Category: Daily Monitor

Artisanal and small-scale mining in East Africa has always been a risky way to earn a living. Miners work in unsafe pits, buyers often hide the real prices, and government rules can change suddenly, making it hard for people to plan their work or their income.

However, Tanzania has made significant strides in reforming its mining sector, introducing a more transparent and supportive system for miners.

According to official data from Tanzania’s Energy Ministry, the country’s mining sector has seen significant growth, with its contribution to the economy rising from 7.3 per cent in 2021 to 10.1 per cent in 2024. Mineral exports have also increased, reaching $4.12 billion in 2024, with gold accounting for 83 per cent of exports.

Tanzania’s approach has led to increased sales, with official records showing TZS 1.93 trillion in sales between July 2023 and March 2024, up from TZS 1.68 trillion the previous year. The government has also collected TZS 133.8 billion in royalties and inspection fees, thanks to improved traceability.

The country’s mineral markets and trading centers have become more formalized, with 44 mineral markets and 114 trading centers now operational. This has enabled miners to sell their produce at fair prices, process their ore at safer centers, and receive payments through banks.

Good documentation has also helped miners access finance, with local banks providing TZS 187 billion in loans to small-scale miners between July 2023 and March 2024, up from TZS 145 billion in 2022.

In contrast, Uganda’s gold sector has faced challenges, including policy changes and administrative disputes. Despite being a leading gold exporter, with exports reaching $3.09 billion in 2024, the sector remains largely informal, contributing less than 1 per cent to Uganda’s GDP.

Uganda’s Permanent Secretary, Irene Batebe, acknowledges the challenges, stating, “The complaint from some artisanal miners is about the requirement for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Studies. We are working closely with NEMA to address the cost and reduce the time it takes.”

The government has made efforts to formalize the sector, registering 7,000 artisanal miners and establishing regional offices to speed up approvals. However, Uganda’s reforms still lag behind Tanzania’s, with the country struggling to create a stable and supportive environment for miners.

Tanzania’s success can be attributed to its monetary system, which requires large mining companies to refine gold domestically and sell 20% to the central bank. This has helped stabilize prices and increased the country’s reserves. By June 2025, the Bank of Tanzania had bought 5,022.85 kilograms of refined gold, worth about USD 550 million.

Uganda is exploring similar measures, but for now, its mining sector remains vulnerable to shocks. As Batebe notes, “Government continues to fund exploration from the Consolidated Fund… We have secured $12 million from development partners to support exploration and quantification.”

The key to success lies in consistency and predictability, with miners needing reliable market access, clear regulations, and supportive inspections.

Ms Batebe emphasises that the legal protections are already in place: “The legal regime on minerals and public finance management establishes systems to ensure transparency and accountability… We continue strengthening systems to guarantee transparent management of mineral revenues.”

Tanzania’s experience shows that with the right policies and infrastructure, artisanal and small-scale mining can be a game-changer for the economy.

When a single photo can be manipulated into a convincing digital lie, the risks of modern technology become deeply personal.

In Uganda, regulators are warning that Artificial Intelligence (AI), long praised for its potential to transform health, education, and business, is increasingly being misused to harass, deceive, and manipulate individuals.

At the centre of these concerns is Baker Birikujja, the director of Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO).

He says AI tools are now being used to alter people’s images, fabricate stories, and create false narratives about their actions.

‘We have a big problem,’ Birikujja told Daily Monitor. ‘AI is being used to harass people. Someone can take your photo, put another dress on you, and claim you were somewhere you were not. It’s a new challenge, the whole world is still trying to figure out.’

The rise in AI misuse has intensified calls for stronger data protection, raising complex questions about ethics, regulation, and accountability.

Birikujja says the challenge is finding a balance to ensure that technology benefits society without exposing people to harm. The Data Protection and Privacy Act (2019) empowers PDPO to enforce privacy rights and penalize unlawful use of personal data.

All companies handling personal information are required to register with the office, a step Birikujja says is critical for traceability when violations occur.

Adding to the growing debate, Neema Iyer, founder of Pollicy, a digital rights and women’s safety organization, stresses the need for Africans to reclaim ownership of their data.

