Technology, Media and Telecommunications Africa Quarterly E Bulletin – October 2020
This e-bulletin highlights key legislative and regulatory developments in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors in sub-Saharan Africa. This issue covers the period 16 July to 15 October 2020 includes developments in Botswana, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe. Botswana Expression of Interest […]
The social media conundrum
Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media technologies are hugely popular. But there is a dark side: misinformation and hate speech can affect societies in very negative ways. African governments are part of the global push to regulate social media – but how far should they go? Digital communication is in the crosshairs of the […]
Technology, Media and Telecommunications Update in Africa – July 2020
This e-bulletin highlights key legislative and regulatory developments in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors in sub-Saharan Africa. This issue covers the period 16 April 2020 to 15 July 2020 includes developments Botswana, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Botswana Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority intervention towards COVID‑19 […]
Court of Appeal decision expounds on implications of unlawful dismissals on salary loans
The Industrial Court is a specialized court established to determine employment matters in Uganda. In 2014, one of the matters heard by the Court was Florence Musumba vs. Uganda Development Bank Labour Dispute Claim 138 of 2014. Some of the findings of the Court included: the distinction between dismissal and termination of employees, the obligation to […]
How to detect cyber security threats
Cybersecurity The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organizations to embrace widespread remote work for their workforce. The sudden changes have led to increased use of internet based work platforms and cloud based management systems and at the same time exposing many organisations to major cybersecurity threats. What are the increased security risks from remote working […]
Ugandan member secures first money remittance license in Africa
Katende, Ssempebwa & Co Advocates [“KATS”] has successfully advised BT Payment Services, a Fintech- digital- money remittance services provider on the licensing of its operations in Uganda by the Bank of Uganda. BT Payments Services Limited, a Ugandan financial technology company with roots in Kenya provides a secure web-based money remittance option that allows the […]
Sun, wind and water stir up Africa’s energy mix
During July and August of 2019, engineers were hard at work installing solar panels on the roof of Jubilee House in the Ghanaian capital of Accra – the office and residence of President Nana Akufo-Addo. Across the African continent to the east, another president, Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta, snipped a ribbon in the rocky desert landscape […]
Tax in African countries
The African Union is on a drive to make the continent economically self-sufficient and some observers believe fixing tax collection is a low-hanging fruit in this endeavour. Africa’s tax-to-GDP ratio is about 18%, while in the developed countries of the OECD it is 34%. In Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, the number is just 5.9%. Many […]
Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and the law in Uganda
The Internet continues to spawn new technologies that change the way people interact with their environment in significant ways, in areas as diverse as social relations, the way business is done, and economies. One such change is “blockchain”, a revolutionary technology that allows parties to transact directly with each other without the need for intermediaries, […]
Uganda’s Social Media Tax is here to stay
Government says more sites may be added to the tax scheme, but it will work on giving users more options for payment. In July, Uganda’s government implemented a social media tax that it said was aimed at raising revenue that would be able “to cope with the consequences” of social media users’ “opinions, prejudices [and] […]
