August 13, 2025
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March 22, 2025

AfDB Commits Shs2tn to Revolutionise Financing for Smallholder Farmers

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The facility is designed to reduce the high transaction costs associated with financing small agricultural enterprises, ultimately enabling millions of farmers to access the capital they need to grow their businesses and boost food production. The African Development Bank (AfDB) president, Akinwumi Adesina, has announced plans to launch a Shs1.9 trillion ($500 million) facility designed to unlock Shs34.8 trillion in financing for smallholder farmers and agribusinesses across the continent. The announcement, made during the High-Level Conference on Scaling Finance for Smallholder Farmers in Nairobi, marks a significant step toward addressing Africa’s longstanding agricultural financing gap and unlocking the continent’s vast agricultural potential. Adesina revealed that AfDB is consulting with its Board of Directors to establish this innovative facility, which will deploy a range of financial instruments, including trade credit guarantees, blended finance mechanisms, and first-loss coverage. The facility is designed to reduce the high transaction costs associated with financing small agricultural enterprises, ultimately enabling millions of farmers to access the capital they need to grow their businesses and boost food production. “We stand on the threshold of making history by pushing the boundaries of innovation and building extensive collaborative alliances to bridge the financing gap faced by smallholder farmers and agribusinesses,” said Adesina, emphasising the transformative potential of the facility in his keynote address. The announcement comes at a crucial time, as the continent continues to grapple with a Shs27.8 trillion annual financing gap in agriculture. Despite agriculture being the largest sector in Africa, providing jobs for over 60% of the population, smallholder farmers often struggle to access credit, with only 6% of them able to secure financing. The situation is compounded by challenges such as climate change, lack of collateral, and high-risk perceptions among financial institutions. The conference, organized in partnership with the Pan African Farmers’ Organisation (PAFO), aimed to address these critical challenges and chart a path toward sustainable agricultural growth. Adesina called for a unified global effort to turn Africa into the world’s breadbasket, urging world leaders to recognise the central role agriculture must play in lifting millions out of poverty. The AfDB president’s call for action is rooted in significant progress made by the Bank since the 2023 Dakar 2 Feed Africa Summit. At the summit, 34 African heads of state committed to ensuring food security and sovereignty across the continent. As a result, financial commitments from development partners surged from Shs 13.3 trillion ($30 billion) to Shs32.7 trillion ($72 billion) in less than a year, with the AfDB itself pledging Shs 4.4 trillion ($10 billion). The Bank has already approved 77 projects worth Shs1.6 trillion ($3.9 billion) to support Country Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts in 32 countries. Among the AfDB’s key initiatives is the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program, which has reached 25 million farmers and boosted Africa’s food production by 120 million tons. In addition, the African Emergency Food Production Facility has delivered 459,000 tons of seed and 2.8 million tonnes of fertilizer to 12.3 million farmers, increasing food production by 37.6 million metric tonnes. These efforts are just a glimpse of the AfDB’s commitment to agricultural development, with plans for additional funding and programs set to roll out this year. However, despite these strides, significant barriers remain. Financial institutions still view smallholder farmers as high-risk borrowers, and less than 20% of farmers use improved seeds. Beth Dunford, AfDB vice president for agriculture, human, and social development, expressed frustration at the slow pace of change, calling for urgent action to address these persistent challenges. Ibrahima Coulibaly, President of the Pan African Farmers’ Organization, also underscored the urgency of the situation. “If we want to save our continent from hunger, malnutrition, and poverty, we must create jobs in the agricultural sector. There is no other sector capable of doing this,” he said. Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Senator Mutahi Kagwe, echoed these sentiments, calling for immediate action. “If we prioritize innovative, practical measures, we will transform agriculture into a thriving business. Let’s commit to ensuring that no farmers are left behind due to lack of finance,” he said.

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Heavyweight boxing legend George Foreman dies aged 76

