Climate justice for Africa cannot be separated from the trade rules, tax systems and debt arrangements that shape the continent’s ability to respond to climate change. At the Uganda Pre-COP31 Civil Society Engagement, SEATINI’s Mr. Owen Mugambwa highlighted how emerging climate-related trade measures such as the EUDR and CBAM could affect African exporters, smallholder farmers and businesses, particularly where the capacity and cost of compliance are shifted onto producers. He underscored the need for fair trade rules, predictable and accessible climate finance, technology transfer and policy space for Africa’s industrialisation. But the response cannot depend on global action alone. Africa must also strengthen its own resilience through regional integration, agroecology, local production and regional value chains, while investing in shared systems such as traceability infrastructure that enable African producers to meet changing market requirements. Ahead of COP31, the task is therefore twofold: push for a fairer global climate and economic architecture while building the productive and regional capacity Africa needs for a just and resilient transition. @OwenMugambwa @EmliBwaise @SEATINIAfrica @herbertk4 @mtic_uganda #COP31 #ClimateJustice #TradeJustice #GreenIndustrialisation #SEATINIAt30

What opportunities can stronger Ireland–Uganda trade and investment engagement create for both countries? Today, SEATINI joined a Business Networking Brunch hosted by H.E. Mags Gaynor, Ambassador of Ireland to Uganda, bringing together business and other stakeholders for an exchange on trade, investment and economic engagement between Uganda and Ireland. SEATINI Executive Director Ms. Jane Nalunga delivered the keynote address, while Deputy Executive Director Mr. Herbert Kafeero facilitated the discussions. The engagement provided space to exchange perspectives on how trade and investment can contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic development, as dialogue between stakeholders in the two countries continues. @SeatiniU @IEAmbUganda @herbertk4 @SEATINIAfrica @IrlEmbUganda @mtic_uganda @ugandainvest @MAAIF_Uganda #TradeAndInvestment #IrelandUgandaRelations #SEATINIAt30

CSOs Present Alternative Tax Proposals for FY 2027/28 Today, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the Tax Justice Alliance Uganda (@taxalliance_ug) defended their Alternative Tax Proposals for FY 2027/28 before the Tax Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED). The proposals call for: 🔹 Fairer and more inclusive taxation, including a review of the tax exemptions and investment incentives regime. 🔹 VAT reforms to ease compliance for small businesses, including raising the registration threshold from UGX 300 million to UGX 500 million. 🔹 Reducing excise duty on internet data to promote digitalisation in Uganda and operationalising tax exemptions for e-learning and telemedicine. 🔹 Reducing VAT and import duty on selected telecommunications equipment by 5–10% to improve affordability and accessibility. 🔹 Zero-rating or reducing taxes on essential goods, such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), to address energy poverty and improve access to clean cooking energy. 🔹 Strengthening tax administration and addressing compliance challenges affecting Ugandan taxpayers, especially small businesses. Through these proposals, CSOs advocate for a fair, inclusive and effective tax system that broadens the tax base, strengthens domestic revenue mobilisation, promotes equity and supports national development. @herbertk4 @SeatiniU @URAuganda @pwatchug @OxfaminUganda @watergovinst @mofpedU @Youth_TJN @CSBAGUGANDA @kacita_uganda @GovUganda #TaxJustice #TaxPolicy #TaxJusticeAllianceUganda #Uganda

An economy can be growing on paper while people are still struggling on the ground. That was a key point raised by SEATINI Executive Director Ms. Jane Nalunga during UBC TV’s Behind the Headlines discussion on Uganda’s tenfold growth ambition. Uganda’s macroeconomic fundamentals may show an economy that is growing and being stabilised through monetary policy. But for Ms. Nalunga, that tells only part of the story. Where are the decent jobs? Is production and productivity increasing? And is that growth translating into tangible improvements in people’s lives? She pointed in particular to the worrying number of young Ugandans who are neither in employment, education nor training — a reality that sits uneasily alongside positive headline growth figures. For Uganda’s tenfold growth ambition, the challenge is therefore bigger than achieving a higher growth rate. It is ensuring that growth reaches the ordinary Ugandan through jobs, productive opportunities and better livelihoods. @SeatiniU @mofpedU @herbertk4 @pwatchug @mtic_uganda @ubctvuganda @GovUganda @SEATINIAfrica #TenfoldGrowth #UgandaEconomy #DecentJobs #EconomicTransformation #SEATINIAt30

Uganda’s tenfold growth ambition will ultimately be tested by what it changes in the productive economy—and in people’s lives. During last night’s Behind the Headlines discussion on UBC TV, SEATINI Executive Director Ms. Jane Nalunga emphasised that achieving the ambition will require Uganda to move beyond broad policy commitments and deliberately address the constraints affecting production and productivity. Drawing attention to pressures facing sectors such as coffee, she called for fiscal policy and the national budget to respond directly to productive challenges, while using trade and tax policy strategically to support import substitution, domestic production and value addition. She also pointed to the opportunities Uganda is pursuing in external markets, stressing that market access must be matched by the capacity to produce competitively and at scale. The question is not simply which markets are available to Uganda, but what Uganda is organised to produce and sell into them. This speaks to the wider test of tenfold growth: building domestic productive capacity, supporting farmers and enterprises, creating decent jobs and ensuring that economic growth translates into improved livelihoods. @SeatiniU @ubctvuganda @mofpedU @herbertk4 @GovUganda @mtic_uganda @pwatchug #TenfoldGrowth #UgandaEconomy #EconomicTransformation #TradePolicy #SEATINIAt30