‘Data defines who we are,’ she says. ‘It is collected every time we use a SIM card, a mobile phone, or social media. If we do not take control of our data, others will decide for us.’ She notes that much of the technology used in Africa is controlled by companies abroad, creating a structural imbalance.

‘People from other countries are collecting our preferences, our information, even our genetics, and using it to make profits. We must ensure that data about us benefits our communities,’ she says.

While AI offers opportunities, Iyer warns that its environmental and social costs must be closely monitored.

Gilbert Sendugwa, Executive Director of the Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC), said access to data is as important as its protection.

‘For tax authorities, access to online revenue data is essential in a digital economy where money is made through advertising and digital trade,’ he said.

Without independent access, he warned, tax bodies risk relying on underreported information from companies.

Researchers and civil society face similar constraints. Unlike Europe and US, where access to big-tech data is mandated by law, Africa lags, making it difficult to study technology’s impact or shape informed policy. Ongoing continental consultations aim to establish guidelines that balance privacy with public interest.

Namuwongo Blazers started their Elite 16 Division East journey with a disappointing 89-62 defeat at the hands of Nairobi City Thunder Tuesday evening in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Ugandan champions, despite getting out of the blocks early, struggled to get going on offense in the second half and ended up falling short.

New addition Jovan Mooring had the hot hand early in the game and had the Blazers leading 11-05 to force the host team into a timeout.

Jaycson Bereal Jr. and Jimmy Enabu also played a big role as the Blazers ended the first quarter with a two-point advantage (25-23).

The hosts, however, regrouped and got into rhythm in the second quarter, with Tylor Ongwae and Albert Odero leading the charge on offense.

Going into the halftime break, Thunder had their noses in front with a three-point advantage (43-40) and there was no turning back.

Stephen Nyeko’s charges were limited to 11 points in both the third and fourth frame while Thunder rode on the home crowd to conduct a scoring clinic.

With a 46-22 second half run, Thunder settled the contest to go top of Group A and leave the Blazers with work to do in their second game scheduled for Wednesday.

Lance Thomas led the Thunder with 18 points and five rebounds while Odero added 16 points and six rebounds.

Derrick Ogenchi scored 14 points while Ongwae recorded 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.

For the Blazers, Mooring scored a team-high 15 points while James Okello came off the bench to register 11 points and nine rebounds.

The two were the only Blazers players to score in double figures for the Ugandan side. Enabu and Tonny Drileba had nine points each.

Up next for the Blazers is a clash with Johannesburg Giants in what is now a must-win affair.

The South African side, who ended their debut group phase campaign with a perfect 5-0 record, are among the favourites to book one of the two available BAL slots.

The seven teams competing in Nairobi are split into two groups of three and four, with the top two in each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Winners of the two semifinal clashes will then qualify for the 2026 Basketball Africa League season.

Elite 16 Division East

Tuesday results

Ferroviario Beira 78-66 Brave Hearts

Dar City 85-78 Matero Magic

Nam Blazers 62-89 Nairobi City Thunder

Police pathologists have exhumed the body suspected to be that of a Naalya Secondary School student, allegedly killed by unknown assailants and buried without a post-mortem report, from a cemetery in Kayunga District.

The decomposing body, believed to be that of 15-year-old Melisa Aneza, was discovered in Musaale Swamp, Namulaba Village, Kyampisi Sub-county, Mukono District. Under the scorching afternoon sun, police hired three youth to dig up the shallow grave under the supervision of investigators. A scene-of-crime officer seized mobile phones from everyone present, including the deceased’s mother and police officers, during the exhumation.

The operation, which lasted about an hour, filled the area with a strong stench, prompting officials at the district headquarters to temporarily leave their offices. Investigators carried the body in a polythene bag to a police pick-up vehicle, which transported it away for further examination.

A neighbour near the cemetery, who wished to remain anonymous, said she saw three men carrying the body on a motorcycle before digging a grave and burying it.

‘People usually come and bury unclaimed bodies, so we don’t question it when we see them,’ she said.

She added that the cemetery is full to capacity, forcing new graves to be dug in old ones.

‘Sometimes dogs roam here and dig up shallow graves,’ she said.