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He lost his first title to Muhammad Ali in their famous Rumble in the Jungle fight in 1974. But overall, he boasted an astonishing total of 76 wins including 68 knockouts, almost double that of Ali. BBC – Boxing heavyweight legend George Foreman has died aged 76. Known as Big George in the ring, the American built one of the most remarkable and enduring careers in the sport, winning Olympic gold in 1968 and claiming the world heavyweight title twice, 21 years apart – the second making him the oldest champion in history aged 45. He lost his first title to Muhammad Ali in their famous Rumble in the Jungle fight in 1974. But overall, he boasted an astonishing total of 76 wins including 68 knockouts, almost double that of Ali. Foreman retired in 1997 but not before he agreed to put his name to a best-selling grill – a decision that went on to bring him fortunes that dwarfed his boxing earnings. His family said in a post on Instagram on Friday night: “Our hearts are broken. A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.” The statement added: “A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two time heavyweight champion of the world, He was deeply respected – a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name – for his family.” Tributes poured in from others across the sport, with former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson saying Foreman’s “contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten”. The Ring magazine, often dubbed the Bible of Boxing, described him as “one of the greatest heavyweights of all time”. “[He] will be remembered as an icon of the sport forever.” Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas, on 10 January 1949, and raised along with six siblings by a single mother in the segregated American South. He dropped out of school and turned to street robberies before eventually finding his outlet in the ring. Foreman won the heavyweight gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, aged 19, before turning pro and winning 37 consecutive matches. He lost only five bouts over his career. He beat previously undefeated reigning champion Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1973 knocking him down six times in the first two rounds. His 1974 Rumble in the Jungle against Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, remains one of the most famous boxing matches ever. Ali, the older man, was the underdog after he was stripped of his crown seven years earlier for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War. Foreman reflected on the legendary fight 50 years later in an October interview with BBC World Service Newshour, explaining that everyone thought he was going to decimate Ali. “Oh, he’s not going to last one round,” the boxer said experts were predicting at the time. Foreman told the BBC he typically would get “real nervous” and have “butterflies” before any boxing match, but that night – it was the “most comfortable” he had felt. But the wily Ali used a tactic that later became known as “rope-a-dope”, which wore out Foreman, causing him to throw out hundreds of punches before Ali unloaded on him in the eighth round and scored a knockout. After a second professional loss, Foreman retired in 1977 and became an ordained minister at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Texas, which he founded and built. He told the BBC his defeat to Ali became the “best thing that ever happened to me” as it ultimately led him to “get my message out” through preaching. He recalled that his preaching started small, on street corners and with friends, then grew. “We began meeting informally at various homes in Houston, and before long, the crowds became too large for most houses to accommodate,” Foreman said on his website. “Eventually, we bought a piece of land and an old, dilapidated building on the north-east side of Houston.” Foreman came out of retirement in 1987 to raise money for a youth centre he founded. He won 24 matches before losing to Evander Holyfield after 12 rounds in 1991. In 1994, Foreman knocked out undefeated Michael Moorer to become the oldest ever heavyweight champion at age 45. He became ad pitchman for his George Foreman Grill, which millions have purchased since it hit the market in 1994, thanks in part to his memorable catchphrase, the “Lean Mean Grilling Machine”. Foreman was married five times. He has a dozen children, including five sons who are all named George. He explained on his website that he named them after himself so they “they would always have something in common”. “I say to them, ‘If one of us goes up, then we all go up together,” he explained. “And if one goes down, we all go down together!’”

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EC Accused of Bending the Law to Stall Nalukoola’s Swearing-In

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The delay has sparked widespread concern, with legal experts and opposition politicians questioning whether the EC is failing to adhere to established legal procedures as outlined in Uganda’s electoral laws. The swearing-in of Kawempe North MP-elect Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola hangs in uncertainty as the Electoral Commission (EC) has yet to officially confirm him as the duly elected representative. This development comes despite the same commission declaring him the winner of the parliamentary election last week. The delay has sparked widespread concern, with legal experts and opposition politicians questioning whether the EC is failing to adhere to established legal procedures as outlined in Uganda’s electoral laws. According to official results, Nalukoola, who ran on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket, secured 17,764 votes, emerging victorious in the highly contested Kawempe North race. However, his swearing-in has yet to take place, with Speaker of Parliament Anita Among citing the EC’s failure to confirm his election. Ms Among reportedly asked the commission to clarify why Nalukoola has not been gazetted as the duly elected MP—a key procedural step before he can be sworn in. “If a member wins a wait for a gazette. When I get it, that’s when I can swear in a member. So, I am waiting for a Gazette,” stated the speaking during a plenary sitting on Thursday. Under Section 78(1) of the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act, 2010, the Electoral Commission is required to ascertain, declare in writing under its seal, and publish the result of the election in each constituency within 48 hours of polling. Despite this legal provision, more than a week has passed without confirmation of Nalukoola’s victory. The EC, however, insists it is still operating within its legal timeframe, citing Section 78(2) of the same Act, which provides for the submission of a detailed report on the elections by the returning officer. “We are aware of this issue and our mandate as EC and we’ll handle the matter according to the law,” EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi told our reporter NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi has accused the Electoral Commission of deliberately stalling the process, alleging that the delays could be politically motivated. “When you conduct an election and you declare a winner that person is out of your hands, all you have to do is to immediately gazette him and they get sworn,” he said. ”Anyone who has any issue they seek recourse in the courts of the law,” he added. Senior lawyer Dan Wandera Ogalo also expressed concern that Nalukoola might be unable to take office unless the EC published his victory in the Uganda Gazette, a requirement for parliamentary swearing-in. “The law mandates the Electoral Commission to confirm and gazette the winner within a reasonable time. The fact that this has not happened suggests a deliberate effort to delay his swearing-in,” Ogalo remarked, warning that this could set a dangerous precedent. “She (the Speaker) can only know by a reason of gazzete, an official communication,” stated Ogalo. Amid the growing controversy, President Yoweri Museveni, who also serves as the chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), has ordered the police to investigate the Kawempe North election results. Some critics believe this probe could be influencing the EC’s hesitancy to confirm Nalukoola’s victory. Initially, the EC claimed it was waiting for an official election report from Kawempe North, which was expected to be submitted within seven days after polling. However, the deadline has since passed, and Mucunguzi has been unable to confirm whether the report has been received.

