top four forces shaping their strategic priorities.

Mr Stephen Ineget, the country manager of KPMG Uganda, explained that 71 percent of the CEOs interviewed, believe AI is driving growth and resilience in their companies, while 88 percent of them expect to increase employee head count, with AI complementing human capabilities. He added that 79 percent of the CEOS reported that they are navigating their national regulatory environments smoothly and also focusing on expanding their businesses across borders through regional integration and intra Africa trade. ‘AI is making people more efficient, as you continue investing in AI, it frees people from routine jobs to do more meaningful work. For instance, instead of recruiting graduates to do data analytics, you recruit them to analyse strategy because AI has already done the trends,’ he said.

Now in its 11th year, the survey forms part of KPMG’s global CEO Outlook, which includes insights from 1,350 CEOs across 11 markets. According to this year’s report, regional integration and cross-border collaboration are emerging as growth accelerators, with African CEOs increasingly prioritising intra-African trade and market expansion aligned to AfCFTA opportunities. Despite global economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, African CEOs are optimistic about their own organisations’ growth prospects. This is according to the KPMG 2025 Africa CEO Outlook Survey, which captures the perspectives of 130 CEOs across Southern, East, and West Africa.

Mr Asad Lukwago, a partner at KPMG, who presented the report, said CEOs across all sectors interviewed presented positive sentiments about generative AI, talent retention, and positive prospects of their company expansion. He added that most CEOs from countries that bounced back from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic anticipated economic growth in their countries. Asked what excites the CEOs about generative AI, Mr Lukwago explained that unlike developed countries where infrastructure has been developed to facilitate the use of AI, in developing countries, lack of infrastructure, electricity, and use of obsolete computers are some of the basic reasons why AI cannot be fully deployed in the current circumstances.

Ms Judy Rugasira, a panellist at the webinar, said in the property industry, the human being is still the face of their industry because they delayed deploying AI in their operations. Ms Sarah Arapta, the managing director of Citibank, observed that CEOs remain optimistic about the African market because of its underpenetrated and underbanked middle class. She added that banks have also been instructed to promote financial inclusion and leverage the emerging financial systems, and African CEOs have learnt in uncertain conditions, which have made them resilient.

India’s development partnership will continue to prioritise capacity building, knowledge exchange, infrastructure support and people-centred projects, Upender Singh Rawat said in a speech during celebrations to mark the 77th Republic Day.

It is my honour to welcome you to the 77th Republic Day of India. Today, we celebrate not only a constitutional milestone in India’s democratic journey but also the enduring friendship between India and Uganda – a partnership built on mutual respect, shared values, and common aspirations. Seventy-six years ago, the people of India gave themselves a Constitution that affirmed dignity, justice, liberty and equality for all.

Those ideals have guided India’s development and engagement with the world, including our relations with Uganda. Over six decades of diplomatic ties – marked last year by the 60th anniversary of India-Uganda relations – our partnership has grown deeper and more diversified: political understanding, development cooperation, trade and investment, defence collaboration, cultural exchange, and strong people-to-people links. Development cooperation and capacity building lie at the heart of our relationship.

India remains a reliable partner in human-resource development through programmes that build skills and knowledge across sectors. Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, India has trained thousands of Ugandan officials and professionals in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, banking, cyber technologies, journalism, auditing and public administration. This year, Uganda has over 150 civilian ITEC slots, and over 250 slots overall have been allocated for short and medium-term civilian and defence training.

Bespoke courses have directly benefited Ugandan officials: Resident District Commissioners attended specialised livelihood promotion training; Ministry of Agriculture staff participated in courses at the National Institute of Agricultural Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad; engineers from Uganda Electricity Distribution Company gained technical training; and journalists from Uganda took part in familiarisation programmes in India. These sustained investments in human capital strengthen institutions and unlock local potential.

