For many women, banking is more than opening an account or taking a loan. It is about accessing financial services that understand their realities, support their ambitions, and respond to the responsibilities they carry every day. This is why customer experience has become a critical factor in enabling financial institutions to better serve women and support their participation in the economy.

Women interact with financial services differently depending on their stage in life, profession, and responsibilities. Financial institutions must therefore design solutions that respond to these diverse realities.

A young professional woman, for example, may focus on loans to support education or career growth. A single mother might prioritize flexible loans, savings plans, or healthcare support for her children. A lactating mother visiting a bank may value a private space to breastfeed comfortably, while an expectant mother may prefer quick service to avoid standing for long periods.

Women entrepreneurs—market vendors, micro-entrepreneurs, or small business owners—often need a trusted person who can explain financial products in simple, relatable terms. Many rely on their businesses to support their families and appreciate having someone they can contact for guidance on loan repayments or business challenges.

At the same time, women with demanding careers often prefer fast, reliable digital services. Limited time makes convenient, efficient banking platforms essential, allowing them to complete transactions quickly and confidently. Understanding these varying needs helps financial institutions create services that are accessible, respectful, and genuinely helpful.

Despite progress, many women still face barriers to financial inclusion. Limited financial literacy remains a major challenge, particularly for women in the informal sector. Without clear information about financial products, they struggle to fully leverage available services.

Another obstacle is collateral requirements. Cultural norms often restrict women from inheriting property such as land, which is typically needed for loans. Mobility can also be a barrier for women without easy access to transport to reach financial institutions.

Customer experience teams can help address these challenges in several ways. Financial education, delivered in simple language and, where possible, in local languages, equips women to understand and use financial services effectively. Community workshops and discussions focused on women’s financial empowerment also make a difference.

Equity Bank Uganda, for instance, runs initiatives such as Equi-Mama, designed to support women entrepreneurs and mothers with tailored financial solutions. Platforms like the Abakyala Ku Ntiiko event allow women to share experiences, learn from one another, and gain practical knowledge that strengthens their businesses.

Empathy is central to good customer service. Staff must be trained to treat every customer with dignity, fairness, and respect. Engaging women in product development through surveys, feedback sessions, and focus groups ensures financial products truly respond to their needs. Institutions should also pay attention to women who may require additional support, including expectant mothers, elderly women, or mothers with young children. When customers feel understood, trust in financial institutions grows.

Creating a positive and inclusive customer experience encourages women to participate confidently in the financial system. Supported women are more likely to save, invest, and grow their businesses, strengthening their financial independence while contributing to the growth of families, communities, and national economies. Women entrepreneurs, in particular, play a key role in sustaining households and creating opportunities for others.

As we celebrate Women’s Month, it is vital to recognize the role women play in shaping the future. Every financial decision, whether small or large, contributes to building stronger communities and more inclusive economies. Women should continue investing in themselves, supporting one another, and pursuing their goals with confidence. Their contributions today lay the foundation for a stronger, more equitable future for all.

Jael Christine Wawulira is the Head of Customer Experience at Equity Bank Uganda

The post Creating banking experiences that truly work for women appeared first on 256 Business News.

Members of the White House Faith Office during a prayer in the Oval Office. At the centre: Donald Trump. In red at his side: his spiritual advisor, Paula White-Cain.

Donald Trump is often labelled a fascist, and for good reason. However, the religious justifications for the war in Iran, his delusions of grandeur, and his fixations suggest that his true role models are far more ancient.

Consider this quote: “In the name of Jesus, we command that all satanic pregnancies miscarry.”

These words were spoken by Paula White-Cain, the “spiritual advisor” to the current US President. She also heads Donald Trump’s White House Faith Office. White is one of numerous evangelical entrepreneurs who, under the guise of religiosity, not only spread absolute insanity but also amass great wealth through their own churches and television shows. –

Donald Trump discovered his current faith advisor on television: he watched her show and hired her. White’s predecessor is currently imprisoned for the sexual abuse of a twelve-year-old. White positioned herself early on, declaring publicly in 2017 that Trump had been “raised up by God,” adding: “It is God who raises up a king.”

At the Heart of the Priestly Circle

White also appears in a clip that circulated through social media last week. In it, Trump sits at his desk in the Oval Office, surrounded by 18 men and two women—all “pastors.” Most are touching one another; hands raised in blessing.

Trump is the centre of this priestly cluster. Seemingly entranced by his own anointed status, he sits with closed eyes and folded hands. Blessing hands rest on his shoulders and back, including, of course, those of Paula White. As the only person in a room full of dark suits wearing a red blazer, she is impossible to miss.

The Concept of Divine Right

The “Divine Right of Kings” is a historical concept often associated with the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly the era of Absolutism. It suggested that a ruler’s authority was derived directly from a higher power rather than from the will of the people or earthly institutions. Louis XIV of France, known as the “Sun King,” was a primary proponent of this ideology, which placed the monarch above the jurisdiction of ordinary courts.

Observers of modern American politics have noted certain parallels in contemporary rhetoric. The idea that a leader is beyond the reach of “earthly jurisdiction” or that executive power should be absolute mirrors these historical precedents.

