Latest news with #Uganda
Zawya
20 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
How New Regional Pipeline Deals are Driving Africa's Energy Future
Three significant developments in Africa's energy landscape made headlines this past month: the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) reached 60% completion, the Republic of Congo finalized a pipeline cooperation agreement with Russia, and Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea signed a deal to advance a joint natural gas pipeline. These milestones underscore increasing momentum behind transnational pipeline projects in Africa, which are not only critical to unlocking hydrocarbon value chains, but also pivotal to industrial growth, regional cooperation and efforts to end energy poverty. With African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: Invest in African Energies set to take place in Cape Town from September 29 to October 3, recent advances in the midstream sector underscore the growing role of large-scale infrastructure in securing Africa's energy future. AEW 2025 will provide a platform to unpack how strategic partnerships and regional integration can transform pipelines from isolated projects into engines of inclusive development. EACOP: Connecting Uganda to Global Markets The 1,443-km EACOP is set to link Uganda's oil fields in the Lake Albert region to the port of Tanga in Tanzania, facilitating the export of up to 246,000 barrels per day. With 60% of the project now completed – including land acquisition, environmental approvals and construction – EACOP is on track to become the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world. More than just a logistical asset, EACOP represents a critical economic corridor. It is expected to generate thousands of jobs, stimulate local content and unlock ancillary infrastructure such as roads, storage facilities and power lines. By enabling Uganda to monetize its crude reserves, the pipeline also enhances fiscal revenues that can be reinvested into energy access, education and healthcare. At AEW 2025, stakeholders will explore how flagship projects like EACOP can be used as case studies for balancing investment, environmental responsibility and community development, while ensuring African nations retain sovereignty over their resources. Russia-Congo Deal: A New Axis in Pipeline Diplomacy Just days after the EACOP update, Russia ratified a bilateral agreement with the Republic of Congo for the construction of the Pointe-Noire-Loutete-Maloukou-Trechot oil pipeline. The agreement lays the groundwork for joint efforts in planning, financing, construction and operation of the pipeline, set to be completed in three years. The move strengthens energy ties between the two countries and opens the door for Russian investment in Congo's midstream sector, potentially accelerating the development of critical infrastructure needed to monetize and export the country's hydrocarbon resources. It also signals a shift in Africa's external energy partnerships, with Congo turning to non-Western allies to build out its infrastructure and secure long-term offtake agreements. It reinforces the idea that diversified geopolitical engagement can help African nations close the infrastructure gap faster, provided partnerships are structured transparently and with shared development objectives. As African countries look to strengthen global cooperation, AEW 2025 will offer a space to evaluate new alliances, discuss risk-sharing mechanisms and align infrastructure development with continental priorities under the African Union's Agenda 2063. Nigeria-Equatorial Guinea: A Boost for West African Gas Integration A recent agreement between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, signed on June 18, aims to fast-track the development of a joint natural gas pipeline, designed to increase cross-border gas trade and support export capacity. This project is expected to deepen energy cooperation between the two countries, facilitate access to cleaner fuels and contribute to the diversification of energy sources in the region. It also exemplifies how collaborative infrastructure development can unlock new economic opportunities, stimulate investments and enhance regional energy security. Midstream infrastructure companies are also stepping up efforts to improve regional gas trade and distribution. The West African Gas Pipeline Company, backed by Chevron among other shareholders, operates a vital pipeline that transports Nigerian gas to Benin, Togo and Ghana. This pipeline supports power generation and industrial use across multiple West African countries and plays a key role in diversifying the regional energy mix and promoting cross-border gas trade. Meanwhile, the Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Investments Company, which manages the Mozambique-South Africa Gas Pipeline, recently opened a new office in Maputo, aiming to strengthen regional gas connectivity and market integration. Pipelines and the Fight Against Energy Poverty While Africa accounts for 17% of the global population, it accounts for just 3.3% of global power generation. Energy poverty remains a major constraint on industrialization, education, healthcare and entrepreneurship. Pipelines, by moving fuel to where it is needed most – across borders and into domestic markets – can help address this imbalance. 'In addition to exporting crude, new pipelines have the potential to deliver LPG and natural gas to underserved regions, reducing dependence on biomass and accelerating the shift toward cleaner household and industrial energy,' says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber, adding that coordinated planning between countries can ensure pipelines are multi-purpose and scalable, with clear economic multipliers for local populations. 'AEW 2025 will shine a light on the role of pipelines in achieving universal energy access, examining regulatory frameworks, project finance models and technology solutions that can make these developments more inclusive and efficient,' he notes. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber. AEW: Invest in African Energies AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit for more information about this exciting event.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Being a Foster Dad Began to Take a Toll on Him. Days Later, He Received a Phone Call That Changed Everything (Exclusive)