As we say in Luganda: ‘Omuliro tegusibwa mu katiro ke kimu,’ meaning: ‘You cannot light a fire with a single spark,’ – a reminder that sustained, collective effort is needed to build capacity. Defence cooperation is a key pillar of our partnership. Military training exchanges and the Indian Military Advisory Training Team (IMATT), present in Uganda since 2010 and reinforced with a new team from July 2025, underscore our shared commitment to regional stability and security and to building the capabilities of Ugandan defence institutions.

Education links continue to expand. This year, 32 Ugandans received fully-funded scholarships from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to study at premier Indian universities. The National Forensic Sciences University’s first overseas campus in Jinja – which commenced its first full academic session in October 2025, offering courses in forensic sciences, cyber security and homeland security – is a tangible example of institutional collaboration that will benefit Ugandan students and professionals for years to come.

We have robust medical cooperation and medical tourism, with support from the Indian Association Uganda and other partners, Indian hospitals facilitate complex surgeries for Ugandan children. Last year, the High Commission donated physiotherapy equipment to Soroti University. High-level exchanges have steadily strengthened political trust between our countries. Visits by Indian and Ugandan leaders and ministers in recent years have advanced cooperation across trade, investment, environment and multilateral engagement, and provided momentum for concrete projects on the ground.

Trade and commerce between India and Uganda have seen steady progress, and India is the fourth-largest trade partner for Uganda, with total bilateral trade well in excess of $1b over the last few years. The India Trade Show and Exhibitions last year highlighted Indian products and fostered business ties. The India-Uganda Joint Trade Committee and policy dialogues opened avenues for deeper economic engagement. India’s Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) scheme for most Ugandan exports remains an important instrument to boost Uganda’s trade potential and diversify its exports.

Indian companies and the diaspora continue to invest in Uganda, creating jobs, building enterprises and contributing to social services – a living testament to South-South cooperation in action. The Indian diaspora in Uganda has been a vital partner in our shared progress. For over a century, the community has been woven into the social and economic fabric of this country – contributing to commerce, healthcare, education and philanthropy. It is the result of sustained effort, as we say in Luganda: ‘Ebibala by’omusaayi tebibalira munafu,’ meaning, ‘Fruits of labour do not ripen for the lazy.’

Your entrepreneurship and commitment to Uganda’s development strengthen the bonds between our peoples and are rightly a source of pride for both nations. At the multilateral level, India and Uganda share a common voice for the Global South. Together, we champion equitable development, the reform of global governance institutions, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Uganda’s leadership in regional peace and its constructive role in global fora are deeply valued by India, including its current chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

This year, India will host the 18th BRICS summit as part of its BRICS chairmanship. We will also engage and welcome Uganda as a BRICS partner nation since January 1, 2025. I would like to congratulate Uganda for the successful and peaceful conduct of its recent general elections. Peaceful democratic processes are essential for stability, growth and the strengthening of institutions. A brief and important announcement, January 27, 2026: President of the European Council António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were chief guests at this year’s Republic Day celebrations in Delhi.

We note with great interest the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement. Described by the European Commission president as the ‘mother of all’ trade deals, its conclusion yesterday marks a significant milestone in India’s external economic engagement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted EU President von der Leyen and European Council President Costa to elevate ties and jointly address geopolitical and trade challenges. This long-awaited FTA is expected to open new vistas for cooperation across trade, defence and security, climate action, critical technologies and a strengthened rules-based global order.

Its qualitative impact on India’s overall two-way engagement will create fresh opportunities that India and its partners, including African partners like Uganda, can seize to deepen economic and strategic linkages. Looking ahead, our relationship holds immense promise. India’s development partnership will continue to prioritise capacity building, knowledge exchange, infrastructure support and people-centred projects. We will work side by side with Uganda to create opportunities for trade, industrialisation, agricultural modernisation, digital innovation and climate-resilient development.

The NFSU campus in Jinja, expanding ITEC engagement, scholarships, business delegations, and continued defence collaboration are the scaffolding on which deeper cooperation will be built. On this Republic Day, we also recall the spirit of India’s cultural and civilisational diversity. The Republic Day Parade in New Delhi – this year themed on the 150 years of Vande Mataram- celebrates our cultural heritage, artistic creativity and unity in diversity. It reminds us that democracy and development are sustained by citizens’ active participation, the courage to innovate, and the humility to serve.

