Vijay Prashad

Globetrotter Media

A group of young people in Paris are enjoying a drink in a café on an unseasonably warm evening. The conversation drifts into politics, but—as one young woman says—“Let’s not talk about France.”

The others nod their assent. They focus on the U.S. presidential election, a slight bit of Gallic arrogance at play, as they mock the near certainty that the main candidates will be President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Biden is 81 years old and Trump is 77. A Special Counsel in the United States has&nbsp;called&nbsp;Biden an “elderly man with a poor memory,” hardly the words required to inspire confidence in the president.

Trying to defend himself, Biden made the kind of gaffe that is fodder for online memes and affirmed the report that he tried to undermine: he&nbsp;called&nbsp;President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt the “president of Mexico.”

No new evidence is required, meanwhile, to mock the candidacy of Trump. “Is this the best that the United States can offer?” asks Claudine, a young student at a prestigious Parisian college.

<h2>Are European leaders any better than Americans?</h2>

These young people are aware enough that what appears to be comical on the other side of the Atlantic—the U.S. presidential election—is no less ridiculous, and of course less dangerous, in Europe.

When I ask them what they think about the main European leaders—Olaf Scholz of Germany and Emmanuel Macron of France—they shrug, and the words “imbecilic” and “non-entity” enter the discussion.

U.S. President Joe Biden with the Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz in a photo shared on February 10, 2024

Near Les Halles, these young people have just been at a demonstration to end the Israeli bombing of the Rafah region of Gaza.

“Rafah is the size of Heathrow Airport,” says a young student from England who is spending 2024 in France.

That none of the European leaders have spoken plainly about the death and destruction in Gaza troubles them, and they say that they are not alone in these feelings. Many of their fellow students feel the same way.

The approval ratings for Scholz and Macron decline with each week. Neither the German nor the French public believes that these men can reverse the economic decline or stop the wars in either Gaza or Ukraine.

<h2>European students give views on Israel-Hamas War</h2>

Claudine is upset that the governments of the Global North have decided to cut their funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN Palestine agency, although another young person, Oumar, interjects that Brazil’s President Lula has&nbsp;said&nbsp;that his country will donate money to UNRWA. Everyone nods.

A week later, news comes that a young soldier in the United States Airforce—Aaron Bushnell—has decided to take his own life, saying that he will no longer be complicit in the genocide against the Palestinians.

When asked about the death of Bushnell, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre&nbsp;said&nbsp;that the President is “aware” and that it is a “horrible tragedy.” But there was no statement about why the young man took his life, and nothing to assuage a tense public about the implications of this act.

An image shared online in tribute to Aaron Bushnell

Eating an ice cream in New York, U.S. President Joe Biden&nbsp;said&nbsp;that he hoped that there would be a ceasefire “by the beginning of the weekend” but then moved it to “by next Monday.”

The meandering statements, the pledge for a ceasefire alongside the prevarication, and the arms deliveries do not raise the confidence of anyone in Biden or his peers in Europe.

With the Emir of Qatar beside him, France’s President Emmanuel Macron&nbsp;called&nbsp;for a “lasting ceasefire.”

These phrases—“lasting ceasefire” and “sustainable ceasefire”—have been bandied about with these adjectives (lasting, sustainable) designed to dilute the commitment to a ceasefire and to pretend that they are actually in favor of an end to the war when they continue to say that they are behind Israel’s bombing runs.

In London, the UK Parliament had a comical collapse in the face of a Scottish National Party (SNP) resolution for a ceasefire.

Rather than allow a vote to show the actual opinions of their members, both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party went into a tailspin and the Parliament’s speaker broke rules to ensure that the elected officials did not have to go on the record against a ceasefire.

Brendan O’Hara of the SNP put the issue&nbsp;plainly&nbsp;before the Parliament before his words and the SNP resolution was set aside: “Some will have to say that they chose to engage in a debate on semantics over ‘sustainable’ or ‘humanitarian’ pauses, while others will say that they chose to give Netanyahu both the weapons and the political cover that he required to prosecute his relentless war.”

Global desire for an immediate stop to the Israeli bombing is now at an all-time high.

For the third time, the United States vetoed a UN resolution in the Security Council to compel the Israelis to stop the bombing.

That the United States and its European allies continue to back Israel despite the widespread disgust at this war—exemplified by the death of Aaron Bushnell—raises the frustration with the leadership of the Global North.

