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Resurgent Cameroon oil attracts Africa’s top law firm

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Our Reporter
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One of Africa’s biggest law firms, the Centurion Law Group, is opening an office in the Cameroonian city of Douala, ‘the wealthiest business hub in Central Africa’.

According to the Group, it has been drawn to Cameroon ‘by a resurgent oil and gas industry and a resilient economy’.

‘Extensive experience in oil and gas has underpinned the group’s emergence as one of Africa’s top ‘go-to’ law firms,’ the Group indicates adding that it has also had operations in large oil and gas markets like Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Chad, Ghana, Gabon, Nigeria and Angola.

The Douala office will be staffed with eight lawyers from Cameroon with academic and professional credentials from North America, the UK, France, Nigeria and Cameroon.

“Centurion Law Group’s entry into Cameroon is representative of our firm’s Africa-wide growth strategy,” said NJ Ayuk, the CEO of Centurion Law Group, adding: “We have come to serve our oil and gas clients who are presently operating here or seek to enter the market. As in our other markets, we endeavor to create an enabling business environment and promote the rule of law.”

Cameroon, the largest economy in Central Africa enjoyed an increase in oil output in 2014, while the market is benefiting from a new gas law and a 2014 licensing round that attracted major interest from foreign players.

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‘New African governments’ excite Chinese investors

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Our Reporter
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Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti speaks at the 2013 Reuters Africa Investment Summit in Johannesburg, April 8, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

The governments of newly-elected leaders in Africa are likely to invest billions of dollars in energy and infrastructure development projects in a bid to alleviate the poor living conditions of their respective citizenry.

A total of twelve African countries have held or are to hold elections this year, with Nigeria, Zambia, Lesotho, Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Burundi already having elected their leaders.

Tanzania, Cote D’Ivoire, the Central African Republic (CAR), Guinea and Burkina Faso are also slated to hold elections later this year, and Chinese organisers of 4th Annual Africa Infrastructure and Power Forum from October 15 to 16, 2015 in Beijing are upbeat about the prospects of investments in energy and infrastructure development.

‘This year Africa will have witnessed 19 elections, and the formation of many new governments. Many of these administrations will seek to improve living conditions through access to electricity, and subsequently, added employment opportunities,’ a release states.

Already in Nigeria, Africa’s largest conglomerate – Dangote – signed a $4.34 billion deal with China’s Sinoma, while in June Tanzania awarded a consortium of Chinese railway companies projects valued at US$9 billion.

‘This important meeting once again partners with the China Africa Development Fund, who will be seeking new projects to receive some of the $5billion under their management,’ the release adds.

Currently, China is the biggest financier of energy and infrastructure projects in Africa and by 2009 the Far East country had disbursed 45.7% of its cumulative foreign aid of $256.29 billion to Africa.

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African ministers in Beijing over investments

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Our Reporter
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Two Uganda senior officials are to attend a high-profile investment meeting in Beijing, China, aimed at harnessing opportunities in Africa.

Aston Kajara, the State Minister for Finance in charge of Privatisation and Maria Kiwanuka, the Senior Presidential Advisor on the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) will join seven other African ministers for the 4th Annual Africa Infrastructure and Power Forum onOctober 15 to 16 2015, coordinated by EnergyNet.

The Ugandan duo alongside the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary to the Treasury Henry Rotich and Rwandan Minister of Infrastructure James Musoni, are expected to make presentations on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), a 485 kilometre multi-billion dollar project being carried out by four countries namely Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan.

Kenyan CS Rotich is also expected to make a presentation on the Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET), a US$4 billion oil pipeline project being carried out by Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Kenya is reportedly one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and the East African country has earmarked US$55.6 billion for infrastructure development including the construction of roads.

‘Kenya’s road network urgently needs improvement – essential for trade and tourism, indispensable lines of inward investment,’ a release by the organisers of the forum states in part.

Other ministers at the high-level forum sponsored by Africa’s largest financial institution, the Standard Bank, include Matadi Atadi Nenga Gamanda, Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Democratic Republic of Congo; Christopher Yaluma, the Minister of Energy, Zambia; Henry Macauley, Minister of Energy, Sierra Leone and, Obeth Kandjoze, Minister of Energy and Mines of Namibia.

“Continued and increasing investment in infrastructure is crucial to the development of African nations, and Standard Bank is well placed to play a leading role in connecting investors with opportunities across the continent.  We are delighted to be sponsoring the conference for the second year in a row, and we look forward to seeing our customers and stakeholders in Beijing,” David Humphrey, the Head of Infrastructure and Power, Standard Bank, was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the 10th meeting of the East African Community Sectoral Council on Energy is under way at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Sectoral Council is being held in sessions, starting with the Energy Committee on September 7 – 9; followed by the Co-ordination Committee including Permanent/Principal Secretaries on September 10 and ending with the Ministerial session on Friday, September 11.