Mercantilism and Modern Trade

Parallels also extend to economic policy. Under Louis XIV, France practiced mercantilism, a system designed to increase national wealth by maximizing exports and minimizing imports through high tariffs. The current emphasis on protectionist trade policies and significant import duties reflects a similar approach to national economic management.

The Evolution of the “Court”

In absolute monarchies, the ruler was surrounded by a loyal court of nobility who provided both financial support and public flattery. In a modern democratic context, some argue that a new form of “neo-feudalism” is emerging, where high-net-worth individuals and influential supporters fill a similar role, funding political movements and reinforcing the leader’s standing.

Historical Context and the Constitution

The authors of the United States Constitution were deeply familiar with the excesses of absolute power in Europe. A central goal of the American experiment was to create a system of checks and balances to ensure that such uncontrolled rule would be impossible. The success of this framework remains a subject of intense scrutiny during pivotal election cycles.

This article has been adapted from Der Spiegel

The post What Trump truly aspires to be appeared first on 256 Business News.

By Juliet Muheirwe, Head of Human Resources, Equity Bank Uganda

In today’s evolving workplace, building an inclusive environment is no longer optional—it is essential for sustainable growth, innovation, and social progress. At Equity Bank Uganda, inclusion is not simply a policy statement but a deliberate strategy embedded across recruitment, leadership development, employee wellness, and career advancement.

Each March, as the world commemorates International Women’s Day, organizations are reminded of the importance of empowering women both socially and economically. At Equity Bank Uganda, this moment provides an opportunity to reflect on how intentional workplace practices can unlock women’s potential and, in doing so, transform communities.

Creating an inclusive workplace begins with equitable systems. At Equity Bank, the recruitment process is designed to ensure there is no discrimination based on gender. Talent is recognized for what it is—talent—regardless of who it comes from.

This approach has helped the bank maintain a workforce that is close to gender parity. Yet achieving balance in numbers is only the first step. The real progress lies in creating pathways for growth, leadership, and influence.

Women are encouraged to take up space, share ideas, and actively participate in shaping the future of the organization. Providing such opportunities ensures that women are not only represented but also empowered to contribute meaningfully.

Over the past five years, the bank has implemented targeted programs aimed at strengthening women’s leadership within the organization.

One notable initiative is the Girls for Girls mentorship program, which has seen more than 100 staff members participate. Through this initiative, women receive mentorship, professional guidance, and leadership exposure that prepares them for more senior roles.

The results have been encouraging. More than 30 women from middle management have transitioned into senior leadership positions, while others have taken on expanded responsibilities across the organization.

Progress is also visible at the executive level. In 2019, only three women served on the bank’s Executive Committee (EXCO). Today, gender representation at that level has reached parity.

This transformation demonstrates how deliberate leadership development programs can reshape organizational structures and create pathways for women to lead.

True empowerment, however, requires supporting employees not only professionally but also personally.

Over the years, the bank has introduced several workplace policies aimed at improving the well-being of working mothers. For instance, mothers are entitled to 60 days of maternity leave, which can be combined with 21 days of annual leave to provide additional time to bond with their newborns.

Upon returning to work, mothers are granted two hours within the eight-hour workday to attend to their babies. The workplace also provides dedicated nursing rooms where mothers can breastfeed or express milk in privacy and comfort.

These provisions enable women to meet professional responsibilities while continuing to nurture their children during those critical early months.

Complementing these initiatives is a strengthened medical scheme that ensures mothers and their newborns have access to quality healthcare services during and after childbirth.

Such policies demonstrate that supporting women at work is not only about representation but about building systems that allow them to thrive.

An inclusive workplace benefits both employees and organizations. At Equity Bank, these policies have contributed to high retention rates among female staff, increased recruitment of women, and the steady progression of women into senior management roles.

The organization is also revitalizing employee engagement platforms such as women’s and men’s clubs to equip staff with the skills, tools, and networks needed to grow professionally and personally.

When employees feel supported and valued, they are more productive, more innovative, and more committed to organizational goals.

For organizations seeking to build inclusive workplaces, intentional action is key. Recruitment processes must eliminate bias and provide equal opportunities for both men and women.

Companies should also analyze internal data to identify gaps and design targeted interventions. Mentorship initiatives, leadership training, and professional development opportunities should be widely accessible while also addressing the unique challenges different groups may face.

Equally important is paying attention to broader societal trends that affect employees. Issues such as mental health, workplace stress, and burnout have become increasingly prevalent and require thoughtful responses.

Employers that respond proactively to these realities are better positioned to build resilient and productive workforces.

For young women stepping into professional environments, the journey requires clarity, resilience, and continuous learning.

Understanding your strengths, abilities, and purpose is a crucial first step. Aligning personal goals with professional ambitions helps create a meaningful career path.

Mentorship is equally important. Finding a mentor in a field you admire can provide valuable guidance, insight, and encouragement during moments of uncertainty.

Maintaining balance is just as critical. In a fast-changing world, flexibility and openness to new opportunities are essential for growth.

Above all, young professionals should value themselves, nurture their well-being, and embrace the journey of personal and professional development.

Empowering women in the workplace goes beyond individual success. It creates ripple effects across families, communities, and economies.

When women are supported to grow, lead, and thrive, organizations become stronger and societies more equitable.

At Equity Bank Uganda, the philosophy is simple but powerful: when you invest in people, you transform lives. And when women are given the opportunity to lead, the impact reaches far beyond the workplace.