What is so particularly bewildering is that large sections of the population in the countries of the North want an immediate ceasefire, and yet their leaders disregard their opinions.

One&nbsp;<a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2024/2/27/voters-support-the-us-calling-for-permanent-ceasefire-in-gaza-and-conditioning-military-aid-to-israel">survey</a>&nbsp;shows that two-thirds of voters in the United States—including majorities of Democrats (77%), Independents (69%), and Republicans (56%)—are in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza.

Interestingly, 59% of U.S. voters say that Palestinians must be guaranteed the right to return to their homes in Gaza, while 52% said that peace talks must be held for a two-state solution.

These are all positions that are ignored by the main political class on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

The qualifications of “lasting” and “sustainable” only increase cynicism among populations that watch their political leadership ignore their insistence on an immediate ceasefire.

Clarity is not to be sought in the White House, in No. 10 Downing Street, or in the Élysée Palace. It is found in the words of ordinary people in these countries who are heartsick regarding the violence.

Protests seem to increase in intensity as the death toll rises. What is the reaction to these protests? In the United Kingdom, members of parliament&nbsp;complained&nbsp;that these protests are putting the police under “sustained pressure.” That is perhaps the point of the protests.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Pulse as its publisher.

U.S. President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France President Emmanuel Macron

Global desire for an immediate stop to the Israeli bombing is now at an all-time high.

OPINION: The remarkable decline in the Global North’s leadership

John P. Ruehl

As winter settles over New Delhi, cold air sinks, trapping pollution in the city. Smoke from seasonal fires stemming from farming practices in India’s north further reduces the city’s air quality, which typically ranks the worst in the world.

New Delhi’s government has sought prior solutions to easing pollution, including traffic restrictions and air-filtration towers. But in 2023, it has turned to the controversial practice of cloudseeding to try and increase rainfall and improve air quality for the first time.

While the effectiveness of cloudseeding remains a debate, that hasn’t deterred more than 50 countries from investing millions annually in weather modification initiatives.

Mexico recently stepped up its cloudseeding efforts to combat drought, having begun its first program in 2020, while Indonesia has used cloudseeding to try and fill up dams and prevent flammable vegetation from drying in anticipation of this year’s fire season.

The roots of weather manipulation trace back to 1946, when U.S. scientists Vincent J. Schaefer and Irving Langmuir dispersed dry ice particles into a cloud, which caused ice crystals and visible snowfall.

Since then, the U.S. government has deployed cloudseeding programs, primarily in Western states like Montana, Wyoming, and Nevada, to try to increase rain and snowfall.

<h3>Cloudseeding technology also caught the eye of the private sphere. </h3>

Vail Ski Resort in Colorado has used Western Weather Consultants to deploy generators on mountaintops to induce snowfall since 1975, with dozens more operating in the region.

Since 1997, the West Texas Weather Modification Association has worked to increase rainfall over southwestern Texas.

The UK’s Oliver’s Travels meanwhile offers cloudseeding services to ensure clear weather for weddings in France.

The principal use of this technology has been to enhance precipitation, but other uses have been explored. From 1962 to 1983, a U.S. government initiative called Project Stormfury tried to weaken tropical cyclones with no real success, while attempts through other programs to limit the effects of storm-to-ground lightning also proved inadequate.

However, Project Cold Wand saw more successful experimentation with fog dissipation techniques in the early 1970s, while U.S. airlines have also used fog dissipation technology for decades.

A turboprop plane spreads cloudseeding chemicals over skies in Thailand. [Credit: Monthon Wa/Getty Images]

The Kremlin has also long experimented with this technology. Following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Soviet Union used cloudseeding to increase rain in the region to wash radioactive particles from the air and prevent them from reaching Moscow.

Today, Russia employs this technology to clear skies for its annual Victory Day Parade in Moscow, while hail suppression technology has also been used by Russia to protect crops and property.

Other governments have also dedicated significant resources to cloudseeding for decades. Since 1951, France’s Association to Suppress Atmospheric Plagues has grown to an extensive nationwide program, while Thailand’s Royal Rainmaking Project has been active since 1969.

In recent years, cloudseeding has grown increasingly popular in the water-stricken Middle East and parts of Africa. Morocco, Ethiopia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia all have national programs, while several more countries are considering it.

However, China has established itself as a leader in weather modification over the last two decades.

