Mitumba at a Crossroads: Balancing Trade, Industry and Sustainability in East Africa’s Clothing Sector
Across East Africa, markets like Gikomba in Nairobi and Owino in Kampala hum with early-morning bargaining and the crackle of plastic-wrapped bales of second-hand clothing. Known locally as mitumba, these garments, sourced from donation bins and unsold stock in the Global North, have become indispensable to traders and consumers.
One Click, One Market: The Digital Transformation of East African Trade
East Africa’s e-commerce landscape has rapidly expanded, influenced by improving connectivity, an innovative youth population. This has been coupled by a growing realisation among governments and businesses that online trade can powerfully drive economic transformation.
Barrier to Bridge: Uganda's New Limited Liability Partnership Regulations to Unlock Local Domiciliation of Private Capital Vehicles
Ugandan private equity fund managers and their advisors have long struggled to identify the most efficient legal structure for funds raised. This challenge is rooted in the underlying question: How can a group of institutions and individuals create a structure that would bind them as investors for a finite period without creating a duplicity of tax liabilities and complex compliance requirements?
Between a Loan and a Hard Place: Kenya’s Higher Education Funding Crisis Unpacked
Universities have found themselves in a catch-22 situation, grappling to finance their operations amid mounting pressures. The quagmire is multi-dimensional. The main stakeholders are stretched thin; students are complaining of high fees, university staff are complaining of delayed salaries, and the government is currently questioning its capacity to fund education at the levels it has promised.
The High-Stakes Game: Inside the Rise, Risks, and Rewards of East Africa’s Exploding Sports Betting Industry
Gambling is no longer just a vice whispered about in backrooms; In East Africa, it has gone digital, mobile, and mainstream. With smartphones in hand and sports on their minds, millions of young people, many from rural areas and fueled by poverty and unemployment, are turning sports betting into a booming industry.
Back to the Boma: The Sustainability of Traditional East African Architecture
Many of East Africa’s metropolises are adorned with steel high-rises, concrete shopping centres, and homes with red tile roofs. This is, however, a relatively recent phenomenon, and regionally, traditional architectural styles remain. The beauty and remarkability of traditional East African architecture cannot be over-stated.
TeleHealth Adoption in East Africa: A Comparative Analysis of Digital Healthcare Solutions, Opportunities and Challenges Across East African Jurisdictions
Telehealth has the potential to revolutionise East Africa’s healthcare landscape, with critical gaps in access being bridged and quality of care improved. With the rising cost of illness, rapid population growth, and stark rural-urban healthcare disparities, digital health solutions offer scalable and cost-effective means to improve patient outcomes.
From Soil to Stability: The Future of Smallholder Farming in East Africa
Agriculture in East Africa is more than an economic activity – it is a way of life. Contributing up to 40% of the region's GDP and employing over 80% of its population, it remains the primary livelihood for millions. Agriculture has not only ensured food security for local communities but also driven export revenues and supported agro-based industries.
Hidden in Plain Sight: East Africa’s Battle Against Non-Communicable Diseases
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – the chronic health conditions resulting from complex interactions between genetic predisposition, physiological factors, environmental exposures, and behavioral patterns – have emerged as the most pressing public health challenge of the 21st century. While they account for a staggering 71% of all global deaths annually (approximately 41 million lives lost), nowhere is this crisis more acute than in Sub-Saharan Africa, where NCDs are advancing at an alarming rate.