The post Give to Gain: Empowering women in the workplace to transform lives appeared first on 256 Business News.

CGTN Reporter

For decades, the world has looked at Africa and seen a continent that needs to be fed. But after my recent journey through the heart of China’s agricultural engine, I see a different future.

I see a future where African farmers are not just feeding themselves, but are the key partners in China’s next great economic chapter: the 15^th Five-Year Plan 2026-2030.

This plan isn’t just a set of rules for China, it is a roadmap for how the world will grow food in an age of climate change. My visits to Henan Province showed me exactly how Africa can fit into this map.

My first stop was Qixian County in Kaifeng City, Henan Province. To stand in Qixian is to stand at the center of the world’s flavor. Henan and Shandong together sustain over seventy percent of the global garlic supply.

I met farmers there who treated garlic not just as a vegetable, but as a high-tech product. I saw rows upon rows of garlic being processed with incredible speed.

One farmer told me, “We don’t just grow garlic; we manage a global supply chain.”

The lesson for me is that in many African countries, we grow excellent garlic and onions, but much of it rots because we lack storage. China’s 15^th Five-Year Plan focuses on digital trade and cold chain logistics. If Africa adopts these Chinese systems for example using solar powered cooling hubs, our farmers could move from selling at local markets to supplying the entire globe.

Next, I travelled to Weishi County, also in Kaifeng. If Qixian is about flavor, Weishi is about survival. This is the land of wheat. As I walked through the golden fields, I saw drones hovering overhead and sensors tucked into the soil.

China’s 15^th Five-Year Plan places a massive emphasis on Seed Sovereignty and Smart Farming. In Weishi, they are using 5G technology to tell a farmer exactly how much water a single wheat stalk need. Now Africa has the most uncultivated arable land in the world. As China moves toward even higher technology, it needs stable, green partners to grow the raw materials for a growing global population. By learning from Weishi’s smart farming, African farmers can increase their wheat yields by three or four times using the same amount of land.

You might ask, why does China’s plan matter to a farmer in Namibia, Malawi or Zambia? The answer is simple, China is currently moving its low-end manufacturing and heavy processing out of its cities to make room for high-tech growth. This creates a huge opportunity for Africa to become the new global processing hub.

Under the 15^th Five-Year Plan, China is looking to share technology, sending the same drones and sensors I saw in Weishi to African cooperatives.

This will make it easier for African specialty crops like our coffee, avocados and yes, garlic to enter Chinese supermarkets.

It will also help African farmers build resilience by making use of Chinese climate-science to survive the droughts we are seeing today in places like Somalia and Northern Kenya.

My time in Henan showed me that farming is no longer about toiling in the dirt, it is about data, technology and good global friendship. If we can bring the Qixian speed and the Weishi Tech back to our home soil, the next Global Food Capital won’t just be in China, it will right here in Africa.

The post How Africa’s farmers can benefit from China’s 15th Five-Year Plan appeared first on 256 Business News.

Let us be clear about what the United States and Israel are pursuing. The US objective is not the security of the American people. The objective is global hegemony. The attempt is to destroy the UN and the international rule of law—an attempt that will fail.

On February 16, 2026, one of us (Jeffrey Sachs) sent a letter to the UN Security Council warning that the United States was on the verge of tearing up the United Nations Charter. That warning has now come to pass. The United States and Israel have launched an unprovoked war against Iran in flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter, without authorization from the Security Council, and without any legitimate claim of self-defence under Article 51. They are trying to kill the UN Charter and the international rule of law, but they will fail.

At the Security Council on February 28, 2026, the US and its allies directed their condemnation not at the American and Israeli aggression, but at Iran. One US ally after the next condemned Iran for its retaliatory attacks yet absurdly failed to condemn the illegal and unprovoked US-Israeli attack on Iran. This performance by these countries was disgraceful and turned reality completely upside down.

The joint US-Israeli attacks were described by Trump as necessary because Iran “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore.” This is of course a flat lie. As the letter of February 16 recounted, Iran agreed a decade ago to a nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that was adopted by the UN Security Council in Resolution 2231. It was Trump who ripped up the agreement in 2018. In June 2025, Israel bombed Iran in the midst of US-Iran negotiations. This time too, the Israel-US war plans were set weeks ago when Netanyahu met with Trump, and the negotiations underway between the US and Iran were a charade. This seems to be the new modus operandi of the US: start negotiations and then aim to murder the counterparts.

It is easy to understand why the US allies behave in the embarrassing and self-abasing way they did at the UN Security Council. In addition to the United States, eight of the other fourteen Council members host US military bases or grant the US military access to local bases: Bahrain, Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Panama, and the United Kingdom. These countries are not fully sovereign. They are partially governed by the US. The US military bases house CIA operations, and the host countries constantly look over their shoulder to try to avoid US subversion in their own countries.

As Henry Kissinger famously said, “It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be its friend is fatal.” We can add that to host US military bases and CIA operations is to turn your country into a vassal state.

As an absurd but telling example, the Danish ambassador parroted every US talking point, pointing her finger at Iran for its aggression as if Iran had not been attacked by the US and Israel. She completely forgot that such humiliating vassalage to the US will not play well for Denmark if the US occupies Greenland.