‘The objective of the meeting is to review the progress made in the sector in implementing Council decisions and to consider other issues of regional importance in areas of New and Renewable Energy, Energy Conservation and Efficiency, Fossil Fuels as well as Power sub-sectors,’ a release by the East African Community Secretariat in Arusha states.

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Museveni in Japan

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Our Reporter
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President Yoweri Museveni and the First Lady Janet Museveni are in Tokyo, Japan for a four-day official visit and the two will meet Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace. The Emperor and his wife will later host the Musevenis to a luncheon.

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Mr Museveni, who is also expected to hold bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was seen off at Entebbe International Airport yesterday by the Head of Public Service, John Mitala; Chief of Defence Forces, (CDF) Gen Katumba Wamala, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Gen Kale Kayihura and Commissioner of Prisons Johnson Byabashaija.

On August 21 this year the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a release indicating the Musevenis would visit the country between September 9 and 12. Japan and Uganda enjoy good relations and president Museveni last visited the Far East country in 2013 to attend the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) held from June 1 to 3.

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Food ordering Tips To Make It Through The Month Healthy And Financially Stable

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Our Reporter
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The first week of September is gone but making it to the end of the month is daunting for many of us, mostly because your needs and wants are measured against how much you can spend until your next pay check, plus. This is the time when most people start negotiating with themselves on what is or isn’t a priority so that they don’t go completely broke before the end of the month.

One thing that will always be a priority is having a meal; regardless of whether or not one’s funds are sufficient, one’s health and general productivity in the work place is partly dependent on what they eat. Because of this, hellofood has lined up 7 restaurants that have great food at pocket-friendly prices.

LUNCH CORNER: It offers delicious local dishes – stews and vegetables served with a choice of matooke, rice, yams, cassava, Irish & sweet potatoes and posho. Food is delivered in 45 minutes and it is exclusively on hellofood.

*Meals range between Ugshs 6,000 – 8,000

 SHAKA ZULU: Famous for Luwombo, such as smoked beef, fish in ground nuts, beef in ground nuts, mush rooms in ground nuts, chicken or beef, all these areserved with a choice of matooke, white rice, posho, yams, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, Irish, millet, brown rice, steamed greens and natural juice. They also have the Zulu Pilau ‘chicken, goat or beef’ and also katogo, chapati plus local Ugandan traditional cuisines.

*Meals range between Ugshs 5,000 – 20,000

Kahwa2Go: From this restaurant you can enjoy meals that are listed under ‘Best Sellers’. Like theirBarbecue glazed Chicken wings, smoky pork ribs, chicken teriyaki and the 2Go sampler. It also offers a variety of Fruit and green salads such as red, white and green, Ginger and lemon, fruit yoghurt, mixed greens and the cheeky chicken salads. There is something for everyone, like the Grandma’s treat that has the Veggie stir- fry and Fish with creamy mushroom sauce. They also have a great breakfast menu that serves combo dishes such as the Green breakfast sandwich “Potatoes, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber with green chutney”, and the Hangover Breakfast sandwich “Chicken fillet with choice of eggs on a bed of vegetables and cheese”.

*Breakfast ranges from Ugshs 8,000- 13,000

*Best Sellers’ Lunch ranges from Ugshs 15,000 – 23,000

PIZZA ROYALE: Pizzas are one of the most popular meals worldwide. Thankfully, you don’t have to break the bank trying to get this popular meal from the bigger chain establishments for the rest of the month; at Pizza royale the delicious pizzas are and made in international portion size, so satisfaction is guaranteed. Theirbest sellerpizzas include Margherita, Mediterranean,vegetarian and Boerewors. Tuesdays and Thursdays is buy one, get one free!

*Pizza range prices Ugsh15,000 – 25,000

MACKIES: This is another gem that offers great local traditional dishes like fresh beans, ground nuts, fresh fish, dry fish in Ground nuts, Chicken stew, Beef stew, Goat stew served with a choice of matooke, rice, posho, sweet potatoes, irish potatoes, chapati, Pumpkin, cassava and mashed Irishand many morelocal delicacies. And to hoard off the cold and rainy weather, this restaurant also has a menu for tea and juices if you’re looking for a hot or cold beverage to go along with your meal, a variety of snacks and fast foods are available.

*Main meals range from Ugshs 5,500– 10,000

MARKITAH JUICE: Markitah juice makes a variety of pure fresh juice with no added sugar or additives, made from the organic fruits like Mangoes, passion fruits, oranges, beetroot and carrots, watermelon. One can be creative in selecting the choice of juice they want in their cocktail, plus every day has a theme cocktail selection.