I thank our partners today – Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Airtel, Tata Group, Bajaj Auto and Ashok Leyland – for supporting this event and for their significant operations in Uganda. They are showcasing their products here, and I encourage you to visit their displays. I also thank our partners for today’s programme: the management of Sheraton, members of the Indian community who supported us, and above all, my entire team at the High Commission, who have worked tirelessly.

In closing, let me reiterate India’s friendship and gratitude to Uganda – to its government, institutions, business community and people of all communities who welcome and work with us. Our partnership has matured into a relationship of trust and shared purpose. Together we can advance mutual prosperity, regional stability and a stronger voice for developing nations on the world stage.

Arsenal booked their spot in the League Cup final by beating Chelsea 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday thanks to an injury-time goal by former Blues attacker Kai Havertz, sealing an aggregate 4-2 win over their London rivals.

After a cagey first hour of the semi-final second leg, with each goalkeeper making only one save, Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior switched to a more attacking formation by bringing Cole Palmer and Brazil winger Estevao off the bench.

They were followed by Alejandro Garnacho – scorer of both Chelsea’s goals in Arsenal’s 3-2 first-leg win at Stamford Bridge – as the visitors went in search of the goal they needed to level the aggregate score.

But Mikel Arteta’s men held out against the pressure before Havertz scored the only goal of the game in a breakaway move in the dying seconds.

In their first League Cup final since 2018, the Premier League leaders will face either Manchester City or Newcastle United who play their semi-final second leg on Wednesday with City 2-0 ahead from the first leg.

A biotechnology company in Uganda has developed a new ‘universal’ gene therapy for sickle cell disease, offering hope to millions of patients worldwide by making treatment more accessible and affordable.

Gene therapy is a medical treatment that works by changing or fixing a person’s genes to treat or prevent disease. Genes are the instructions inside our cells that tell the body how to work, and sometimes a disease happens because a gene is missing, faulty, or not working properly. In gene therapy, scientists can repair faulty genes, replace missing ones with healthy copies, or turn genes on or off to help the body fight disease.

“The therapy works by turning on a type of hemoglobin found in babies, which can stop the harmful sickle hemoglobin, and this helps make all types of sickle cell disease less severe,” Dr. Matthias Magoola, a senior scientist on the program, said.

The therapy, developed by DEI Biopharma, targets a gene that helps the body make fetal hemoglobin, which can reduce the effects of sickle cell disease. It uses CRISPR technology, a gene-editing tool that lets scientists find and change specific parts of DNA inside cells.

“By focusing on a shared part of the gene, we can create one gene therapy that works for all patients,” Dr. Magoola said. “This could be the first gene therapy that can be made in large quantities and used widely for a single-gene disease.”

The therapy works for all types of sickle cell disease, regardless of the specific gene problem, including the most common type, mixed types, and cases with other blood disorders.

According to Dr. Magoola, the therapy helps the body make a type of hemoglobin found in babies by changing a gene called B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A (BCL11A), which controls how this hemoglobin is made. “This gene controls the switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin, and higher levels of fetal hemoglobin are linked to milder disease in all types of sickle cell,” Dr. Magoola said.

The company sees this as a new gene therapy that could one day work like a generic standard, easy to make, and produced in large quantities. “Sickle cell disease mostly affects communities that have been left behind in medical progress,” Dr. Magoola said. “Our goal is to change that by making advanced gene therapy easy to produce, distribute, and affordable worldwide.”

The company has patented its CRISPR technology, including the tools, delivery methods, and ways to increase fetal hemoglobin. Early studies are ongoing to test how well the gene editing works, how long fetal hemoglobin stays active, and whether it is safe.

Dr. Magoola said the company plans to form partnerships, work with regulators, and carry out step-by-step clinical trials following international standards.