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How top army commander died as UPDF killed 242 militants in DR Congo battle

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UPDF’s Colonel Byaruhanga Dead Colonel David Byaruhanga, who commanded the 409 Brigade in Bondo, Arua District, passed away at Nakasero Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment. Colonel David Byaruhanga, a senior officer in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), has died from a Kampala hospital where he was being treated. The 4th Infantry Division’s Public Information Officer, Captain David Kamya, confirmed the death, stating, “I have got a confirmation from our Division Commander (Major General Felix Busizoori) that death has taken our own senior officer, Col David Byaruhanga.” Byaruhanga, who commanded the 409 Brigade in Bondo, Arua District, passed away at Nakasero Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment. Sources indicate he succumbed to bullet wounds sustained on duty, whose details remain undisclosed. His death is a significant blow to the 4th Infantry Division and the entire UPDF fraternity. Byaruhanga was instrumental in implementing Presidential Executive Order No. 3 to curb the illegal charcoal trade in Acholi sub-region. He had also played a key role in pacifying Karamoja during operations against the Karacuna warriors. The UPDF hailed Byaruhanga as a hero. “May his soul rest in everlasting peace,” Captain Kamya said.

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Ethiopia’s army claims to have killed 300 Fano fighters in renewed clashes

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The armed group contradicts the army’s claim of having ‘destroyed’ the former ally in the Amhara region. Ethiopian troops have killed more than 300 Fano armed group fighters, former allies against rebels in the Tigray region, in two days of renewed clashes in the northern Amhara region, according to the army. The military claimed in a statement on Friday that the fighters had carried out attacks in various zones of the Amhara region before being “destroyed” by the army. The statement said that 317 Fano fighters were killed and 125 others injured. However, Abebe Fantahun, spokesperson of Amhara Fano in Wollo Bete-Amhara, contradicted the tally, telling the Reuters news agency late on Friday the army had not killed even 30 of their fighters. Yohannes Nigusu, spokesperson for Fano in Gondar, Amhara region, said 602 federal army soldiers were killed in the fighting and 430 wounded, while 98 soldiers had been captured and weapons had been seized by the fighters. Former allies The Fano fighters fought alongside the Ethiopian army and Eritrean forces in a two-year war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which controls the northern Tigray region. Since then, Eritrea and Ethiopia have fallen out, with the former excluded from peace talks to end that war in November 2022. Fighting between the army and the Fano fighters broke out in July 2023, following Amhara’s sense of betrayal regarding the terms of the 2022 peace deal. Last year, the TPLF split into two factions led by Debretsion Gebremichael and Getachew Reda, each claiming party control. The army’s statement on Friday accused Brigadier General Migbey Haile, a senior military official allied with Debretsion’s faction, of supporting the Fano fighters’ attacks in the Amhara region. “Brigadier General Migbey Haile is an anti-peace and anti-development promoter who has a history of putting the people of Tigray into war without any military knowledge,” the army said. However, Abebe told Reuters that that was a “lie” and denied the general had any links to the Fano fighters. ‘Abusive army acting with impunity’ Fears of a new war emerged in recent weeks after Eritrea reportedly ordered a nationwide military mobilisation and Ethiopia deployed troops towards their border. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has accused the Ethiopian military of human rights abuses and committing war crimes during its ongoing fight against the Fano fighters. Last year, Human Rights Watch found that several dozen civilians were executed in the town of Merawi in Ethiopia’s northwestern Amhara region. “The Ethiopian armed forces’ brutal killings of civilians in Amhara undercut government claims that it’s trying to bring law and order to the region,” deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, Laetitia Bader, said. “Since fighting began between federal forces and the Fano militia, civilians are once again bearing the brunt of an abusive army operating with impunity,” she added. Source: Reuters

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She hoped Trump would revive her farm. Now she worries his policies could bankrupt it.