Sybil Fares

The truthful voices at the Security Council came from the countries not occupied by the United States. Russia explained correctly that the so-called West (that is, the countries occupied by the US) is engaged in victim-blaming when it points its finger at Iran. China reminded the Council that the crisis began with the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, not with Iran’s retaliation. Somalia’s ambassador, speaking on behalf of several African member states, truthfully portrayed the source of this recent escalation. The UN Representative of the League of Arab States spoke brilliantly about the root cause of Israel’s mad aggression: the denial of rights to Palestinian people, and Israel’s use of mass murder and regional war to prevent the emergence of a State of Palestine.

When Iran retaliates against US military bases in the Gulf, it is exercising its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter. We must remember that the US and Israel are openly and repeatedly assassinating Iran’s leaders, with the aim of overthrowing its government. When states murder a foreign head of state and attempt to destroy the government, the target of those threats is entitled under international law to defend itself.

The US-Israeli bombing murdered not only Iran’s Supreme Leader and several top government officials, but also more than 140 young girls in their school in Minab. These young children are the victims of a horrific war crime. The countries today that gave a pass to the United States and Israel for these killings—notably Denmark, France, Latvia, the United Kingdom, and of course the US —are also complicit in this war crime.

This UN Security Council emergency meeting will likely be remembered as the day the United Nations ceased to function from its headquarters on American soil. An international organization dedicated to the peaceful settlement of disputes cannot credibly operate from a country that wages illegal wars, threatens member states with annihilation, and treats UN Security Council resolutions as disposable instruments of convenience. For the UN to survive, and we need it to survive, it will need several homes around the world—in Brazil, China, India, South Africa, and others—honouring the true multipolarity of our world.

Let us be clear about what the United States and Israel are pursuing. The US objective is not the security of the American people. The objective is global hegemony. The attempt is to destroy the UN and the international rule of law—an attempt that will fail. Israel’s objective is to establish a Greater Israel, destroy the Palestinian people, and assert its hegemony over hundreds of millions of Arabs across the Middle East (from the Nile to the Euphrates, as US Ambassador Mike Huckabee recently asserted).

The United States’ delusional efforts at global hegemony are proceeding region by region. The US has recently claimed, in a wholly twisted supposed revival of the Monroe Doctrine, that it controls the Western Hemisphere and can dictate how Latin American countries conduct their economic and political affairs. The US kidnapped the sitting Venezuelan president to prove the point, and it now threatens to overthrow the Cuban government as well.

Today’s war against Iran aims to prove that the US similarly owns the Middle East. The war is part of a 30-year campaign, initiated by the Clean Break doctrine, to overthrow all governments that oppose US and Israeli hegemony in the region. Those joint Israel-US wars have included the genocide in Gaza, the occupation of the West Bank and the decades of wars and regime-change operations in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

One part of the US global plan is to commandeer the world’s oil exports and to weaken China and Russia in the process. The US seizure of Venezuela was designed to ensure American control of that country’s oil exports, especially to control the flow of oil to China. US sanctions on Russia aim to prevent Russian oil from reaching India and China. Now the US aims to stop the flow of Iran’s oil to China. More broadly, the US aims to control the entire Gulf region plus Iran to maintain its imperial dominance.

The international order that Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt helped to build after the catastrophe of WWII was founded on a simple and profound idea – that law and respect, not force, should govern relations among states. That idea is now being destroyed by the very nation that did most to promote it in founding the UN. The irony is bitter beyond measure.

The truth is that the devastation of the war will not directly affect the so-called West: their children will not suffer traumas or death, and their countries will not be set ablaze. The victims of this attack are the people of the Middle East. They are the expendable ones who suffer from Western arrogance, abuse of power, and addiction to war.

We close with two observations. First, the United States will not achieve global hegemony or kill the UN. The world is too large, too diverse, and too determined to resist domination by any single power, much less one with 4 percent of the world’s population. The world outside of the US and the countries it occupies want the UN to live and thrive. The US attempt will surely fail, but it may cause immense suffering before it does.

Second, if Israel continues its addiction to war and occupation, it too will not survive. That addiction represents a mix of theocracy and post-traumatic stress. Part of Israel believes that it is the biblical kingdom of the 5th century BC. The other part lives in the traumatic memory of the Holocaust, and so is determined to kill any perceived adversary rather than learn to live together with it in peace. The Israeli Ambassador’s twisted defence of Israel’s brazen attack on Iran, as usual, cited the Bible and Auschwitz as the two justifications. These are Israel’s two perennial references, but not the real world of today.

A state that depends on permanent war, permanent occupation and slaughter of the Palestinians, and the indefinite subjugation of millions of people has no viable future, and the policies that the United States is now pursuing on Israel’s behalf will accelerate rather than prevent that outcome.

The two-state solution, which the Council has endorsed repeatedly, offers Israel a path to peace. Tragically Israel rejects that. The result, eventually, will be the end of Israel itself in its current form, especially as the US population is rapidly turning against Israel’s violent theocracy and towards the cause of Palestine. Perhaps there will be one democratic state for both Arabs and Jews living in peace, together, with an end of apartheid rule.

These are harsh truths, but emergencies demand honesty. The UN is being murdered by Israel and the United States. The Security Council must rouse itself from their military occupation by the US, and remember that they are the stewards of the UN Charter’s promise to maintain international peace and security.