A cloud-seeding rocket launched to ease the drought in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia in July 2018 [Credit: Alamy Stock Photo]

China’s “weather army” employs almost 50,000 people, thousands of rocket launchers and cannons, and dozens of planes, largely through the China Meteorological Association Weather Modification Center.

In 2006, cloudseeding was used to clean sand off Beijing after a severe sandstorm. Two years later, cloudseeding was used to reduce pollution and pave the way for sunny weather before the 2008 Summer Olympics, practices that were repeated for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

China’s cloudseeding is not just limited to its capital city, with most Chinese cities employing their own programs.

Additionally, the Yangtze River basin, currently in severe drought, saw 241 flights and 15,000 rocket launches between June and November 2022, alleged to have resulted in “8.56 billion metric tons of additional rainfall” according to Chinese government sources.

Most supporters estimate that successful cloudseeding can result in a 10 to 30 percent increase in precipitation, but doubts persist over these figures.

<h3>Concerns on weaponisation of cloudseeding technology</h3>

It also remains difficult to document increases in rainfall and accurately decide where precipitation will fall. In light of these limitations (as well as the questionable economic viability of weather modification), Israel halted its 50-year cloudseeding program in 2021.

Since the inception of cloudseeding technology, however, there has been concern over its potential for weaponisation.

In 1957, the president’s advisory committee on weather control warned that weather manipulation could develop more destructive weapons than nuclear bombs.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. government’s cloudseeding Project Popeye spent millions of dollars between 1967 and 1972 to extend Vietnam’s monsoon season in an attempt to flood the Ho Chi Minh Trail and <a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sets-aside-millions-to-control-the-rain-2016-7">disrupt the North Vietnamese Army’s supply lines</a>.

The Soviet Union is also suspected of using cloudseeding to increase rainfall in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War to similarly turn areas into mud and disrupt the movements of the Mujahideen.

But public concern over the weaponisation of weather prompted the signing of the National Weather Modification Policy Act of 1976, and the U.S., along with other countries, signed the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Technique (CONMED) in 1977 that requires signatories refrain from militarizing weather modification.

Nonetheless, concern remains over how current technology and practices could ignite conflicts. Iranian officials accused Israel and the UAE of “working to make Iranian clouds not rain” in 2018, while China’s expansive plans for its cloudseeding operations have also brought concern from India.

<h3>Alternate methods of weather manipulation are also underway. </h3>

In 1996, a U.S. Air Force report titled “Weather as a force multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025” discussed how the advancement of surveillance technologies could see clouds made of smart particles deployed to generate “intelligent fog.”

There have also been projects designed to trigger lightning within clouds, which could complicate operations for the United States’ heralded F-35 plane, which cannot fly within 25 miles of a thunderstorm.

Outside militarisation initiatives, new weather modification projects are also on the horizon. Proposals to add nutrients to the ocean to encourage phytoplankton growth and increase carbon absorption, or ocean fertilisation, are increasingly discussed.

Sea and cloud brightening projects to reflect sunlight and reduce global warming are also becoming mainstream ideas, despite ongoing uncertainty about their destructive potential or ineffective results.

<h3>As weather modification technology continues to develop, we should be wary of further privatisation and militarisation. </h3>

Cloudseeding privatisation, for instance, has become increasingly globalized. Based in Fargo, North Dakota, Weather Modification, Inc. provides cloudseeding services to India. Switzerland’s Meteo Systems has been active in the UAE <a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/110118-abu-dhabi-desert-rain-cloud-seeding-controversy">for over a decade</a>.

With dozens of countries and companies now offering cloudseeding services, policymakers should design and enforce new regulations for weather modification.

While agreements and institutions like CONMED and the World Meteorological Organization Expert Team on Weather Modification play important roles, the stage is now crowded with various actors vying for a larger role in applying the technology.

Global coordination should be seen as a necessary undertaking to avoid the potentially catastrophic effects of manipulating the weather.

Before governments and companies embark on large-scale efforts to alter the weather, additional regulation in anticipation of future technologies can serve as a protective measure to avoid environmental crises and mitigate the rise of conspiracy theories.

Bottom view of plane with contrail [Credit: SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS]

Weather manipulation is increasingly common around the world, but the dangers of privatisation and weaponisation abound.

Does modern science already allow us to manage the weather?

In August 2023, amidst global summits, Beijing released its latest standard map, causing significant controversy in the Indo-Pacific region.