Peter Mutabazi grew up in Uganda with a childhood marked by poverty He became a foster dad to help children in need, despite his initial doubts about being a single parent Mutabazi adopted his son, Anthony, who was returned to the hospital at age 11, and has since adopted two siblings, Luke and Isabella, and continues to support foster youthWhen Peter Mutabazi became a foster parent, he never anticipated that his role would evolve into something far deeper. Mutabazi's journey into foster care was driven by the intent to help, offering temporary refuge to children in need. However, his decision was also rooted in his own childhood experiences, which were shaped by poverty and hardship. "I'm from Uganda, so I grew up poor — the poorest of the poorest. No one told me to dream. No one told me to be hopeful," Mutabazi, 51, tells PEOPLE exclusively. As Mutabazi got older, things took a dramatic turn, and he decided to leave his home. He walked for miles until he arrived in the city of Kampala. Having never been outside of Uganda, the unfamiliarity was overwhelming, and Mutabazi quickly realized his only option was to survive on the streets. "As a street kid on the streets of Kampala — in any third world country — you are treated more like a stray animal," the foster dad, who goes by the name @fosterdadflipper on Instagram, says. "The way people viewed you, the way people treated you, everyone who was kind was abusive." This was until Mutabazi met a stranger whom he tried to steal from, desperate for survival. However, instead of responding with anger or punishment, the man asked for his name. The stranger's unexpected kindness sparked a transformation in Mutabazi's own life, leading to a series of events that would take him out of survival mode and open the door to a future he had never imagined. "He offered me [the opportunity] to go to school after a year and a half, [so] I went and excelled in school," he recalls. "I really began to [wonder], if a stranger can see the best in me, what can I do? So then I got a scholarship to come to [the] United States." Mutabazi's early experiences of abandonment left an undeniable mark on him, and he couldn't shake the sense of responsibility he felt for those still suffering, especially children who, like him, were trapped in a cycle of neglect and pain. Initially, he believed that in order to adopt, you had to be married and Caucasian, as he had never seen a person of color adopt children where he came from. So he began exploring the possibility of mentoring teenagers until a social worker asked if he had ever considered foster care. "For the kindness of a stranger who changed my life, I wanted to do the same for kids," he says. "I think understanding kids in foster care, unloved, unwanted, being in homes [and] in places they didn't know, I thought I could give [them] a little glimpse of hope." The initial fostering process was overwhelming for Mutabazi, as the constant cycle of children coming and going left him heartbroken. Each time a child left, the emotional toll was unbearable, and the sadness lingered long after they were gone. 'When kids go, you are left in tears,' he says. 'I was like, 'Man, this job is really hard. I don't want to do this again.' I [eventually] told the social worker that I needed a break for [at least] six months. I needed to heal.' Little did he know, just a few days later, a phone call would change everything for him. 'The kids [I was fostering] had left [on a Monday] and I received a phone call on Friday,' he explains. 'The social worker said, 'Hey, there's a kid that needs a home,' and I said, 'Absolutely not.' But the social worker [proposed] dropping off the child and picking them up on Monday, so I said yes." Mutabazi didn't want to know anything about the child or form any sort of attachment, having just witnessed the departure of 11 children. '[The boy] arrived to my home and the social worker left, so I said, 'This is your bedroom, you can call me Mr. Peter,'' he recalls. He admits he was taken aback when the kid asked if he could instead call him Mutabazi's attempt to keep his distance, something in that moment began to shift. 'This kid had been in my home for only 20 minutes,' he continues. 'So he looks at me again, and says, 'I'm 11. I was told that since I'm 11, I can choose who my father should be. So I'm choosing you.'" When the social worker arrived on Monday to pick up the boy, Mutabazi signed the paperwork, but something compelled him to ask why he had initially been left at the hospital and where he would be going next. "The social worker told me he was adopted [but] the family that adopted him dropped him [off] at the hospital, never said goodbye and never gave a reason why they didn't want him," he explains. "That's when I realized, I've always wanted to be a dad, and this kid somehow knew I [would] be his dad. How did I not see it? That's when it all clicked." Mutabazi immediately took back the papers he had signed and asked the social worker for new paperwork so the boy could attend school. While it was heartbreaking to learn that the boy's family had relinquished their parental rights, it also opened the door for the possibility of boy, Anthony, was 11 when Mutabazi took him in, and since then, they have shared in many milestones, including graduation, visiting Uganda — Mutabazi's native country — for the first time, and attending Mutabazi's younger