Uganda’s National Burden

The Uganda Sickle Surveillance Study (US 3) reports that approximately 20,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease in Uganda each year. Busoga region is the hardest hit, with about 5,000 children born with the disease each year. Hospital authorities report that 60-80 children visit the sickle cell clinic at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital each week.

Sub-Saharan Africa bears the heaviest sickle cell burden, with 75-80% of global cases. About 400,000-500,000 babies are born with the disease each year, mostly in this region. The highest burden is in western and central Africa, especially Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with high under-five mortality in countries like Ghana, Cameroon, Angola, Guinea, Niger, and Kenya.

The therapy’s development could bring hope to millions of patients worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to treatment is limited.

The management of Busitema University has said inadequate infrastructure, coupled with staffing gaps, has stifled the growth of the institution. Authorities at the institution said despite a steady rise in student enrolment over the years, facilities across the university’s campuses have not expanded at the same pace. Prof William Bazeyo, the university council chairperson, warned that unless these challenges are addressed, the institution may struggle to meet expectations.

‘These are urgent and needed for institutional development in order to improve academic excellence. Most of these campuses are located in rural areas, compounded by a lack of accommodation for students and staff who may wish to rent out,’ Prof Bazeyo said. He made the remarks during a tour of the university campuses by officials of the institution led by the chancellor, Prof Badru Kiggundu, on Tuesday. The officials started their tour in Namasagali before moving to Pallisa, Mbale and Arapai. The vice chancellor, Mr Paul Wako, said the main purpose of the tour was to assess progress on the ground and identify the challenges.

Mr Bazeyo urged the government to provide more resources towards the development of the institution so that it can match other universities. He also called on private investors to construct structures that could be rented out to students and staff to address the accommodation challenge. ‘We have to identify partners who are willing to partner with the university towards its growth,’ he said. ‘As a university, we are totally happy that communities are extremely benefiting from the establishment of these campuses to the extent that more scholarships are being given out in each district,’ he added.

Prof Bazeyo said the staffing level stands between 10 percent and 12 percent, which is quite low compared to the number of students. He cited the Pallisa campus, which he said has 600 students, but only 26 staff. Prof Kiggundu said: ‘The inadequate infrastructure, compounded with low staffing, needs to be addressed to measure up to the student enrolment. Even what is on the ground needs a lot of rehabilitation.’ He added: ‘We are aware that Busitema may not be the only university in dire need of support, but it needs special attention. If there are such facilities in place, it could be much easier to increase the number of students.’

The chancellor also raised concerns about the procurement process, saying it takes too long. He cited Pallisa campus, which received Shs1.2 billion in government funding in October 2025, but the money has not yet been committed due to these procedural delays. ‘The university could be behind schedule to commit such funds, reasoning that the university has to get clearance from the Solicitor General, Attorney General, and all these process has taken time and delayed the resuming of the construction of some structures,’ he added.

He, however, applauded Pallisa District for surrendering land to the university to establish a campus. ‘The land given to the university is like they gave us a debt to transform the community through the provision of excellent and relevant courses to Ugandans,’ he said. The dean of the faculty of management sciences, Mr Abbey Kalenzi, said the Pallisa campus was established in 2014, and the enrolment has reached 600 students pursuing different courses. He said of the 26 academic staff, 16 are full-time, whereas 17 are part-time lecturers.

He added that the university mainly relies on graduate fellows, part-time staff, and visiting lecturers. ‘We conduct regular staff interviews based on workload, implement policies that encourage staff retention, and lobby for a wage increase from the government,’ Mr Kalenzi said He also said there is difficulty in keeping up with frequent curriculum changes, especially the need to strictly follow announcements from the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) while at the same time engaging a wide range of stakeholders. The vice chancellor, Mr Paul Wako, said: ‘Several departments operate with fewer lecturers than required, causing a heavy workload on the available staff.’

The transfer window often feels exciting for clubs, agents and even footballers. The ongoing transfer window is only 30 days and because of its nature there is need for urgency and speed to complete transactions.

