veri blog

Uganda is on the cusp of a major economic turning point. After years of courting short-term speculative capital – the so-called “hot money” flowing into high-yield local debt – the East African nation expects to begin producing oil in 2026, unlocking long-term foreign direct investment (FDI) and export revenues. Officials and analysts say this oil boom could strengthen Uganda’s balance of payments and reduce reliance on fickle capital flows, but they caution that the transiti

As Uganda heads into a pivotal national election this week, the country’s financial industry is on high alert. Bankers, investors, and analysts are closely watching for any signals of change in economic policy, fiscal discipline, debt management, monetary continuity, and regulatory stability  emerging from the vote. The presidential and parliamentary polls – slated around January 15, 2026 – pit 81-year-old incumbent President Yoweri Museveni against several challengers, inclu

Uganda has suddenly become the place where yield-hungry investors go to “squeeze the last drop” out of frontier markets. Offshore holdings of Uganda’s shilling government bonds have surged to around $2.7 billion , about 12% of total domestic government debt – a record high, driven largely by global funds rotating back into high-yield local currency paper. At the same time, the government has pushed out the curve with a 25-year bond , which in its latest auction cleared at a

Most investors start at home. It’s familiar: you understand the banks on your high street, the telco you use every day, the government securities your adviser talks about. In many African markets, those local instruments also offer attractive nominal yields. But the last decade has shown how fragile that comfort can be: Currency shocks  can wipe out years of returns when measured in hard currency. Inflation spikes  can quietly erode the real value of cash, deposits and even s

When global investors start talking about “squeezing the last drop out of the lemon,” they’re talking about places like Uganda. In late November, Uganda’s shilling government bond market has quietly become one of the hottest frontier trades in the world. More than $2 billion of Uganda’s domestic government bonds are now held offshore – a record – with S&P Global estimating non-resident holdings at roughly $2.7 billion, about 12% of total domestic government debt . For a coun

When pension executives, regulators and investors gathered in Kampala this month for the All-Africa Pensions Summit, the talking point was not another foreign aid package or a new donor facility. It was Africa’s own money – more than US$1.3 trillion  in combined pension and sovereign wealth fund assets – and how much of it is still sitting in short-term instruments instead of building roads, power plants and hospitals. For Uganda, the host country, the moment felt symbolic. I

The money arrived first as a text message. In a parish on the edge of eastern Uganda, the chair of a small savings and credit cooperative opened her phone on Wednesday morning to see a balance she had never imagined: 50 million shillings – roughly US$13,700 – wired straight into the group’s new account. It was the first tangible sign that Kampala’s latest push to attack poverty from the bottom up is finally hitting the ground. This week, the Ministry of Finance confirmed it h

In October 2025, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its growth forecast for sub-Saharan Africa to 4.1 percent , reflecting modest optimism amid persistent headwinds. That figure underscores a region balancing between promising reform momentum and foundational structural risks. Key pressures loom large: rising debt service costs, tightening external financing, inflation pressures, and weak fiscal buffers. During the IMF’s African Department press briefing, Director Abebe

For years, Zimbabwe’s economic headlines have been dominated by currency crises, droughts, and energy shortages. But this month brought a...

Uganda’s latest fiscal numbers paint a stark picture. In the past year, the country’s public debt has jumped by 26.2% , climbing from...

Uganda is making a strategic move. The government has confirmed it is in talks with development financiers to secure $400 million in...

Uganda has just taken a bold step that could reshape its economic future. Earlier this week, officials confirmed that the country is in ...

Excited to Begin Building Relationships in Uganda with Veri Platform In just a few days, I’ll be visiting  Uganda  for the very first...

MTN Uganda has just confirmed plans to spin off its fintech and mobile money division into a standalone company , with the goal of...