Officers at Kayunga Central Police Station declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the burial. Mr Yekus Musujja, the Kyampisi Childcare Ministries case management officer, who witnessed the exhumation, said the NGO would work with the family to provide counselling services. ‘We are going to work with the police to ensure this case is thoroughly investigated and suspects are apprehended and taken to court,’ he said.

Aneza was reported missing by her mother, Sarah Kamuganga, at Kikoni B Police Station in Wandegeya, Kampala. The case was later transferred to Wandegeya Police Station for further investigation.

She had been living with her mother during a school suspension from October 28 to November 4, when she was due to return to school. On the day she went missing, Aneza was supposed to meet her father, Mr Martin Anogyerire, who was to take her back to school. It remains unclear whether she was targeted as she left home or followed on her way to meet her father. Investigators have asked the family to exercise patience as police await DNA results to confirm the identity of the remains. The body was taken to City Mortuary, Mulago, for further examination.

Helsinki, Finland, has set a global benchmark in road safety after completing an entire year without a single traffic-related death.

The city’s achievement, which officials describe as the result of long-term planning and disciplined implementation, stands in sharp contrast to Uganda’s escalating road fatalities.

Uganda’s road crash figures remain among the highest in Africa. The Uganda Police Annual Crime Report 2024 recorded 25,107 crashes, a 6.4 percent increase from the previous year, with 4,434 fatalities and more than 25,800 people either killed or injured.

On average, 12 Ugandans die on the road every day. In October alone, two major crashes underscored the crisis. More than 40 people perished in a multi-vehicle collision on the Kampala-Gulu Highway, while another three, including two university students, died in a crash at Bweyogerere in Wakiso District. These tragedies highlight the urgent need for Uganda to overhaul its approach to road safety.

Helsinki’s experience shows that sustained investment in safer road design, speed management, and smart enforcement can save lives. In Helsinki, more than half of city streets now have speed limits of 30 km/h, compared to 50 km/h on most roads five decades ago.

The city has redesigned intersections, crossings, and pavements to priorities pedestrians and cyclists. Public transport systems have been expanded, reducing the number of private vehicles and lowering accident exposure.

Technology and enforcement have played a crucial role.

Automated cameras monitor speed compliance, while police use real-time data to identify dangerous driving patterns. Uganda’s ongoing rollout of the smart solutions mirrors this approach, prevent violations, and issue digital penalties. However, full implementation and consistent enforcement are still lacking.

Helsinki’s success also reflects a culture of discipline.

Motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians obey traffic laws, supported by sustained awareness campaigns and transparent penalties. Uganda continues to face challenges of corruption, inadequate driver training, and poor adherence to safety rules – factors that undermine even well-intentioned reforms.

The Ugandan government has introduced digital enforcement under the Electronic Penalty System (EPS), revised traffic laws, and begun integrating cameras on major highways. Just 5 days of the EPS running showed that drivers stopped speeding.

Yet the results remain modest due to limited coverage, very short active period, and a lack of coordination among agencies. To move towards Helsinki’s model, Uganda must enforce discipline, redesign roads to protect vulnerable users, expand public transport options, and strengthen data-driven planning. Above all, road safety should be treated not as an isolated traffic issue but as a national development priority.

Helsinki’s experience proves that zero road deaths is achievable – not through luck, but through deliberate choices. For Uganda, the path to safer roads lies in combining smart systems, strict laws, better infrastructure, and civic responsibility. Every life lost on the road is preventable, and every reform delayed prolongs a national tragedy.

President Yoweri Museveni has asked Ugandans to deny their votes to three key opposition presidential candidates for allegedly having no contribution made to the country.

Mr Museveni while addressing supporters at Namayingo Primary School in Namayingo District on Wednesday noted that Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, the National unity platform flag bearer, Mr Mafabi Nandala, the Forum for Democratic Change candidate and Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation Party have no proof of work done in Uganda for them to get votes.

‘Kyagulanyi, Muntu together with Nandala have done nothing apart from running around shouting,” Mr Museveni said. ‘Ask them what they have done.”

Mr Museveni advised voters to remind his political opponents that the NRM government has added a lot to the development of Uganda if they dare to ask them why they support it.