This move, combined with China's aggressive border strategies, has created uncertainties across the region. China's perception of international laws as products of Western customs has allowed it to navigate these laws with flexibility, posing challenges for neighboring countries and Western powers alike.

However, the release of the 2023 map has triggered a growing backlash, leading to questions about the long-term sustainability of China's approach to its territorial disputes.

The Great Wall of China.Suphanat Wongsanuphat/Getty Images

Fewer people are visiting the Great Wall of China.Suphanat Wongsanuphat/Getty Images

<h3>Stealthy compliance with international law</h3>

China's approach to international law can be described as 'stealthy compliance.' While Beijing ambiguously accepts international law, it interprets it flexibly to advance its territorial claims.

This strategy allows China to assert its claims without enforcing them immediately, serving as a bargaining chip in bilateral negotiations.

Moreover, it diverts attention from domestic issues like Tibet, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, channeling nationalist sentiment outward and bolstering the Chinese government's domestic legitimacy.

<h3>China's persistent territorial claims</h3>

For decades, China has unveiled its nine-dash line map to assert its claims in the South China Sea, creating ambiguity regarding these claims' scope.

A residential building of Country Garden in Fuyang City, East China's Anhui Province.Costfoto/Getty Images

While the claims pertaining to water rights, land features, or both remain a mystery, they symbolize China's aspirations to reduce U.S. control over regional shipping lanes, secure natural resources, and project power into the Pacific.

The 2023 map reintroduced a tenth dash east of Taiwan, challenging the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and extending China's reach.

It also emphasised China's rights to the disputed Senkaku Islands, drawing criticism from Japan and Taiwan.

<h3>ASEAN backlash &amp; disputed territories</h3>

The release of the 2023 map just days before the ASEAN summit sparked swift rejection from member states such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

China's actions in the South China Sea, including its occupation of the Paracel Islands and clashes with Vietnam and the Philippines, have fueled tensions.

The national flag of China is displayed in a street in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.Getty Images

Recent confrontations with Malaysia and the Philippines have pushed these nations to take a more confrontational stance towards China.

While the Philippines under President Bongbong Marcos has adopted a tougher approach, not all ASEAN states are willing to confront Beijing. Indonesia downplayed the map's significance and launched a China-backed high-speed rail project.

<h3>Challenges of resisting China's claims</h3>

Resisting China's territorial claims is complicated because many countries in the region have their own disputes and are wary of getting involved in further conflicts.

For example, Taiwan claims Japan's Senkaku Islands, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines have their disputes.

By inflaming its own border disputes, China exacerbates existing conflicts, dissuading countries from taking a firm stance against Beijing.

<h3>Land border disputes &amp; Myanmar's role</h3>

China's land border disputes with ASEAN member Myanmar have not elicited significant opposition due to Myanmar's internal strife and economic reliance on China.

India's attempts to rally regional opposition have been complicated by Nepal, which has territorial disputes with both China and India.

In contrast, Bhutan, supported by India in its territorial disputes with China, appeared to consider concessions in 2023, potentially indicating a shift in its stance.

China's 2023 map revived a settled dispute with Russia, claiming a small island divided between the two countries in 2005.

This move may have been retaliatory in response to a Russian map from 2022 that irked China. Russia's tepid response reflects its growing dependence on China since the Ukraine invasion.

<h3>China's assertive border strategies &amp; global stability</h3>

China's aggressive border strategies have far-reaching implications for regional and global stability.

While these tactics have provided short-term benefits, they carry the risk of escalating disputes into conflicts and generating significant international backlash.

As the geopolitical landscape remains dynamic, countries, both major powers and smaller nations, are searching for effective responses to China's actions.

A view of the Great Wall of China in Beijing.Spriha Srivastava

In August 2023, amidst global summits, Beijing released its latest standard map, causing significant controversy in the Indo-Pacific region.

Why China's latest border map has heightened regional tensions

Suarav Sarkar

In 1917, the British government issued the infamous Balfour Declaration.

This brief document—<a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration">67 words</a>—was a turning point in modern Palestinian history. It committed Great Britain to establishing a “national home” for Jewish people in Palestine. (The initial language promised a “Jewish state,” but was changed later.)