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Rebecca Carlson planned to use a USDA grant to hire overseas workers for her cherry harvest. A funding freeze has left her in debt and unsure whether she can hire the workers. March 22, 2025, 12:00 PM GMT+3 By Shannon Pettypiece [NBC News] After Donald Trump won the presidency again, Rebecca Carlson was counting on this being the year things turned around for her 1,300-acre farm in northern Michigan. The farm has been in her family for generations but has struggled over the past several years amid the rising cost of fuel, fertilizer and other operating expenses. Then, last year, bad weather wiped out much of her crop. But the return of Trump, she thought, would help reverse things.  “I was expecting to see a drastic turnaround for the better for my farm because the Republicans have always been for the American farmer,” said Carlson, a longtime Republican and Trump supporter.  Prices for cherries, her main crop, had increased during Trump’s first term after his policies cut down on competition from overseas, and she was hoping to see a similar economic boost this time around. Instead, her farm has been caught up in the widespread government funding freezes, jeopardizing her ability to hire the workers she needs for this season’s harvest. It could leave her $200,000 in debt if she’s unable to access the grant money that had been awarded to her farm. “I’ll admit to you, I bleed Republican. However, this has left a sour taste in my mouth,” Carlson said. “During Trump’s first administration, a lot of farmers — not all, but a lot of farmers — saw the positive side to his tariffs and to his agricultural dealings.” “Now, we’re not seeing that,” she said. “Now, we’re seeing the actual opposite.” Voters in rural and agriculture-reliant areas have been one of Trump’s most consistent bases of support since he first emerged on the political scene a decade ago. But the early days of his second administration have introduced a lot of risk to this sector of the economy. Trump’s proposed tariffs could drive up the price of grain and fertilizers while lowering demand overseas for U.S. agriculture products. Immigration crackdowns could cripple farm workforces, where an estimated 40% of workers lack the proper documentation to work in the U.S. Meanwhile, spending cuts and freezes have directly affected federally funded programs that provide loans and grants to farmers. Trump has acknowledged his support from farmers and talked about how his policies would benefit them by reducing imports of food from abroad, which could increase demand for some U.S.-grown products.  “Our new trade policy will also be great for the American farmer — I love the farmer,” Trump said during his address to Congress this month. But Trump acknowledged that there will be “an adjustment period” as his policies take shape. The president added that farmers will “probably have to bear with me again” as they did during his first term, when the tariffs he put in place on China resulted in retaliatory tariffs on a range of U.S. agriculture products, causing U.S. exports to China to tumble.  Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Friday that the department was looking into program to help “mitigate any economic catastrophes that could happen to some of our farmers.” Asked whether that would include direct payments, Rollins said, “We’re working that out right now.” While the situation with tariffs moves forward, Carlson says she doesn’t have much time to wait to solve her problems. Her farm had been awarded a grant worth $400,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help pay for the costs associated with hiring seasonal workers from overseas through the H-2A visa program, which farmers have used for years to hire temporary agricultural workers. The USDA describes the program on its website as a way to address labor shortages on American farms and reduce illegal immigration. It’s backed by $65 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan, a Covid stimulus bill passed in 2021. But now, funding for that program appears to be frozen. Farmers like Carlson have been unable to get reimbursed for expenses they’ve already incurred under the grant, and there has been no official guidance from the USDA on whether they will get reimbursed for future expenses, said Michael Marsh, head of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, a trade group that works with the many farmers using the H-2A visa program.  “It’s kind of like have the rug pulled out from underneath you,” Marsh said. That’s left farmers having to borrow money while they wait to be reimbursed for expenses they’ve already paid for under the grant. And it means they are uncertain on whether to move forward with taking on the additional cost of hiring workers from overseas, Marsh said.  “We’re getting right in the middle of the busy season where we’re either planting crops or pruning vines and trees, where we really need the workers here,” said Marsh. “But now, you’re out the money that you’ve been planning on being there for you.”  The Department of Agriculture didn’t respond to a request for comment about the status of the funding. Farmers aren’t alone in feeling the effects of sweeping cuts and funding freezes across the government, many of which are at the center of court fights. Shortly after taking office, Trump issued executive orders pausing some funds from former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act along with funding for programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. Trump has also been cutting grants to research institutions and dismantling whole agencies, like USAID, and many of the contracts and grants that come from those agencies.  Carlson was planning to use her USDA grant money to hire 10 temporary workers from Guatemala to help with this year’s harvest. The grant would help pay to house the required workers on her property and the visa fees and airfare to fly the workers to and from the U.S. The added workers on her farm would have been a game changer, she said. Since taking over the family farm in 2019, most of the labor has been done…

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