The post This illegal US-Israeli attack on Iran is also an assault on the United Nations appeared first on 256 Business News.

However, beneath the beautiful aesthetic lies a haunting geological reality. In many parts of Uganda and across sub-Saharan Africa, productive topsoil is surprisingly thin. Below the fragile layer of top soil lies murram, a nutrient-poor, iron-rich lateritic subsoil that once exposed, bakes under the tropical sun into a literal brick.

The Green Revolution in Southeast Asia was a transformative period with agricultural productivity doubling in two decades from the mid-1960s. Soil replenishment associated with the use of fertilisers was a core component in the realization of this ‘miracle’ alongside the development of new crop varieties, improved agronomic practices and the application of pesticides. Today, sub-Saharan Africa stands at far more dangerous crossroads. Stakeholders have mistaken regular rainfall for soil health and begun a process of soil mining that threatens to turn Uganda’s gardens to desert.

The Great Fertilizer Gap

The disparity in how farmers feed soil is possibly the most significant, yet overlooked, metric in global economics. The contrast is staggering. According to the World Bank, the global average for fertilizer use for low and middle income counties sat at 134.2 kilogrammes per hectare (kg/ha) in 2022 with intensive producers in East Asia and the Pacific at 290.8 kg/ha while Sub-Saharan Africa averaged just 18.2 kg/ha that same year.

While the 2006 Abuja Declaration urged African Union states to raise fertiliser nitrogen (N) use to 50 kg/ha by 2015, Uganda remains among the lowest users globally. The World Bank estimated Uganda’s average fertiliser use at 3.3 kg/ha in 2023, while the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) reported a lower range of 0.23–1.5 kg/ha for the same year reflecting differences in measurement and coverage. Uganda is trying to feed a population of 46 million, growing by 1.5 million people each year, while drawing down soil nutrients faster than they are being replaced.

The Myth of Infinite Fertility

The soil fertility myth is deeply entrenched in Uganda. Blessed with dual rainfall seasons, many farmers and even policymakers operate under the assumption soils are naturally rich. The data tells a different story. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns soil fertility in Uganda is declining at an alarming rate due to unsustainable practices resulting in degradation of soil properties and low nutrient reserves.

Every time a metric tonne of maize or coffee is harvested and exported, a specific amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is removed from the earth. Without replenishment, this is not farming, but soil mining. The legacy of centuries can be extracted in a few short seasons. Once organic matter is exhausted and soil structure collapses, cultivators hit murram and yields fall sharply. This degradation has already turned once-productive land into hardpan that resists even the heaviest rains and accelerates land degradation and localised desertification.

Crisis of Quality and Trust

Farmers who attempt to use fertilisers often encounter a ‘quality crisis’. The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) estimates that 30% to 40% of seeds sold in Uganda are counterfeit. Pesticides and fertilisers and other agricultural inputs endure similar challenges.

Nitrogen-based fertilisers are particularly prone to volatilization where nutrients literally evaporate into the air due to poor storage in the heat. Regional logistics continue to squeeze the smallholder. In 2025, changes to Kenya’s tax and subsidy regime were widely reported by stakeholders as contributing to higher input costs, in some cases driving fertiliser prices up 20–30 percent. These increases quickly transmit to landlocked Uganda through transport costs and regional supply constraints.

While the government’s Parish Development Model (PDM) aims to bridge this gap by channelling inputs to the village level, a massive void in local expertise remains. Distributing bags of NPK is not enough. Farmers must be taught how to protect the soil’s structure so the nutrients actually take hold.

The Kampala Declaration: A New Path

However, there is hope. It was agreed at the 2024 Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health (AFSH) Summit in Nairobi, Kenya that AU Member States need to markedly increase the health of their soils and invest in targeted and validated soil restoration efforts to reverse Africa’s interrelated challenges of land degradation, climate change, food insecurity and biodiversity loss.

This was supported at the January 2025 African Union Extraordinary Summit on the Post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) held in Kampala with the adoption of the 10-year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa to be implemented from 2026 to 2035.

The new roadmap recognizes that adding chemicals to dead, carbon-depleted soil is a futile endeavour. The goal is to triple intra-African agricultural trade and mobilize $100 billion in public and private sector investment by 2035. For Uganda, this means moving beyond blanket fertiliser recommendations toward targeted agronomic advice that respects local soil chemistry.

The Bottom Line

If Uganda continues to use only 3.3 kg/ha of fertiliser, the country will eventually run out of “natural” fertility. Society cannot feed a booming population on thin topsoil and a sub-layer of stone. The transition from subsistence mining to sustainable replenishing is the only way to ensure that the thin green line does not vanish. The Green Revolution in Southeast Asia proved that humanity can multiply the earth’s bounty. The task in Africa is even more vital. The continent must save the earth itself before it turns to brick beneath its feet.

Christopher Burke is a senior advisor at WMC Africa, a communications and advisory agency located in Kampala, Uganda. With over 30 years of experience, he has worked extensively on social, political and economic development issues focused on governance, agriculture, environment issues, policy formulation, communications, advocacy, extractives, conflict transformation, international relations and peace-building in Asia and Africa.