The Balfour Declaration contained language that was meant to safeguard Palestinians, but we have seen how that has played out in the ensuing century.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba (L) and Amad Diallo (R) walk around the pitch with a Palestine flag

<h3>Repression of Palestinian nationalism</h3>

From World War I to 1948, the British ruled Palestine, the bulk of that time under a mandate issued by the League of Nations.

The population of Jewish settlers in Palestine increased over these decades—particularly the 1930s—as the British government fostered their immigration.

In 1922, only 11 percent of the population in the region was Jewish. By 1931, the figure was up to about 17 percent. By 1939, it was almost 30 percent.

At that point, the British government sought to limit any further expansion of the Jewish population in order to ensure stability in the region. But by then, it was too late—the facts on the ground had changed.

What had been a region that was almost <a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/whats-the-israel-palestine-conflict-about-a-simple-guide">90 percent</a> Palestinian had become a contested land between two demographically numerous groups.

Pope Francis Canonizes Saints from 19th Century Palestine

Moreover, the British had confiscated land from Palestinians to hand it over to Jewish people and engaged in violent repression of incipient Palestinian nationalism. And in the 1930s, a British government commission recommended that Palestine be partitioned, laying the groundwork for the failed “two-state solution.”

In other words, this conflict is the product of specific imperial policies that were practiced in the first half of the 20th century to foster a colonial project.

<h3>Antisemitism made into Palestinians’ Zionist problem by the British Empire</h3>

The “Jewish question”—Europe’s longstanding inability to adequately address its own antisemitism—was made into Palestinians’ Zionist problem by the British Empire.

One of the key features of British rule was to play different groups against each other. One of the key methods adopted by them over the course of centuries and a global collection of provinces was to study the social history of their subjects to manage the politics and play different groups against each other.

The support for Jewish migration to Palestine triggered resentment and mobilisation by Indigenous Palestinians, eventually leading to the Great Revolt of 1936-1939.

Tehran, Iran. In Tehran's capital, two Iranian clerics express their support by holding the flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Palestine as they take part in an anti-Israeli rally.HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

The revolt, which included a general strike and peasant uprising, was violently repressed by the British government in collaboration with Zionist paramilitaries. However, after the revolt, the British began to limit further Jewish immigration to the region, turning against the group they had supported in order to protect their imperial interests.

This led to violent attacks by Zionists in Palestine.

<h3>Palestine is not alone in the British 'divide and rule' fate </h3>

In region after region, the British used strategies of “divide and rule” to pit one people against another for the benefit of the empire.

In British India, they pushed the Hindu-Muslim divide, sometimes favoring one population, sometimes the other.

In Cyprus, they pitted the Greeks against the Turks.

In Sri Lanka, it was the Tamils against the Sinhalese.

In Ireland, it was the Catholics against the Protestants. The list goes on.

Supporters of Palestine gather at Harvard University to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza at a rally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 2023. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

In all of these places, the supposedly “ancient” politics of intergroup conflict have persisted beyond when the sun set on the British Empire. There have been territorial divides based on ethnicity and/or religion.

British India became India and Pakistan. Pakistan was then further subdivided into Pakistan and Bangladesh. Ireland was split up into the Republic of Ireland and the UK’s Northern Ireland.

Cyprus is divided in two, and its legal status is still unresolved. In Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lanka, a 30-year civil war waged to establish a Tamil state, which ended in 2009 in a similar fashion to what we are witnessing in Gaza today.

And in 1948, Palestine was formally partitioned, establishing a Zionist state and what was meant to be a Palestinian one, with the blessing of the former British rulers who oversaw the beginning of the Nakba.

<h3>Stop the current genocide instead of waving an Israeli flag</h3>

Each of these places has been marked with violent conflict based on “ancient” hatreds that can be traced to the last one or two centuries.

It is this commonality that firmly establishes that the British Empire policies are the root cause of the violence in these regions; there are simply too many instances of these conflicts being traced back to the empire to imagine a coincidence.

While the proximate causes of Israeli apartheid, occupation, and genocide clearly lie squarely at the feet of Israel and its chief sponsor the United States, the United Kingdom has a special responsibility to make right its historical sins in Palestine—and everywhere else.

A minimal first step would be to work to stop the current genocide instead of waving an Israeli flag. But this—let alone reparations—does not seem to be on the table.

Israeli flags are flying over all government buildings in the United Kingdom currently, but this isn’t the first time the former imperial hegemon has put its weight behind Zionism. In 1917, the British government issued the infamous Balfour Declaration.