*Juice and Cocktails average price is 3000 Ugshs

BON APETIT: With branches in all most areas of Kampala, this already reduces the delivery fees of ordering from Bon apetitand also reduces delivery time. Their best sellers are the Chapatiomeletterolex, offalskatogo (Mix of offals and matooke), Chips with chaps, chicken or fish fillet. It specializes in fast foods and snacks, which are served in ample amounts and at the most affordable prices.

*Meals range between Ugshs 1,400 to 24,000

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‘Great expectations’ await new Judges

By
Our Reporter
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President Yoweri Museveni yesterday appointed twelve new judges to serve on the Bench in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
The world over Judges are men and women of high repute, who are supposed to administer justice without fear or favour. They are also supposed to uphold the rights and dignity of all people, by providing high quality judicial services laced with patience, courtesy, good time-keeping and humility, among other tributes.
Fortunately, all the men and women named to the two courts of advanced jurisdiction are accomplished both academically and professionally, competent enough to take on their new assignments.
However, over the years the judiciary has suffered from inadequate manpower, leading to a series of judicial irregularities and also causing a backlog.
Indeed, the delays in occasioning justice have provided the general public with tools to denigrate the justice system, something that has affected the image of the judiciary.
Similarly, allegations of corruption, mostly in the lower courts are rife, and this needs to be tackled immediately, through close supervision by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), the constitutional body that employs all judicial officers.
That said, the new judges come at a time when the country is bracing for the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections, where tact and expeditious delivery of justice are imperatives in decision-making regarding the electoral petitions which will be lodged by candidates aspiring for different political positions.
Indeed, the elections which are just a few months away could be their ‘litmus test’ as the new Judges acquaint themselves with the responsibilities of their new offices.
So, inevitably there will be ‘great expectations’ awaiting the new Judges.
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The University Football League: a bastion for talent

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Our Reporter
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When the University League started in 2013, many people were pessimistic, saying it would not live to its expectations of entertaining, developing and nurturing the footballing talents of university students.
But these have been disproved, and the University Football League (UFL) is today one of the prestigious tournaments that any football-loving fan would love to associate with. Indeed, the developments have excited the UFL Manager Anthony Tumwesigye, who is all praise for the players. “We are so overjoyed to have come this far to turn young university students into professional footballers,” Tumwesigye told Eagleonline.
It is against such a consistently evolving and impressive background that the varsity league has managed to attract sponsorship from Nile Breweries and Pepsi. The UFL has also become a vehicle for spotting talent, with players like Matthew Odong and Yasser Mugerwa already plying their trade as professional at Tusker football Club in neighbouring Kenya and Orlando Pirates of South Africa, respectively.
ucc_Kasoma
The league has also been able to provide the home teams with talent for the Azam Premier league, with Abel Eturude and Fahad Muhammed Toko joining Sports Club Villa, while Maxwell Otim and Allan Anguyo joined newly-promoted prisons side Maroons. A number of UFL ‘graduates’ are also plying their trade in the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) Big League.
So progressive has the UFL become that even Uganda Cranes coach Sredojevic Micho and the FUFA have been drawn to the UFL, with Micho calling up Mugerwa for national duty with the senior team, while Fahad Toko was called to the junior side, the Uganda Kobs.
“This inspires many students  to join the universities to attain education and put their talents to the next level,” KIU Sports Tutor Ms Annet Kabasindi and Tumwesigye observe.
“The league has greatly improved and developed the lives of many young footballers from the all corners of the country into responsible and respected members of the society,” one observer familiar with the UFL quips.
 
History of UFL
 
In the first edition the league attracted eight varsity teams that included Makerere University, Makerere University Business School[MUBS], Kyambogo University, Kampala International University[KIU], Mbarara University of Science and Technology [MUST], Nkozi University, Nkumba University and Kampala University, with Makerere University emerging victorious with the highest number of points.
In the second edition, Gulu University joined the fray, with Kampala University emerged winners.
In the third edition the Mukono-based Uganda Christian University and Tororo-based Busitema University also joined, bringing the number of competing teams to 12, playing under a round-robin system, with the twelve teams divided in two groups of six.
This time round the league had gained momentum and the finals were played at the Mandela National Stadium in Nambole where Makerere University Business School beat Kyambogo University to emerge winners.
Currently, the fourth edition is in recess as eight teams wait to tussle it out in the quarter finals starting on September 25.
 
The dark side of UFL
 
However, the UFL has some times proved to be problematic, after teams failed to rein in their supporters, people who are quick to take to the playing field just on a simple suspicion of unfair judgment by match officials.
For instance, in the games played by Makerere and MUBS; KIU and MUBS and Makerere against Kyambogo saw the students engage in violent character, in the process destroying property in the areas surrounding the playing fields.
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Emirates Announces Capacity Increase to St Petersburg

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Our Reporter
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Emirates today reinforces its commitment to Russia by announcing the upgrade of the aircraft servicing the St Petersburg route to a Boeing 777-300ER, increasing capacity and offering an enhanced onboard experience.