Clubs look at this transfer window as a time to quick fix loose ends, footballers (especially those out of contract) see it as a chance to sign up with clubs mid-season and agents as a time in the business to make quick money.

As much as this is a window that stakeholders use to fix loose ends with speed, it is a transfer period that must be handled with more precision and legal expertise. This transfer window offers opportunity, but it also carries significant risk.

It is important to note that this transfer window is not for everyone and the FIFA RSTP is quite clear with who can take part in this transfer window and for whom it works. Under Articles 6 and 5, the Fifa RSTP imposes restrictions on player registrations.

Article 5 provides for maximum number of registrations and Article 6 provides for registration periods and exceptions. Under both articles, provisions only safeguard professional players not amateurs, as such, amateur players are not expected to be transferred within this period. Simply, it’s not a flexible transfer window!

Ugandan football clubs are expected to comply with these regulations set by Fifa even if they might not be enshrined within the Fufa RSTP. Failure to be compliant can result in legal consequences.

During this transfer window, only the following can happen and to only professionals;

– Transfer of players whose contracts were terminated with/without just cause and those which expired before the end of the relevant transfer window.

-Registration of players whose contracts were terminated with/without just cause and those which expired before the end of the relevant transfer window.

*Players who were not registered in the relevant transfer window can be registered during this window.

-Football Stakeholders must be very careful not to perpetuate a bridge transfer because of the urgent need of players to find a club to play.

This means that clubs, players and agents must be extremely cautious in transactions in order to be fully compliant.

Consequently, without legal precision, agents risk professional liability while clubs risk sanctions and player inactivity if due diligence is not made to ascertain key facts such as player status, contractual history of the player among others.

Besides legal compliance, football stakeholders especially footballers need to do due diligence on the clubs in which they have interest and the agents who approach to represent them. It is important for a footballer to understand the background of the club he intends to join, especially if the club pays salaries on time. A footballer also needs to be sure that the agent representing him is licensed and has his best intentions at heart to avoid future disputes. The agent equally holds the same responsibility while planning transactions with a club and a player.

Legal advice during this transfer window is indispensable because despite it being an official window, it’s a limited one and cannot be seen as a flexible one to cure past mistakes and fix loose holds.

In such a short and restrictive transfer window, caution, compliance and due diligence are not optional, they are essential before rushing to wrap up a transaction.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has sacked two senior aides following an embarrassing situation where he appointed a dead man to serve on a panel to lead discussions on elections scheduled for December.

Steward Soroba Budia’s appointment was announced in a presidential order dated 30 January, but local media pointed out that the member of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), had died five years ago.

It led to people mocking the appointment on social media.

Without giving reasons, an official statement said the president had sacked his press secretary David Amour Major and the chief administrator in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Valentino Dhel Maluet.

Kiir was “pleased” to announce that the two had been relieved of their duties, and wished to express his “profound gratitude” to them for their service, said the statement posted on the president’s official Facebook account, and signed by Minister of Presidential Affairs Africano Mande Gedima.

On Monday, Amour said in a press release that the president’s office had relied entirely on the “accuracy and currency” of the names submitted by “stakeholders” for inclusion on the panel.

“It is now evident that a thorough verification was not done by one of the stakeholders which resulted in this unfortunate administrative oversight,” Amour said.

He did not name the stakeholder, while the UDP has not commented.

It is unclear whether the statement led to Amour’s dismissal. There had been speculation before the statement that he would be sacked.

Budia had been a signatory to a peace agreement signed in 2018 to end conflict that had hit South Sudan after its independence in 2011.

Kiir has set up the panel, made up of representatives of different parties, to pave the way for elections.

But there are doubts as to whether the election will take place, as the country is still experiencing conflict.

Previous elections have been postponed, with Kiir in office since independence.

The UN says more than 180,000 people are believed to have been forced to flee their homes by recent fighting.

Jonglei state is seeing the worst of it with the army battling forces aligned to South Sudan’s suspended Vice-President Riek Machar.