The British roots of the conflict in Palestine

Wambi Michael

The oil and gas industry in Uganda is swiftly advancing, with significant investments from industry giants TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

Since the Final Investment Decision (FID) was signed by CNOOC and TotalEnergies in February 2022, oil and gas infrastructure development in Uganda's Albertine region has been accelerating.

The collaboration between TotalEnergies EP Uganda, CNOOC Uganda, and Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) involves an investment exceeding $10 billion to develop upstream facilities and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

The influx of investment, often referred to as "petrodollars," is visibly transforming the region.

Previously underdeveloped areas are now witnessing the construction of tarmacked roads, an international airport, and improved housing.

Compensation provided to Project-Affected Persons (PAPs) has resulted in tangible benefits, including upgraded houses, solar lighting, and improved sanitation facilities.

The development projects have generated a substantial number of jobs, benefiting the local population.

Approximately 12,000 jobs have been created so far, with a focus on employing Ugandans.

Uganda discovered oil beneath Lake Albert 14 years ago

Uganda discovered oil beneath Lake Albert 14 years ago but so far none has been extracted

As the construction of facilities reaches its peak, the job count is expected to rise to around 160,000, offering extensive opportunities for the Ugandan workforce.

Despite the positive transformations, there have been challenges related to compensation, including delays and disputes over compensation rates.

Human Rights Watch highlighted concerns about delays in compensation, leaving many affected households worse off.

Some individuals are reluctant to relocate without what they consider adequate compensation.

In July, Human Rights Watch released a report, 'Our Trust is Broken,' which documented what it described as 'devastating impacts' on the livelihoods of Ugandan families from the land acquisition process.

“Critically, Human Rights Watch found that affected households are much worse off than before. Most lands were initially evaluated in 2017-2019. Compensation was not received until three to five years later, in 2022 or 2023.

"Considerable hardship accrued from these delays that were also poorly communicated amidst confusion over the ability to access crops during this time,” the Human Rights Watch report said.

Recognizing the compensation delays, a 15 percent per year uplift on additional financial compensation has been implemented to mitigate the impact on affected communities.

However, there remain discrepancies in compensations received by affected individuals, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive and equitable compensation system.

Land acquisition &amp; compensation determination

The process of land acquisition and compensation determination involves comprehensive steps, including proper identification of land, confirming the number of occupants, and determining compensation rates.

These rates, proposed by the district and confirmed by the Chief Government Valuer, aim to strike a balance between the interests of all stakeholders.

6 Nigerian companies to invest in Uganda oil sector – Official

The oil and gas industry in Uganda is swiftly advancing, with significant investments from industry giants TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

Bittersweet sides of Uganda’s oil & gas development

Isaiah Esipisu

Experts at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, are urging African governments to create and revise policies to safeguard the processing and agro-industrialisation of locally produced agricultural products.

According to the President of MeTL Group of Companies in Tanzania, Mohammed Dewji, Tanzania, a significant cotton producer, has only three textile firms while exporting cotton to China for final product manufacturing due to local taxes hindering competitiveness.

The Deal Room, launched at the AGRF, is a matchmaking platform facilitating business deals and commitments in the agriculture and agribusiness sectors.

It provides companies access to finance, mentorship, and market entry solutions to support their growth objectives.

Wanjohi Ndagu, Partner and Investment Director at Pearl Capital Partners Ltd. in Uganda, highlighted how some African governments favor imports even when local farmers have surplus harvests. He called for policies that protect farmers and local production.

Several African countries export raw agricultural products but import processed products.

For instance, Ivory Coast and Nigeria are net exporters of natural rubber, which is later imported as car tires, footwear, and industrial goods.

Tanzania, Mozambique, and Ivory Coast export cashew nuts but import roasted and processed cashew nuts and other value-added products. Kenya exports raw avocados while importing avocado cosmetic products.

Rwanda stands out as a success story, creating a conducive environment for agro-processing investment through favorable policies.

Experts at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, are urging African governments to create and revise policies to safeguard the processing and agro-industrialisation of locally produced agricultural products.

Globetrotter Media

Articles written by the author

OPINION: The remarkable decline in the Global North’s leadership

Does modern science already allow us to manage the weather?

Why China's latest border map has heightened regional tensions

The British roots of the conflict in Palestine

Bittersweet sides of Uganda’s oil & gas development

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