Six weekly EK175/176 flights, from Dubai to St Petersburg, will be operated with an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER from 25 October 2015, instead of an Airbus 330-200. The up-gauge will be applied to a seventh flight per week on the 1 December 2015.

By replacing the A330-200 with the Boeing 777-300ER, Emirates will be adding a capacity increase of 50% to the route, which launched in November 2011. The new aircraft will also introduce the Emirates First Class Suite, a first for the route, plus 42 lie-flat Business Class seats and 310 spacious Economy Class seats.

Emirates-Boeing-777-onboard

As the only airline to offer First Class Suites from St Petersburg, Emirates is bringing a new level of comfort and quality to the market, previously unavailable from St Petersburg on a commercial airline.

“Since 2011, when Emirates launched flights to and from St Petersburg, we have carried over 500,000 passengers on the route. Counting these figures alongside our double-daily flights to Moscow, takes the total to over 3.6million passengers travelling on Emirates to and from Russia in the 12 years of operation, making it an important market not only for Emirates, but for Dubai as a destination,” said Thierry Aucoc, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations – Europe and Russian Federation.

“Operating these flights to and from St Petersburg on a 777-300ER brings consistency to the Russian customer. Whether travelling from St Petersburg or Moscow, they will be confident that the level of experience they receive is in line with what is expected from Emirates.”

On board the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER, passengers in all three cabins can enjoy more than 2,000 channels of the latest movies, TV shows and music from around the world on the award-winning ice inflight entertainment system, all while enjoying specially created gourmet cuisine served by Emirates’ multi-lingual cabin crew. As with all Emirates flights, passengers travelling on the route will be able to accumulate Skywards miles and benefit from a generous baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy Class, 40kg in Business Class and 50kg in First Class.

Emirates’ flight EK175 departs Dubai International Airport at 09:20 and arrives in St Petersburg at 14:35. The outbound flight EK176 departs from St Petersburg at 16:35 and arrives in Dubai at 23:45.

From Dubai, Russian passengers are able to easily connect to Emirates’ vast network of destinations in Asia and beyond, including the new service to Bali, the Thai island of Phuket and exciting cities in Australia. From Asia, Middle East, Australia and Africa, St Petersburg is just a short stop in Dubai away, offering a convenient option for business and leisure passengers to connect with Russia.

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Former SC Villa boss convicted for sodomy

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Our Reporter
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If he was in the United States where having sex ‘against the order of nature’ and same sex marriages are not taboo, a former Sports Club Villa Manager would not be undergoing the tribulations he is currently facing in Uganda.
But Chris Mubiru is a Ugandan at home and the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Ms Flavia Nabakooza is not in the US, so she has set September 18 as the date on which she will deliver Mubiru’s sentence, after he was found guilty of sodomising one Emmanuel Nnyanzi.
According to Ms Nabakooza, prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, and the convict, who was today sent to Luzira, could face up to 18 years in prison.
In 2009 Mubiru was arrested and detained at Katwe Police Station, after a video clip showed he was sodomising young boys and girls. He was arraigned before the Buganda Road Court, denied the charges and was later granted bail.
But that bail was cancelled today and Mubiru was remanded to Luzira prison pending conviction.
Mubiru was, however, acquitted on a second count of sodomy on grounds that his other victim George Oundo, consented to the act.
Section 145 (a) of the Penal Code Act (PCA) proscribes any Ugandan from having sexual intercourse with another person, against the order of nature.
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Embrace the EAC – PS

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Our Reporter
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Mrs. Rhona Serwada

Ugandans have been called upon to support the integration of East African Community so as to benefit from its diversified services.

While addressing the press at Serena Hotel, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of East African Community Affairs (MEACA) Ms Edith Mwanje noted that embracing the EAC would ensure more opportunities for Ugandans.

Mrs. Rhona Serwada
Mrs. Rhona Serwada

“EAC is about one cultural state, we agreed on issues like trade, one currency and oneness, people need to embrace it,” Ms Mwanje said on the sidelines of the EAC exhibition and conference at Serena Hotel where top government and private entities are showcasing their products and services.

The PS further noted that several achievements had been registered among them free movement of persons and promotion of trade.

“There is a caravan that will move across all the districts of Uganda to showcase what has been achieved by EAC.  The caravan will move around Kampala today and then go on a nationwide drive,” she added.

The one-day event is aimed at sensitizing Ugandans about the EAC and  participating institutions include the Bank of Uganda, Ministry of Finance, Private Sector Foundation, The East African, Uganda National Bureau of Standards and the Uganda Revenue Authority.

“We as Uganda have achieved so much under EAC and what to inform people about them,” James Ssaka, a URA official manning the institution’s stall at the exhibition, said.

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