He pointed out the 1.3million jobs created in the industries brought by NRM which are existing alongside the 480,000 government jobs.

‘As I speak now, 1.3million people are working in factories spearheaded by NRM yet more are coming, therefore when one asks you why you support NRM, tell him/her that it has added a brick to the building of Uganda if it was a house,” Mr Museveni said.

Mr Museveni explained that schools, hospitals, roads and security have also been established in the country.

The First Lady, Ms Janet Museveni expressed gratitude towards the NRM supporters in Namayingo District for turning up in big numbers at the rally.

‘When I see you in big numbers here today, I thank God for giving you the wisdom to support NRM,” Ms Museveni said.

Ms Museveni stated that the large crowd implies that Ugandans have not forgotten the good things done by the NRM.

The Namayingo District NRM Chairperson, Mr Raymond Mukisa hailed NRM Government for constructing the first tarmac road in the area in addition to providing the Ferry.

Mr Mukisa, however, told the president that there is still more that needs to be handled by the Government.

‘Mr president, we need another District comprising Sigulu Islands, a Municipality out of Namayingo town council and doubling the funds for Parish Development model for residents since they are fishermen whose enterprises differ from those in other areas,” Mr Mukisa said.

The First Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Rebecca Kadaga added that the closed Namayingo CN Sugar factory needs to be re-opened by the government because it was sustaining many families in the area.

In January 2025, the Court ordered the closure of CN Sugar factory on grounds that it was licensed by an unauthorized body.

Ms Kadaga appealed to Namayingo residents to vote for President Museveni so that their demands are settled while in office.

‘Four you to get what you want, vote for the party chairman so that he gives you what you want,” Ms Kadaga said.

She requested the president to intervene in the alleged move to ban Weigh bridges for sugarcane established in different localities by sugar millers emphasizing that this is intended to take back the sugarcane farmers the problem of getting permits to supply canes to factories.

According to Ms Kadaga, sugarcane farmers are enjoying the advantages of selling canes before being delivered to factories in any quantity they have harvested as opposed to full trucks demanded at factories.

Once someone dances by the Nile at 3am, sees sunrise kiss the forest in soft gold, eats a chapati still warm from the pan, and hears 10 languages swirling through the night air, Uganda stops being a mystery. It becomes a memory. A feeling. A place that demands to be revisited.

Ask anyone who has ever staggered out of a Nyege Nyege dance floor, sweat-soaked, delirious, blissfully confused, and they’ll swear: nowhere on earth serves magic the way Uganda does. Perhaps that’s why thousands are already packing glitter, sunscreen, and questionable fashion choices for Nyege Nyege 2025, returning November 20 to 23 at its new home: Adrift Overland Camp and River Club, perched above Kalagala Falls. Picture neon lights bouncing off raging water, music echoing through rocks, tents scattered along the Nile, and dancers drifting through river breeze, forest scent, and unfiltered joy.

To the reveller, it’s enchantment; to Uganda, it’s momentum; to local communities, it’s money in motion. Nyege Nyege is doing something quietly radical: marketing Uganda to the world without a single billboard. Take Jude, for instance, the Nairobi guy, boarding a bus expecting a simple getaway.

When he arrives in Jinja, the festival won’t even have begun, yet the energy will already be spilling from the trees. Tents rising. Grills smoking. DJs releasing basslines. The Nile sending a cool breath across the clearing like a welcome message written in the wind. By midnight, Jude will have a new circle: two Ugandan creatives, a Kigali DJ devotee, a Congolese videographer, and a German backpacker convinced she’s discovered paradise.

By dawn, he’ll be standing at the edge of Kalagala Falls, watching morning pour itself into the river, and realising that what he thought would be a 72-hour escape has become an emotional landmark. That’s the spell Nyege Nyege casts: it pulls you in as a stranger and returns you as something else. While revellers lose themselves in laughter, rhythm, and river mist, the real transformation happens behind the scenes. For days and nights, Jinja and Kayunga become two of the busiest hospitality corridors.

Homes become guest houses; guest houses become boutique stays; boutique stays hang ‘fully booked’ signs weeks in advance. If past trends hold, a Shs50,000 spare room will double or triple in price, because Nyege Nyege never arrives empty-handed. Ms Sandra Nanteza, the founder of Bystays.com, says the shift is nothing short of a tourism revolution.