The post The Thin Green Line: Uganda’s Soil Crisis a National Food Security Threat appeared first on 256 Business News.

By Pamela Ankunda

This year marks thirty years of existence for Threeways Shipping company (Group) ltd — a milestone that speaks not just to corporate longevity, but to endurance, adaptation, and belief in Uganda’s economic promise.

Unfortunately, not many indigenous companies can celebrate 30 years, which is why I choose to celebrate the grit and perseverance of a logistics firm that makes this milestone.

Three decades ago, Uganda was a very different country to operate in — especially for a logistics company. Beyond logistics, Uganda had hope that it could not possibly renew, and dreams that were a miracle to come alive.

The mid-1990s period was one of transition. Infrastructure networks were still recovering from years of instability. Key transport corridors were underdeveloped, fleet financing was scarce, and cross-border trade systems were largely manual. The private sector was finding its footing in a country rebuilding from disease burden, debt pressure, and fragile institutional systems — yet alive with hope for renewal.

It was within this environment that Threeways Shipping was born. The company’s early years were shaped by grit rather than convenience. Moving cargo across Uganda and the wider region required more than trucks — it demanded resilience, mechanical ingenuity, patience at border points, and trust built shipment by shipment. Logistics then, was less about technology and more about human reliability.

Over time, as Uganda’s road networks expanded, even if in bare minimum, regional trade blocs strengthened, and customs systems modernized, logistics companies had to evolve. Fleet sizes grew. Compliance standards tightened. Client expectations shifted from basic delivery to integrated supply chain solutions. Still, it was no silver bullet, no magic wind.

But with changes, Threeways Shipping grew, turning so many tides of change, disruption, debts, etc, to make a mark on the logistics sector today.

Its story mirrors the steady rise of Uganda’s transport— from recovery to regional competitiveness. The company has supported the movement of essential goods, construction materials, agricultural produce, petroleum products, and humanitarian supplies, quietly enabling sectors that power daily life.

Logistics companies rarely occupy headlines, yet they form the bloodstream of an economy. Every factory input, supermarket shelf item, hospital supply, and infrastructure project depends on transport reliability.

Thirty years in logistics, therefore, is not just a business anniversary — it is participation in nation-building.

A Story of Perseverance and Motion

The story of Threeways Shipping is ultimately one of perseverance.

From operating in an era of limited infrastructure to navigating fuel price volatility, regional trade shifts, regulatory reforms, and fleet modernization — survival required foresight and discipline.

Many logistics firms that began in the 1990s no longer exist today. Market consolidation, capital constraints, and operational risks have reshaped the industry.

Reaching thirty years signals institutional memory, trusted partnerships, and operational credibility.

It speaks to drivers who covered millions of kilometres, mechanics who kept fleets roadworthy against odds, operations teams who planned routes before GPS systems, and clients who entrusted cargo through uncertain terrain.

Growth did not happen overnight — it moved load by load.

Linking Past, Present, and the Road Ahead

Anniversaries invite reflection, but they also demand forward vision.

Uganda’s logistics future is being shaped by oil and gas development, railway revitalization, digital cargo tracking, regional export expansion, and green transport transitions. Threeways Shipping is there, deep in every corner. Companies with deep operational roots are best positioned to lead this next phase.

It demonstrates that after thirty years, the company is still moving — not just on highways, but alongside the growth currents that define Uganda’s progress.

In many ways, the company’s journey has unfolded like a long-distance walk — steady and purposeful, at times uphill, yet always pressing forward. Three decades on, it stands not as a destination reached, but as a milestone passed. The road ahead remains open, stretching toward new horizons and fresh tests of endurance. And as it marks thirty years, the question lingers with quiet confidence: could Threeways Shipping one day walk its way to a century?

The post Celebrating Business Longevity Threeways Shipping Services at 30: Three Decades Walking with Uganda’s Growth appeared first on 256 Business News.

Michael Wakabi

The biblical account of Pharaoh’s dream in Genesis 41 has long been interpreted as allegory, theology, or moral instruction. Yet when looked at through the lens of climate risk and statecraft, it emerges as an early narrative on climate variability and institutional preparedness in the Nile Basin. Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows devoured by seven lean cows and seven full ears of grain consumed by seven thin ones, which Joseph interprets as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. He recommends building reserves during the years of plenty to mitigate the coming scarcity. Beneath its symbolic surface, the story speaks to enduring concerns about hydrological cycles and governance in the Nile basin.

Ancient Egypt was a hydraulic civilisation whose survival depended on the annual flooding of the Nile River. These floods determined agricultural productivity, food security, tax revenues, and political stability. Variability in the inundation was existential with insufficient flooding causing crop failure and famine, while excessive flooding could destroy settlements and disrupt society. Pharaoh’s dream captures the societal anxiety over this variability where abundance could quickly flip into scarcity, threatening the very foundations of the state.

Interestingly, the seven-year cycle in the narrative may echo natural oscillations observed in modern climate science. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a recurring climatic pattern, drives rainfall variability across East Africa. El Niño events tend to bring above-average rainfall, while La Niña often results in drought. ENSO cycles repeat roughly every two to seven years, closely aligning with the timeframe of the biblical narrative. While the story frames the forecast as divine revelation, it likely reflects long-term observation of hydrological extremes, encoded into collective memory as a lesson in preparedness.

