Editorials

News : Editorials

Surely, the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to make July 18 Nelson Mandela International Day is not a surprise to those who follow the sterling life and times of the former South African president. (AllAfrica)

It's now official. The oil find in blocks 1 and 3A in the Albertine region are gone to leading Italian multi-national company, Eni S.p.A. Heritage Oil Plc, hitherto operators of the wells, yesterday confirmed media reports it had sold its stakes here at $1.5 billion (Shs2.8 trillion). In a statement, Heritage says a final deal could be sealed by March next year subject to approval of transaction terms and conditions by the Uganda government. Superficially, this pops up as a great feat. (AllAfrica)

At the end of the month-long FIFA Under-17 World Cup soccer championship last week, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan announced that the Federal Government was instituting an inquiry into the finances and conduct of officials of the game's Local Organising Committee (LOC). (AllAfrica)

Malaria has for a long time been the number one killer disease in Tanzania, as in most tropical countries. (AllAfrica)

British oil explorer Heritage has sold its fields in Uganda to Italian oil giant Eni SPA for between $1.3b and $1.5b. (AllAfrica)

IN BELVILLE on Friday, South African Revenue Service (SARS) officials had to call security to protect them from angry taxpayers who wanted to submit their tax returns even though the office was closing. In Germiston on Saturday afternoon, police were called to the SARS office because taxpayers were demanding that officials attend to them. (AllAfrica)

THE reduction of the Kwacha base-lending rate by Standard Chartered Bank, which will come into effect next month, is a positive move which will benefit the Zambian economy. (AllAfrica)

The first team of French jurists investigating genocide crimes committed by some Rwandan fugitives currently residing in France, have arrived in the country to carry out a series of interviews with various witnesses. (AllAfrica)

THERE are 32 days to go before we celebrate Christmas. (AllAfrica)

THE summary expulsion of three student leaders -- Vivid Gwede, Samson Nxumalo and Kurayi Hoyi, and the fateful, two-year suspension of six other student activists namely, Sheunesu Nyoni, Power Mabhoyi, Edius Mucheuka, Kudakwashe Maguchu, Nyasha Nyakura and Emmanuel Munyenyiwa, by the National University of Science and Technology administration is a classical instance of just addressing the symptoms rather than the causes of the demonstrations over exorbitant tertiary fees, which have reduced the status of our education sector. (AllAfrica)

The postponement of the 2010 budget presentation to the National Assembly by President Umaru Yar'Adua over disagreement on the venue by the Senate and House of Representatives is unfortunate and wholly unacceptable. (AllAfrica)

It is refreshing to learn that some top leaders do not wish to comment on the draft constitution to avoid influencing the outcome of the debate before Kenyans have made up their own minds. (AllAfrica)

Cabinet minister Beth Mugo's confirmation that the nine deaths at Kamiti Maximum Prison were caused by cholera is significant in two ways. (AllAfrica)

Nearly two years ago the world witnessed horrific images of murder and arson on a horrendous scale. We saw pictures of grim-looking, matchete-wielding young men roaming the dusty streets of shanty towns of South Africa hunting for foreign-looking Africans to hack to death. (AllAfrica)

The U-17 World Cup football championship has ended and contrary to expectations that Nigeria would win the championship for a record fourth time, the country's team failed to live up to this last-minute dream. (AllAfrica)

The importance of the agriculture sector to the Ghanaian economy was manifest once again in the 2010 national budget statement presented by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, to Parliament on November 18, 2009. The sector grew by 6.2 percent, against a target of 5.7 percent, driven largely on account of good rainfall patterns and by extension of the land under cultivation, suggesting that the sector can indeed be a driver of growth when the conditions are right. (AllAfrica)

"The problem with stereotyping is not that it is untrue; it is that it is often incomplete." This is the truism that underlies what Chimamanda Adichie, a Nigerian writer, calls the danger of relying on the single story. The African story is not a single narrative laced with depressing vignettes of hunger-stricken children with shrivelled buttocks, wars, corruption and failure; there are triumphant versions that have often been overlooked or simply subsumed in the failing single story. Celebrated novelist, Chinua Achebe calls it a balance of stories. (AllAfrica)

The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for the present crop of candidates is about five months away, but school authourities are worried about whether Religious and Moral Education (RME) will be on offer for the examinations. This is because the major stakeholders in the organisation of the BECE, are already sending conflicting signals about the eligibility of RME as an examinable subject for the forthcoming BECE exams. (AllAfrica)

The debate whether to scrap the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria or not has been on since the Annual General Conference of the NBA in Lagos in August, 2009. (AllAfrica)

Has anyone really been raped? How many and by who? Conflicting reports emanate from everywhere. Will we ever really know what happened? As always, the truth is a scarce commodity in Nigeria. (AllAfrica)

At Uganda Talks we welcome guest blogs from our readers. Today, contributor Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba writes about political murders and the need to create greater public confidence in the central government. (AllAfrica)

1986 to Ugandans was a turning point when NRM, led by a youthful Museveni, shot into power on the 26th day of January. That same year in September, the media and the world witnessed another revolution. A young Oprah Gail Winfrey rolled out the effervescent talk show; The Oprah Winfrey Show. (AllAfrica)

First, a glimpse to my bio-data; I am a first-born son to my parents. I have four brothers. Incidentally, my father came from a Muslim family whereas my mom from an Orthodox Christian family. Though, their union was initially frowned upon, they managed to overcome that and raised us in an environment that helped us to appreciate the real meaning of diversity. Thus, coming from such a background, it wasn't difficult for me to woo a girl from a Seventh Day Adventist Church with whom I have been married for the last 14 years. (AllAfrica)

In an article of some time ago, I mentioned a number of globally famous people I have danced with, dined with or sipped champagne with but whom all met an untimely demise. (AllAfrica)

Who else shares the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee's optimism that "Ministers (including Sam Kutesa and Gilbert Bukenya) and government officials who fail to provide accountability for money given to them for Chogm activities will be arrested?" (Ministers who abused Chogm cash face jail: MPs, Daily Monitor, November 21). And who seriously believes that "The CID is already investigating some ministers and those found liable have to be arrested and charged for abuse of office and corruption?" (AllAfrica)

Save for Namboole there can hardly be a more suitable venue for the MTN Kampala marathon than Kololo Airstrip. So spacious is the latter, you could be tempted to think that half of the registered 19,058 participants turned up for the annual event on Sunday. Parking space was adequate, some of the 200 registered corporate teams found where to fit their hospitality tents and spectators, too, could easily catch a glimpse of the runners. (AllAfrica)

It should go without saying that after all they have achieved and all the sweat that has gone into it, the Warriors have got to find yet another level to have a chance against DMark Power in the Ugandan basketball finals. (AllAfrica)

Unemployment is an issue that has bedeviled Nigeria for a long time and had generated a lot of research in this country. Nevertheless, it is still one of the most pivotal social epidemics facing Nigeria because of rising rates of unemployment in Nigeria. (AllAfrica)

Due to the gravity of the crises facing our educational system, I am giving up my page today to the following speech given at Zamani College Kaduna 2009 Annual Prize Giving Day. I believe the issues deserve serious debate. (AllAfrica)

Politics is a dirty game, so they say, but a little measure of decorum in the largely no-holds-barred muddle will not do anybody any harm. (AllAfrica)

So, where does Nelson Mandela reckon he'll end up when the moment we all dread comes and he leaves this life? (AllAfrica)