‘Even small guest houses and homestays that were never online are now fully booked. Hotels are sold out well before the festival, and property owners are welcoming international visitors for the first time.’ Her platform, hosting more than 150 properties and over 30 for the festival alone, has turned grandmothers into hosts, students into guest managers, and entire communities into unexpected tourism entrepreneurs.

But Nyege Nyege isn’t just a festival; it’s a network of micro-economies. Walk through the grounds at 2am and you’ll see them beating like a heart: street-food vendors flipping Rolexes, fish grills smoking beside makeshift bars, young people selling tie-dye shirts, beaded anklets, stencil art, and frozen juice sachets that rescue dehydrated dancers. Boda boda riders zigzag between stages.

Craft sellers from Busoga and Kampala make in three nights what they normally earn in a month. And then there’s the Nile, more than scenery, it becomes a business partner. ‘Accommodation, street foods, parking, and adventure activities, those are the big winners,’ says Mr Dennis Ntege of Raft Uganda, whose rafting and bungee teams scramble to keep up with demand as revellers dance all night, scream down rapids in the morning, nap for an hour, then do it all again.

Still, the biggest untapped opportunity is clear: turning festival-goers into long-stay tourists. Dr Lilly Ajarova, senior presidential advisor on tourism, sees Nyege Nyege as the ignition point of a broader national tourism strategy.

‘The Nyege Nyege Festival is more than a party, it’s a powerful engine for tourism growth. By integrating it with Uganda’s wider tourism offerings, we can attract a new generation of travellers and boost local economies.’ She imagines families in Jinja trained as certified homestay hosts, ensuring that festival income keeps flowing long after the stages go dark. This is echoed by Judyth Nsababera, Uganda’s consul general to Guangzhou, China.

‘The Nyege Nyege Festival is more than a celebration of music and culture, it’s a living expression of Uganda’s creativity, diversity, and global spirit,’ she says. Meanwhile, social media pushes Uganda’s charm far beyond its borders. Every reveller becomes a content creator; every moment, a potential viral clip. A 12-second video of dancers by the Nile can reach millions.

A drone shot of Kalagala Falls becomes a tourism invitation. Simon Kaheru, vice chairperson of the East African Business Council, says Nyege Nyege is also a regional affair. ‘The location in eastern Uganda makes it easier for our Kenyan brethren to hop across the border. Festivals like this can even become places where business partnerships form.’ He imagines young people becoming party tour guides, curating nightlife journeys the way safari guides curate wildlife expeditions; cross-border vendor networks sprouting from dance floors, firesides, and shared meals. He jokes that Nyege Nyege might become the new golf course, where deals happen not over putts, but over beats.

Construction works on the stalled multibillion Busega-Mpigi Expressway project will resume early next year, a Ministry of Works and Transport official has revealed.

According to Eng Isaac Wani, the Commissioner for National Roads, some additional Euros 217m (about Shs909 billion) has already been approved by the African Development Bank to facilitate the completion of the project.

“The approved sum, Euros 217m (about Shs909b), is for the expressway and the added scope of works, including the proposed Busega interchange. The project should resume as soon as possible once the contractor receives financing; give it early next year. But our teams are going to be on site even before that to validate and process compensation of affected persons so that the contractor can resume works with adequate right of way,” he said during an interview on Wednesday.

The project, which is expected to reduce the persistent traffic gridlock along the usually busy Kampala-Masaka highway, had stalled early this year like many other ongoing roads projects due to lack of funds. By the time the project stalled, Eng. Wani said the contractor had covered 46 percent of the work.

“With the approval from the African Development Bank, the increased scope will be implemented and the project completed to meet the desired goals of decongesting this critical corridor,” he added.

To avoid the more than 14km traffic jam along the Kampala-Masaka highway, some motorists currently use Mpigi-Bikondo-Nakawuka Road to connect to the city via Nateete junction. Another section of motorists accessing Kampala City from the direction of Masaka decide to use the Nsangi-Buloba Road to connect to the city through the Mityana-Kampala road because of the unending traffic gridlock.