Joseph’s response to the dream is administrative and strategic. He institutes centralised grain storage during surplus years, converting variability into a managed buffer against future scarcity. This mirrors modern climate risk management strategies: anticipating extremes, building reserves, and embedding resilience within institutional structures. Ancient societies such as Egypt had rudimentary monitoring systems. Nilometres measured flood levels and informed planning, illustrating that early attempts at climate adaptation were grounded in empirical observation, even if framed in religious terms.

Today, the Nile Basin spans eleven countries and faces intensified pressures from rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, population growth, and complex transboundary water governance. Hydrological modelling and ENSO-informed seasonal forecasts now allow authorities to anticipate wet and dry periods with unprecedented accuracy. Yet technological capacity alone does not guarantee resilience. The effectiveness of adaptation measures hinges on governance, or the ability of institutions to act on forecasts, coordinate resources, and maintain public trust.

Infrastructure remains a critical complement to forecasting. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) exemplifies modern efforts to mitigate the extremes of Nile hydrology that Pharaoh’s dream allegorically depicted. By storing and regulating the Blue Nile’s flow, GERD allows for a more controlled release of water downstream, smoothing out the sharp contrasts between flood and drought years. In periods of excessive rainfall, the reservoir can capture surplus water, reducing the risk of destructive floods in Sudan and Egypt. Conversely, during droughts, stored water can be released to sustain agriculture, maintain hydropower generation, and secure municipal water supply. While GERD cannot eliminate climate variability, its capacity for strategic water management transforms natural unpredictability into a manageable, predictable resource, echoing the ancient principle of building buffers during periods of abundance to prepare for scarcity.

Another lesson from Pharaoh’s dream is the timing of intervention. Preparedness during periods of abundance is far more effective than emergency measures during scarcity. Policymakers in the Nile Basin today face similar imperatives that require building strategic grain reserves, maintaining operational irrigation infrastructure, and establishing financial mechanisms to sustain water and food security. These measures ensure that cyclical patterns, whether seven-year biblical cycles or ENSO-induced rainfall variability, do not destabilise communities or national economies.

The epistemology of forecasting has changed, but the emotional and political stakes remain constant. Ancient narratives interpreted variability through divine communication; modern science interprets it through data, hydrological models, and satellite monitoring. Both approaches recognise the structural reality that amidst the tension between water abundance and scarcity, societal survival depends on foresight, coordination, and governance.

For policymakers, the story underscores several critical points. Climate variability is normal, yet unmanaged variability becomes crisis. Effective adaptation requires institutional credibility and capacity, regional cooperation, and strategic infrastructure investment. ENSO cycles demonstrate that hydrological extremes are neither new nor unpredictable. The enduring lesson is that governance determines whether these fluctuations produce stability or disaster.

Pharaoh’s dream is thus more than a theological curiosity; it is a cautionary tale with direct policy relevance. The Nile Basin’s modern water planners, regional institutions, and governments can draw three key lessons. First, cyclical climate phenomena, from biblical seven-year patterns to ENSO, have always shaped human livelihoods. Second, resilience must be built during periods of abundance through storage, infrastructure, and contingency planning. Third, data-informed governance and institutional foresight are essential for transforming potential crises into manageable risks.

In conclusion, Genesis 41 provides a lens through which to understand the historical roots of climate anxiety in the Nile Basin. While interpretations of the story vary, its implications for policy are clear. Ancient observers recognised that the Nile’s rhythms required active management; today, science allows policymakers to anticipate and mitigate those same rhythms. The interplay between abundance and scarcity, divine warning and empirical observation, remains profoundly relevant. Pharaoh’s dream reminds us that climate variability is an enduring challenge, but with foresight, governance, and infrastructure, its impacts can be managed, ensuring that cyclical extremes are opportunities for planning rather than catalysts for catastrophe.

The post Pharaoh’s Dream, the GERD, ENSO, and Modern Nile Basin Resilience: Lessons from seven-year cycles appeared first on 256 Business News.

Multilateral development banks occupy a delicate space. They are political creations, established by treaties and backed by sovereign shareholders. Yet their operational credibility depends fundamentally on financial independence, institutional discipline and market confidence. That balance is fragile. When political considerations appear to influence financial decisions — or when markets suspect they do — the cost can be immediate and enduring.

Afreximbank’s break with Fitch Ratings followed a downgrade that pushed the bank into non-investment grade territory. The institution argued that the rating agency misunderstood its Establishment Agreement and failed to properly recognise the strength of shareholder backing. That may well be a legitimate concern. However, withdrawing from the rating relationship altogether risks sending a troubling signal to investors: that the bank is unwilling to subject itself to external scrutiny when assessments turn unfavourable.

Credit ratings are not endorsements. They are risk opinions. Markets understand that disagreements between issuers and agencies occur. What they watch closely, however, is how institutions respond. A development bank’s willingness to engage constructively with scrutiny — even when critical — reinforces perceptions of governance strength. Abrupt disengagement can instead raise doubts about transparency, resilience and tolerance for independent oversight.

The deeper concern lies in the perception of political influence. Afreximbank’s shareholders are sovereign states. Some of those states have recently faced debt distress, restructuring episodes and contentious rating downgrades. In that context, the optics of severing ties with a rating agency may invite speculation that political sensitivities, rather than purely technical disagreements, are shaping institutional decisions.