He is currently under house arrest and on trial for murder, treason and crime against humanity. He denies the charges.

Kiir and Machar are supposed to be part of a unity government agreed in the 2018 settlement after a five-year war that followed a power struggle between the two men.

When President Museveni directed the appointment of Jenifer Bamuturaki as chief executive officer of Uganda Airlines in July 2022, the decision did more than override an ongoing recruitment process.

It crystallised years of unresolved governance weaknesses and ushered in what has become one of the most turbulent chapters in the short history of the revived national carrier.

At the time of her appointment, Uganda Airlines had already committed Shs98.1m to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct a global search for a substantive CEO.

PwC had advertised the job, attracted more than a dozen applicants, and set July 8, 2022, as the deadline for submissions. Two days before that deadline, the process was abruptly junked.

Works minister Katumba Wamala, citing an April 24 directive from President Museveni, instructed the Uganda Airlines board to appoint Bamuturaki as substantive CEO.

The PwC-led search, procured through a competitive process involving KPMG, Ernst and Young, and others, was effectively abandoned midstream.

The directive had come against a backdrop of chronic leadership instability. Since its relaunch in 2019, Uganda Airlines had never appointed a substantive CEO through a completed competitive process. Every chief executive – Ephraim Bagenda, Cornwell Muleya – and later Bamuturaki, served in an acting or contract capacity, with renewals stretching from six months to a year.

Bamuturaki’s appointment proved especially difficult because it reopened old internal wounds. Before becoming CEO, she had served as the airline’s marketing and commercial director, a tenure marked by bitter power struggles with then-CEO Cornwell Muleya.

Their rivalry spilled beyond boardrooms into formal complaints sent to State House. In one brief to President Museveni, Muleya accused Bamuturaki of insider trading, incompetence, and unethical conduct, painting a picture of deep factionalism at the heart of the airline.

Ironically, Bamuturaki had earlier been forced out of Uganda Airlines after completing her probation, only to resurface later as acting CEO following Muleya’s suspension and eventual dismissal.

Muleya’s exit would later become one of the airline’s costliest governance failures. Although he was subsequently charged with corruption and mismanagement-related offences, courts ruled that his dismissal had been procedurally flawed. He went on to win Shs500m from Uganda Airlines for wrongful termination.

It was expected

Aviation expert-turned-politician Capt Francis Babu says the leadership struggles that Uganda Airlines has gone through were expected.

‘It was just a matter of time before the hide-and-seek came to an end,’ he said, without expounding on his comment, but his comment captures a sentiment widely shared within the aviation sector, that Uganda Airlines’ governance contradictions could not be sustained indefinitely.

By the time Bamuturaki assumed office in July 2022, Uganda Airlines was deeply loss-making, heavily reliant on Treasury injections, and facing mounting scrutiny over procurement and governance.

Her appointment did little to stabilise the situation, even as, under her leadership, the airline expanded routes and fleet, including the flagship London route.

However, losses continued to mount before showing marginal signs of stabilisation.

The airline’s losses rose from Shs102b in 2020 to Shs265.9b by June 2022, peaked at Shs325b in 2023, before narrowing to Shs231.6b in 2024 and Shs230.8b in June 2025.

The Auditor General, however, painted a grim picture, with fuel procured without valid contracts, swelling trade payables, grounded aircraft due to spare-part shortages, weak cash controls, and growing liquidity stress.

The troubles extended into an investigation by the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit that suggested the existence of procurement flaws, aircraft acquisition, and financial management.

Amid these mounting troubles, Bamuturaki had been offered just one year on her contract, with expiry due in July 2026, not the customary two or three years.

To some insiders, it looked less like a renewal of trust and more like a carefully managed transition, buying time to steady operations, reopen recruitment, and avoid another abrupt leadership vacuum.

Indeed, board chairperson, Priscilla Mirembe Serukka, said that whereas Bamuturaki was still in office, the search for a CEO ‘needed to start early to enable’ the recruitment of the new CEO by July.