Mr. Sulaiman Muhammad, a truck driver regularly using the Kampala-Masaka highway, urged the government to expedite the project, saying they are tired of diversions to village routes whenever there is a motor crash involving a heavy truck on the highway.

“We never expected that project to delay like this, but if the project has been funded and they have secured the money, we pray that it is put to good use and have the road completed,” he said.

Mpigi District Chairperson, Mr. Martine Ssejjemba, said he is optimistic that once the Busega-Mpigi Expressway is completed, residents, including the business community, could tap into the many development opportunities that come with improved with road networks.

“This particular road project has been delayed, although the reasons for the delays have already been explained. The unnecessary traffic jams cost the business community, workers, and residents their precious time and money. Mpigi District will benefit more from that project. I also pray that all the Project Affected Persons are compensated before the end of the project,” he said.

The Busega-Mpigi Expressway, which had earlier been projected to cost Shs547bn, kicked off in May 2020. The road starts at Busega in Kampala and takes a south-westerly direction to Mpigi Town through 21 villages, spread over two Town Councils (Kyengera and Mpigi) and two sub-counties (Kiringete and Wakiso).

This new road connects to the existing Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara highway at Lungala Village. The Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara highway leads to the common border with Rwanda via Mirama Hills and Kagitumba. It is among the busiest highways, with an average daily traffic count of 20,908 vehicles using the road daily.

The new road will include four major interchanges to facilitate interconnection with roads at designated points at Lungala, Maya, Nabbingo, and Nsangi in Wakiso District, off both the Northern Bypass and the Entebbe Expressway.

On January 29, 2024, a section of the Kampala-Masaka highway was closed to motorists to allow construction of the Mpigi interchange. Road users were diverted to use a 3.7km road through Mpigi township and rejoin the highway at Kalagala Village in Mpigi District.

The 23.7km road works are being undertaken by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the China Railway 19th Bureau Group Company Limited.

Each year, as we develop our annual sustainability report, we take a moment for deep reflection. We analyse key metrics, track progress, and measure our outcomes against established goals.

This year, as we release the 2024 report, titled ‘A Sustainable World is a Transformed Africa,’ a clear and urgent theme has emerged, one that challenges the core assumptions in the global sustainability conversation.

For too long, this dialogue has focused primarily on tangible assets. When we hear ‘green investments,’ images of vast solar farms, towering wind turbines, and large-scale climate-resilient infrastructure projects often come to mind. These remain crucial elements of a sustainable future.

However, our experience across Africa, a continent both deeply impacted by climate change and rich with nature assets and demographic opportunity, has taught us an essential lesson – technology and infrastructure are vital, but their true value is unlocked only when supported by the most important asset of all, an inspired, trained and empowered youth population that can tackle and address poverty.

A solar farm without trained technicians quickly turns from an asset into a liability. A drought-resistant seed is of little use if the farmer lacks the knowledge to grow it or does not have access to markets to sell its crop (or harvest or yield). Physical infrastructure depreciates; human capacity grows in value. It is people who innovate, adapt, and build resilience. This shifts social investment from a charitable add-on to the most strategic bet any society can make on its future prosperity.

Yet, investing in people alone is also not enough. For impact to be scalable and lasting, it must be anchored in an ecosystem that supports and multiplies human potential.

We structure this through three interconnected pillars: people, processes, and systems.

Investment in people is the starting point, but it only delivers when reinforced by robust processes, governance, risk management, quality assurance, and supported by systems such as digital platforms, franchise models, data aggregation and networks that drive scale.

The results are evident. Removing financial barriers for tens of thousands of bright but disadvantaged students is an investment in people. Embedding that in a community-based selection process and a structured system of mentorship and leadership development transforms students into innovators ready to tackle complex national and global challenges. This is how a country builds its intellectual infrastructure – the financial engineers, water specialists and software developers are shaping Africa’s tomorrow.

Healthcare offers an even clearer illustration. A nation weighed down by poor health cannot be productive. Here, the investment begins with the medical scholar but extends further. By adding business and financial training (process) and providing a ready-to-use franchise model (system), we enable young doctors to become entrepreneurs, opening clinics in their own communities.