brother's wedding.'It's one of those things that were always meant to be," he says. "Of course, there is no journey without ups and downs, you're going to have challenges [because] that's life." "At first we had to [spend] almost a year and a half without [fostering] other kids, so we can get used [to each other], but once we got there, I think he knew my heart, and [that] I always want to help other kids who are in the same position,' he adopting Anthony, Mutabazi has fostered over 30 children and adopted two siblings, Luke and Isabella. The two siblings were originally meant to stay with Mutabazi for just the summer, but after being adopted, they've now spent four years together as a family. While Mutabazi has reached many people online, where he has over a million followers on TikTok and Instagram, he knows his work is far from finished and still strives to help others in need. In addition to sharing his experiences as a foster dad, he also actively raises money to help foster children in need of a home on his GoFundMe page.'I didn't sleep on a mattress until I was 16, and as a street kid, I never truly belonged anywhere, and that left me feeling unwanted, unloved, and less than human," he says. "But everything began to change when I finally had a stable place to rest. That simple gift, a safe space to sleep, gave me the sense of belonging I had never known.""That's why I now do room makeovers for foster youth, many of whom have moved through 12 or more homes before they turn 18," he adds. "For the first time, we're giving them dignity. We're reminding them they are seen, valued and worthy of calling a place home." Read the original article on People
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Uganda: The end of the runway? Kabalega airport fabled finish line
Uganda's Kabalega International Airport (KIA) has featured in several budget and State of the Nation addresses, but it has remained at 95 percent completion, and the government now says that the facility will begin operations within the next financial year. While presenting the budget for the 2025/26 financial year, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija reported that the 'operationalisation of Kabalega International Airport' is one of the 'priority interventions' but did not provide more details. Mr Kasaija echoed President Yoweri Museveni's statement during the State of the Nation Address on June 5 that the airport is near completion, as part of the requisite infrastructure that the Ugandan government has invested in to support commercial oil production. But the project has been stuck 'at 95 percent completion' for over two years, lacking an air traffic control tower and other infrastructure, partly due to modifications in the design for a mobile air traffic control tower, which was dropped midway. The switch to a fixed tower required a redesign of this aspect, which sent the project contractor back to the drawing board, causing delays, according to Amos Muriisa, the contractor's spokesperson. In the next financial year, the government has allocated Ush6.92 trillion ($1.91 billion) for integrated transport infrastructure, namely roads, bridges, railways, water transport, and air transport, to undertake interventions that include completion of the airport. Two years ago, the contractor, SBC Uganda Ltd, a joint venture of Israeli-British firms, Shikun and Binui International-SBI, and Colas Ltd, sought to avoid delays and proposed handing over the project to the government, with a plan for the airport's air traffic control to be handled by Entebbe International Airport. Construction of Uganda's second international airport began in April 2018 and was expected to be completed in 48 months as part of the support infrastructure for oil and gas in the Lake Albert region. Its completion was planned to coincide with the surge in oil and gas logistics, as oil companies were preparing to ship in heavy equipment ahead of launching field development works at the upstream oil and gas projects Tilenga and Kingfisher, as well as midstream operations of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop). But, as the airport fell behind the timelines, the oil majors shipped all equipment, including four drilling rigs and pipes, by road from Mombasa to the drilling sites in the Albertine Graben. China National Offshore Oil Corporation launched well spudding at its Kingfisher oilfield on January 24, 2023, while TotalEnergies began drilling six months later at two of the three drilling sites of the Tilenga project. Funded to the tune of €264 million ($309 million) through loans from the UK Export Finance and Standard Chartered Bank, officials also blame the airport's slow progress on funding shortfalls, as the government delayed disbursing additional funds for the project. Mr Muriisa said that Covid-19 restrictions disrupted the pace of construction, as the contractor was compelled to halve the workforce, per Ministry of Health directives. The airport was intended to support Uganda's oil and gas upstream and midstream operations by facilitating the transportation of heavy equipment to the oil-rich Lake Albert region, but it is now far behind the oilfield developments it was expected to service. Industry executives argue that Kabalega remains a critical project for the sector. The airport has a 3.5km runway, 45-metre shoulders, a cargo terminal, and an apron that can hold four large Antonov-sized aircraft simultaneously, but the critical air traffic control tower remains the missing link. Other infrastructure to support commercial oil production includes 700 kilometres of tarmac roads that have been constructed in the Albertine region, and the export pipeline, currently at 58 percent. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Fox News
a day ago
- Sport
- Fox News
South Sudan native Khaman Maluach has tearful reaction after Rockets select him in NBA Draft