Uganda’s tenfold growth ambition will require the national budget to respond to the productive constraints the economy is facing now. Speaking on UBC TV’s Behind the Headlines, SEATINI Executive Director Ms. Jane Nalunga has pointed to the pressure facing Uganda’s coffee sector, including the effects of drought on production. Her argument: fiscal policy cannot remain at the level of broad ambitions when a major foreign-exchange earner is under pressure. Budget allocations must deliberately respond to the constraints affecting production—from climate-resilient planting materials and extension support to the wider investments farmers need to sustain productivity. For Uganda, protecting and expanding productive capacity must be treated as part of the economic response, not as a separate conversation. @SeatiniU @pwatchug @ubctvuganda @mofpedU @GovUganda @herbertk4 @SEATINIAfrica @mtic_uganda #TenfoldGrowth #UgandaEconomy #FiscalPolicy #SEATINIAt30

NOW ON AIR | BEHIND THE HEADLINES Uganda has set an ambitious goal of expanding its economy tenfold. But achieving that ambition will depend on whether the country can create the conditions for businesses to produce, invest, expand and create jobs at scale. SEATINI Executive Director Ms. Jane Nalunga is live on UBC TV’s Behind the Headlines, joining fellow panellists to discuss: “Tenfold Growth: Is Uganda’s Business Environment Ready for the Ambition?” 📺 Tune in to @ubctvuganda. @SeatiniU @herbertk4 @SEATINIAfrica @mofpedU @BOU_Official #UgandaEconomy #BusinessEnvironment #EconomicTransformation #SEATINIAt30

What would it take for Uganda’s businesses to grow at the scale needed to support the country’s economic ambitions? Tonight, SEATINI Executive Director Ms. Jane Nalunga joins Behind the Headlines on UBC TV for a discussion on “Tenfold Growth: Is Uganda’s Business Environment Ready for the Ambition?” Alongside fellow panellists, she will examine what Uganda’s tenfold growth ambition means for the environment in which businesses operate, invest and expand—and the conditions needed to translate economic ambition into productive capacity, jobs and sustainable growth. Tune in to; 📺 UBC TV | 10:00 PM EAT @SeatiniU @ubctvuganda @mofpedU @mtic_uganda @herbertk4 @SeatiniU @pwatchug #UgandaEconomy #BusinessEnvironment #EconomicTransformation #SEATINIAt30

Fairer taxation can help Uganda raise more revenue without placing a heavier burden on low-income earners. In an interview published in today’s Daily Monitor, SEATINI Deputy Executive Director Mr. Herbert Kafeero argues that wealthy individuals should pay taxes commensurate with their income and wealth, rather than leaving ordinary citizens to shoulder a disproportionate share of the tax burden. But raising revenue is only part of the equation. Taxation must also deliver redistribution, accountability and representation. When citizens see their taxes translating into better public services, schools, hospitals and roads, trust in the tax system can grow, strengthening their willingness to comply. For Uganda, the challenge is not simply to collect more revenue, but to build a fairer and more progressive tax system in which obligations are met and public resources deliver tangible benefits for citizens. @herbertk4 @URAuganda @SeatiniU @mofpedU @SEATINIAfrica @pwatchug #TaxJustice #TaxPolicy #DomesticRevenueMobilisation #SEATINIAt30

Uganda has raised the PAYE tax-free threshold from UGX 235,000 to UGX 335,000 after years without an adjustment. Is UGX 335,000 enough to meet basic needs before income tax even comes into the picture? During last night’s discussion on @babatvuganda, SEATINI’s Tax Policy Analyst, Mr. Peter Tukundane, welcomed the revision, but drew on SEATINI’s A Day in the Life of a Taxpayer analysis to put the new threshold into perspective. The analysis looks at what an ordinary taxpayer spends on basic needs and the taxes already embedded in everyday expenditure — from food and housing to water, electricity, transport and household necessities. Against these everyday costs, SEATINI’s analysis puts the minimum cost of living at about UGX 560,000 before PAYE should begin to apply. Mr. Tukundane’s point was therefore not simply that the PAYE threshold has changed. It was about whether the level at which we begin taxing employment income reflects people’s ability to meet their basic needs, improve their livelihoods and save for the future. For tax policy to be fair, the cost of meeting basic needs has to be part of the equation. @peter_tukundane @herbertk4 @URAuganda @GovUganda @SEATINIAfrica #TaxJustice #PAYE #TaxPolicy #UgandaEconomy #SEATINIAt30