The result is twofold: millions gain access to affordable healthcare, while local ownership strengthens economic stability. A clinic run by a doctor who speaks the local language and understands the culture will always deliver deeper, more sustainable impact than a project implemented from outside.

The true value of this integrated model is the virtuous cycle it ignites, a human capital flywheel. The investment does not dissipate; it multiplies with compounding social interest. The student we support studying medicine is the doctor who returns to run and own a community clinic, leveraging our shared systems and processes to serve the families of the next generation of students.

The agricultural training we provide for a smallholder farmer is amplified by a digital platform, a system that delivers market information, and a credit assessment process that unlocks financing. This is the tangible and sustainable mechanism of shared prosperity.

The lesson is clear, while solar panels and other green assets are vital, their real value lies in the ecosystem that sustains them. Success depends on the people who install and maintain them, the processes that enable financing and governance, and the systems that ensure performance is tracked and scaled.

Broadening the definition of green assets is no longer optional; it is essential. The challenge for business, government, and development leaders is to recalibrate our scorecards. Success should be measured not only in megawatts and carbon credits, but also in skills built, livelihoods secured, and communities empowered.

The hardware of the green transition remains vital, but its true value is only realised when it is anchored in people, enabled by effective processes and scaled through resilient systems.

As Uganda continues to review its education curriculum under the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) framework, it is likely time to incorporate indigenous perspectives into that conversation.

A few years ago, while working with a local agency among the indigenous communities of northeastern Uganda, I encountered a profound question about the meaning of development. My role was to help build relationships that could shape grassroots approaches to progress. Yet, I met communities that resisted what we often label as ‘development.’

Curious, especially about education, a woman I spoke with told me plainly: ‘When our children study, they leave for Kampala for employment and never come back. They forget who they are. How does that help our people?’

Her words struck me deeply. I started rethinking some assumptions we have. I wondered why education must always look the same everywhere, that learning must be standardised, measured through national exams, and detached from culture.

If education is truly about helping people observe, understand, and improve the world around them, then our current model fails many of Uganda’s indigenous communities. It alienates rather than empowers. It prepares children to leave, not to lead. Maybe we could rethink education for some of these communities.

Lessons from the Sámi people group. We can learn from the Sámi people of Norway. The Sámi people are an indigenous group that has successfully balanced national education standards with cultural preservation.

The Sámi follow the national curriculum but also have their own Sámi curriculum, which promotes their language, worldview, and traditional ecological knowledge. Their schools employ experiential, place-based learning approaches that are rooted in their local environment. Crucially, Sámi children have the right to be educated in their own language.

The result? Sámi learners meet national literacy and numeracy standards without losing their cultural identity. Their education prepares them to thrive in multiple worlds: their traditional communities, the national system, and the global economy.

Uganda’s indigenous communities such as the Karimojong, Ik, and Tepeth, and others hold deep reservoirs of wisdom about pastoralism, community, and sustainability.

Yet, our education system often treats these as irrelevant. What if we had a policy shift that recognised indigenous knowledge as a vital educational resource, rather than a relic of the past? I propose several key steps:

Government policy and funding for indigenous education – Establish frameworks and budgets to support hybrid curriculum design, teacher training, and materials that integrate local epistemologies.

Teacher preparation rooted in local contexts – Train teachers to draw on local stories, languages, and ecological knowledge as part of formal learning.

Integration of local languages – Language carries cultural memory and shapes understanding. Learners grasp concepts better when taught in familiar linguistic and cultural contexts.

Pedagogical hybridity – Create spaces where local and formal knowledge meet. Learning should connect classroom theory with community practice.Contextualised learning – Design a curriculum that helps children analyse their own social, economic, and ecological realities and imagine ways to improve them.

Grassroots participation – Empower communities to shape the kind of education they value. Infrastructure and curriculum should emerge from consultation, not imposition.

When education values indigenous knowledge, children no longer have to choose between identity and opportunity. They can thrive in national and global spaces while remaining connected to their heritage.

True development will not come from replacing local wisdom with external systems but from integrating the two. Education should be a bridge, not a barrier, a process that deepens roots even as it expands horizons.

If Uganda is serious about inclusive development, then reimagining education for its indigenous communities is not just desirable, but essential.