Even the perception of political encroachment can be costly. Multilateral banks depend on global capital markets for funding. Their business models rely on borrowing at competitive rates and on-lending to member states and enterprises. If investors begin to price in governance risk — or fear that financial discipline may yield to political imperatives — borrowing costs rise. Over time, that erodes the very development mandate the institution was created to advance.

There is also a systemic dimension. African financial institutions have long argued that global rating methodologies inadequately reflect regional realities. That debate deserves serious engagement. But credibility in reform advocacy requires demonstrating the highest standards of governance at home. If calls for methodological fairness are accompanied by actions perceived as defensive or politically driven, the broader argument risks losing force.

The danger, therefore, is not the disagreement itself. Robust debate between issuers and rating agencies is healthy. The danger lies in what this episode might signal about institutional independence. Development banks must be insulated not only from market volatility, but from political pressures that could compromise objective risk management.

The path forward should prioritise transparency and reassurance. Afreximbank would strengthen its position by publicly clarifying governance safeguards, reaffirming its commitment to independent oversight and maintaining engagement with multiple international rating agencies. Markets are less concerned with disagreements than with opacity.

Africa’s financial architecture is maturing. Institutions like Afreximbank play a central role in shaping that trajectory. Preserving their independence is not merely a governance ideal — it is a financial necessity. If political overreach, real or perceived, takes root, the consequences will not be symbolic. They will be measured in basis points, investor confidence and long-term development capacity.

The post Afreximbank’s rift with Fitch raises questions about independence and risk appeared first on 256 Business News.

By Dr. Macharia Kihuro

In a recent public statement, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) announced that it would terminate its credit rating relationship with Fitch Ratings. The reasoning was unusually direct. The bank said it no longer believed the credit rating exercise reflected a proper understanding of its Establishment Agreement, its mandate, or its mission. It underscored that its business profile remains robust, supported by strong shareholder relationships and the legal protections embedded in its founding treaty, which has been signed and ratified by member states.

At the heart of the disagreement lies a long-running debate in global finance: should rating agencies apply a uniform methodology to all banks, or should their frameworks be adapted to reflect institutional differences? More specifically, should a commercial bank be assessed under the same criteria as a multilateral development bank (MDB)? Afreximbank argues that this distinction was not adequately reflected in Fitch’s assessment, resulting in what it considers a mischaracterisation of its credit standing.

Fitch’s “Bank Rating Criteria” relies on a two-part structure for both commercial banks and MDBs. The first component is a Core Quantitative Model (CQM), which calculates a Viability Rating based on financial metrics such as asset quality and capital adequacy. This forms the initial rating anchor. The second element is a Support Rating framework, which evaluates external backing. For MDBs, this theoretically considers the contractual commitments of member states under the institution’s Establishment Agreement. In certain cases, Fitch employs a “credit substitution” approach, linking an MDB’s rating to the creditworthiness of its strongest shareholders.

The rupture became public on January 28, 2026, when Fitch downgraded Afreximbank from ‘BBB-’ to ‘BB+’ before subsequently withdrawing all ratings. The downgrade moved the bank’s long-term issuer default rating into non-investment grade territory. Afreximbank responded by ending the relationship, arguing that the methodology was flawed, damaging to its mission and reflective of a broader pattern affecting African financial institutions.

The confrontation raises fundamental questions. Are global rating methodologies structurally biased against African institutions? Or did Afreximbank misinterpret the framework and react disproportionately? Beyond the immediate dispute lies a more consequential issue: what are the practical implications for the bank, the continent’s financial architecture and the credibility of international rating standards?

Afreximbank is not alone in raising concerns. Across Africa, there is a persistent belief that the methodologies of the “Big Three” agencies — Fitch, Moody’s and S&P — fail to sufficiently account for regional context and therefore produce unduly punitive outcomes. The agencies dispute this, pointing to consistent global standards and risk-based metrics. The result is a familiar impasse.

Several African sovereigns have publicly challenged ratings decisions. Ghana suspended formal engagement with the three major agencies in 2022 following successive downgrades to non-investment grade, arguing that pro-cyclical actions deepened its debt crisis. Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa have also lodged formal appeals in the past. The African Development Bank, under its former president Akinwumi Adesina, mounted a sustained campaign describing certain credit assessments as arbitrary and insufficiently contextualised.

The Afreximbank episode therefore reflects a broader structural tension rather than an isolated dispute. It highlights a persistent gap between agency assessments and institutional self-perception, compounded by strained communication and diverging interpretations of risk.

The way forward requires more than rhetorical exchanges. Stakeholders must engage in structured dialogue aimed at ensuring both credible risk assessment and contextual fairness. Through platforms such as the African Union and other pan-African institutions, a coordinated approach could seek greater transparency in rating methodologies, clearer treatment of qualitative factors and tailored frameworks for African MDBs and sovereigns with strong governance structures.

Ultimately, the break between Afreximbank and Fitch underscores a deeper rift in the global financial architecture. If unresolved, it risks entrenching mistrust. If addressed constructively, however, it could catalyse reforms that strengthen both rating credibility and Africa’s integration into global capital markets.

The post Why Afreximbank’s break with Fitch exposes a deeper rift appeared first on 256 Business News.