What does Uganda’s current economic situation mean for someone trying to start, sustain or grow a business? Speaking on Baba TV’s The Platform last night, SEATINI’s Tax Policy Analyst, Mr. Peter Tukundane, argued that navigating the current economic environment requires a clearer understanding of the conditions in which households and businesses are making financial decisions. He pointed to businesses that open and close within a few months as an example of why investment decisions cannot be separated from the wider economic environment. Before committing capital, he argued, people need to understand the market they are entering: Why this business? What is the demand? How will it generate income? And can it remain viable under the prevailing conditions? His intervention brought the discussion on Uganda’s economic situation down to a practical question: how do we ensure that investment translates into sustainable businesses and incomes rather than simply encouraging people to put scarce resources into ventures they are not adequately prepared to sustain? @peter_tukundane @babatvuganda @SEATINIAfrica @mtic_uganda @herbertk4 @SeatiniU @GovUganda #UgandaEconomy #EconomicPolicy #PrivateSector #SEATINIAt30

NOW ON AIR | THE PLATFORM How should Uganda respond to the current economic pressures while addressing the deeper structural challenges affecting the economy? SEATINI’s Tax Policy Analyst, Mr. Peter Tukundane, is live on Baba TV’s The Platform, joining fellow panellists to discuss “The Economic Situation at Hand.” The conversation is looking beyond the immediate pressures to the policy choices needed to strengthen businesses, livelihoods and Uganda’s productive economy. 📺 Tune in to Baba TV now. @peter_tukundane @herbertk4 @SEATINIAfrica @GovUganda @mofpedU #UgandaEconomy #EconomicPolicy #SEATINIAt30

What do Uganda’s current economic pressures mean for revenue, businesses and the wider economy? Tonight, SEATINI’s Tax Policy Analyst, Mr. Peter Tukundane, joins The Platform on Baba TV to discuss “The Economic Situation at Hand.” The conversation comes at a time when Uganda is grappling with pressures that have implications for households and businesses, as well as the country’s fiscal and economic outlook. 📺 Baba TV | The Platform 🕙 Tonight | 10:00 PM EAT Tune in for the discussion. @peter_tukundane @babatvuganda @SEATINIAfrica @GovUganda @pwatchug @mofpedU @herbertk4 @SeatiniU #UgandaEconomy #ThePlatform #EconomicPolicy #TaxPolicy #SEATINIAt30

Investment protection should not come at the expense of governments’ ability to regulate in the public interest. As the global Days of Action on ISDS come to a close, SEATINI’s Executive Director, Ms. Jane Nalunga, draws attention to a fundamental concern with Investor-State Dispute Settlement: foreign investors can challenge government measures before international tribunals, with implications for both public policy space and public finances. The risk, she argues, goes beyond the cost of defending disputes. The possibility of litigation can itself discourage governments from introducing or strengthening measures intended to respond to priorities such as climate action and poverty reduction. For African countries, the question is therefore not simply how to attract and protect investment, but how to ensure investment rules preserve governments’ right to regulate in the public interest. As this year’s campaign closes, the call remains: investment policies, treaties and agreements must put people and planet before profits. @SeatiniU @ugandainvest @GovUganda @pwatchug @mofpedU @SEATINIAfrica @mtic_uganda @herbertk4 #ISDS #StopISDS #InvestmentPolicy #SEATINIAt30

Ending ISDS is about more than reforming investment treaties. It is about protecting countries' right to determine their development priorities. Across Africa, governments need the policy space to regulate investment, mobilise public resources and pursue sustainable development without the threat of costly investor claims. Yet investment treaties containing Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions can expose governments to substantial financial liabilities and discourage public-interest regulation. The way forward requires deliberate policy choices. Existing treaties containing ISDS provisions should be reviewed, renegotiated or cancelled, with particular attention to sunset clauses that can extend investor protections even after treaties are terminated. Governments must also reject new treaties that include ISDS provisions. These reforms are not about rejecting foreign investment. They are about establishing investment frameworks that balance investor interests with governments' responsibility to protect the public interest. As the Global Days of Action against ISDS (15–17 October 2026) conclude, SEATINI joins the call for investment frameworks that safeguard regulatory policy space and advance sustainable development. It's time to end ISDS and reclaim policy space for sustainable development. @SEATINIAfrica @TradeMarkAfrica @ugandainvest @GovUganda @jumuiya @SeatiniU @herbertk4 #StopISDS #SEATINIAt30 #InvestmentPolicy #TradeJustice

How are Ugandans coping with the current economic uncertainty? Join #ThePoliticalPodium tomorrow, Saturday, 17 October 2026, at 11:00 AM on @guguddetvuganda as Mr. Owen Mugambwa, Trade Policy Analyst @SEATINIUGANDA ; Ms. Phiona Kayondo, Member of the @taxalliance_ug ; and another distinguished guest unpack “Uganda’s Economy at a Glance: How Are Ugandans Coping with the Current Economic Uncertainty?” 📺 Tune in for an insightful discussion. Don’t miss it! @herbertk4 @SeatiniU @GovUganda @mofpedU @mtic_uganda @OwenMugambwa #UgandasEconomy #TradePolicy #TaxJustice #SEATINIAT30