Bamuturaki has herself announced her impending departure, encouraging staff to apply for the position.

An advert has also been published, even as Works permanent secretary Waiswa Bageya had earlier said that government was in the process of procuring a recruitment firm to search.

In hindsight, Bamuturaki’s appointment did not create Uganda Airlines’ problems. The airline had been struggling with governance gaps, acting appointments, and political interference long before July 2022.

But by overriding an active PwC-led recruitment process and by installing a CEO already enmeshed in past internal conflicts, the Presidential directive entrenched instability rather than resolving it.

Two-and-a-half years later, as the search for a substantive CEO resumes yet again, Uganda Airlines stands as a cautionary tale of how political shortcuts, however expedient, can prolong turbulence instead of ending it.

Chinese mining operations across Africa have come under intense scrutiny for corruption, regulatory violations and environmental damage in recent years. From mass protests in Congo to court convictions and community resistance elsewhere, mounting evidence points to the exploitative practices of Chinese mining firms, which have led to public revenue loss, haphazard extraction and damage to the environment and livelihoods in many African nations. It, however, led to protests and strict legal action against the Chinese actors by some African countries.

In 2025, thousands of people protested in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), against corruption, mismanagement, and environmental violations involving Chinese mining companies. Alleging that Chinese mining companies engaged in unfair practices and exploitation, they stated that gold was extracted without declaring profits and often without valid operating permits.

A state audit found that mining companies underreported USD 16.8 billion in revenue between 2018 and 2023, leading to huge losses to the government exchequer and depriving locals of their rightful dues. China has about 76 percent share in cobalt mining in the country as 35 Chinese mining firms are operating at 61 sites.

World Boxing has appointed Tom Dielen as its new secretary general to lead and manage its day-to-day operations ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

According to a communication from WB, Dielen was appointed following an open recruitment process and his role starts as soon as this month, from the organisation’s Lausanne office.

Dielen has nearly 30 years’ experience in Olympic sports leadership roles. From 2005-2025, the Belgian and Swiss national has been secretary general of World Archery transforming it from the risk of Olympic exclusion into a credible and financially stable body that regained the respect of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

He joins WB at the critical moment when boxing needs his transformative magic. After nearly 10 years of bickering the IOC in June 2023 expelled the International Boxing Association (IBA) due to its failure to address critical issues regarding governance, financial transparency and ethical integrity. IBA countered by claiming that they did what they could in that regard but the IOC is playing political games. That threw the future of Olympic boxing into jeopardy.

Amid the standoff, the IOC left boxing out of the LA28 programme until March 2025 when it granted WB a provisional permit to anchor the sport in the forthcoming Olympics.

But WB has an entire world to prove that they are the best to handle the business and Dielen must know.

‘Mr Dielen’s background in international sport aligns well with the responsibilities and expectations of our organisation. I am confident that this experience will strengthen our work and support its future development,’ said Gennadiy Golovkin, who was elected WB president in November 2025.

Dielen returned the favour: ‘I am really thrilled to start a new challenge in the Olympic Movement as secretary general of World Boxing. From the first contact with Mr Golovkin, the President, there was a good feeling between the two of us and I thank him and the Board for this opportunity.

‘I am looking forward to getting to know the athletes of this truly universal sport. There are exciting moments ahead this year with events for young athletes in Thailand and of course Senegal. Then there will be the World Boxing Cup series events in Brazil, China and Uzbekistan for the athletes as they start their road to LA2028.

He added: ‘In the coming months, I will start to expand the team to ensure a bright Olympic future for the sport. Let’s get in the ring and work on inspiring and engaging people to pursue a passion for boxing through integrity and excellence.’

Besides archery, Dielen also served at the World Anti-Doping Agency, and on several committees and boards within the Olympic Movement for a variety of organisations including the Association of Summer International Olympic Federations (ASOIF), the International World Games Association (IWGA) and the Association of Paralympic Sport Organisations (APSO).