The Phoenix Suns' roster will look vastly different this fall. Just a few days before the 2025 NBA Draft, reports of a trade involving Kevin Durant surfaced. The deal is expected to send the two-time NBA champion to the Houston Rockets, ESPN reported Sunday. The Rockets held the tenth overall pick in the draft and selected 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach Wednesday. The former Duke standout was subsequently sent to Phoenix as part of the package of players and picks included in the Durant deal, according to ESPN. Maluach was visibly emotional moments after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced his name from the draft stage. Maluach was raised in Uganda after his family fled Sudan when the nation was ravaged by conflict. He didn't start playing basketball until he was 14 years old, when a cab driver stopped and acknowledged his stature. Maluach was a member of the South Sudan national basketball team that pushed Team USA to the brink at the Paris Olympics. Before landing in Durham, North Carolina, Maluach competed at NBA Academy Africa. He is now the highest-drafted player from the academy. "I'm here representing the whole continent," Maluach told ESPN moments after he walked across the draft stage and shook Silver's hand at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. "Living in Africa, I had the whole continent on my back, giving hope to young kids, inspiring young kids and the next generation of African basketball." Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game during his lone season at Duke. He started 39 games for the Blue Devils, who advanced to the Final Four in April. Maluach wore a Rockets hat on the draft stage because the reported transaction he was included in has yet to become official. Maluach wore a Suns hat during a press conference after he was drafted. He expressed excitement about heading to Arizona. "I'm excited to put on the Phoenix jersey that has my name, that has 'Maluach' on the back," he told reporters. "I'm excited to play for the Suns and step on the floor." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gene drive and mosquitoes: Turning a deadly foe into an ally
Malaria remains a daily threat across Africa. In 2023 alone, the continent accounted for 95% of the world's 597,000 malaria-related deaths. The most vulnerable are our children and pregnant women. Every minute, a child in Africa dies from this disease. But malaria doesn't just rob us of lives, it also drains our economies. Across Africa, the disease costs us an estimated $12 billion each year. In Uganda, my home country, we lose more than $500 million per decade. During peak seasons, malaria can cause up to half of all outpatient visits and nearly a fifth of hospital admissions. Worse still, the challenges are growing. Climate change, resistance to insecticides, and reduced effectiveness of antimalarial drugs are threatening the progress we've made. So, we're left with a difficult question: Must we accept malaria as an inevitable part of life? I don't believe we should. And as both a scientist and a mother, I believe we can do more. At Target Malaria, the nonprofit research consortium I work with, we're exploring a new frontier in the fight against malaria: gene drive technology. Here's how it works: We introduce a genetic trait into the Anopheles mosquito, one of the main carriers of the malaria parasite. This gene is passed down to offspring at a higher-than-normal rate, gradually reducing the population's ability to reproduce. Over time, the mosquito population declines — potentially enough to interrupt malaria transmission altogether. A large-scale modeling study across 13 West African countries showed that gene drive mosquitoes could reduce populations of malaria-transmitting species by 71% to 98%. When combined with existing tools like vaccines and new-generation mosquito nets, it could prevent up to 60% more clinical malaria cases. This technology is not designed to eradicate all mosquitoes — nor could it. Of more than 3,500 known mosquito species, only about 30 are a public health concern. Of those, just three are responsible for most malaria transmission in Africa. Our work is focused on this narrow target. Genetic approaches also offer some clear advantages for Africa's unique health landscape. They require less day-to-day management than current interventions, making them particularly suited for rural and hard-to-reach communities. And because they are species-specific, they offer a more environmentally targeted solution. But we are taking a cautious, transparent approach. We're still years away from releasing gene drive mosquitoes into the wild — and we won't take that step without the required regulatory approvals and the agreement of the communities involved. In the meantime, we are conducting rigorous ecological studies to ensure that reducing one mosquito species won't cause ripple effects in the environment. Early results of ecological studies conducted on the Anopheles mosquitoes in Ghana are promising. Animals, like birds and bats, that prey on these mosquitoes appear to have a varied diet and thus would be able to survive without them. We're also listening to community members, civil society groups, and environmental advocates have voiced concerns because science must serve people, not just data. Malaria isn't just a scientific challenge — it's personal. I have lost people I love to this disease. I have watched it strike hardest in communities that already face poverty, limited health access, and climate vulnerability. Science gives us the tools to change the future. Gene drive won't be a silver bullet. But as part of an integrated approach alongside existing tools and partnerships, it could help turn one of our oldest enemies into an unlikely ally. This isn't science fiction. It's science — African-led, community-centered, and driven by hope. And that's a future worth fighting for.
