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“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members”~Mahatma Gandhi

By June 2021, four million lives had been lost to COVID-19 globally, with the death rates for those aged above 80, five times the world’s average. In Uganda, as the virus spread, apprehension grew concerning the impact that it would have on older persons. The government, consequently, classified older persons as being at high risk of COVID 19, though it is ironic that the first batch of vaccination saw many older persons left out.

Older persons, by the United Nations standards, are individuals aged 60 years and above and the 2019 Uganda Bureau of Statistics report states that they constitute 4.2% of the population, approximately, 1,482,600 persons. Thus, they form a significant fraction of Uganda’s demographic profile.

Prior to the pandemic, older persons already faced a plethora of health challenges which now risked being exacerbated by exposure to COVID-19 and heightening the likelihood of death. Commonly; high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, ulcers, poor eyesight, weakened dental, cancers, hemorrhoids, HIV/AIDS, and malnutrition.

Polypharmacy, the silent killer where multiple medical prescriptions are given to an older person at the same time, leading to unexpected death is rampant. Relatedly, specialists advise that the number of dosages given to older persons should be half of what they used to take while younger, yet health workers not specialized in the care of older persons do not seem to know this. Unfortunately, this is aggravated by the inadequate number of gerontologists and geriatrics in the country who specialize in the study and care of older persons.

Mental health challenges such as depression and loneliness are also common, majorly as a result of being widowed, sudden unemployment, abuse, and ill-treatment. Reports of family and community members grabbing land and other assets from older persons are becoming rife.

Starvation for fear of constipation from eating hard food and embarrassment from caretakers having to clean up waste is also rampant with some older persons. This is aggravated by mobility challenges in accessing latrines/toilets.

Similarly, emergency food and nutrition programs of NGOs rarely adjust to the needs of older persons, who may find hard grains inedible because of dental and digestion problems. Instead, emphasis is on programs for children, persons with disabilities, and expectant women.

The costs of traveling to the health facilities at the sub-district or urban centers, long patient queues, and inadequate supply of medicines worsen the situation, especially for those with HIV/AIDS and in need of anti-retroviral drugs.

The national minimum health care package hardly includes medicines for diseases common in old age. Resultantly, painkillers are resorted to, risking addiction and abuse of already fragile health.

Care homes for older persons are also very few yet lacking government support for their initiatives. For example, the average cost in a care home that provides holistic medication, accommodation, and feeding for an older person is UGX. 100,000. This is quite high, compared to the monthly UGX. 25. 000 that some older persons get under the SAGE grant.

Equally, insurance schemes tend to charge high premiums for older persons, making medical cover inaccessible for many.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 together with the 2002 and 2003 Madrid International and African Union Plans of Action on aging underscore the need for the State to make provisions for the maintenance and welfare of older persons, which includes access to health/medicine.

Older persons are just a small fraction of the population; if they are to live in dignity, then appropriate and accessible health care, both physically and financially ought to be made available, even after the COVID-19 pandemic is contained. This also calls for a comprehensive legal framework on older persons, which Uganda still lacks.

The newly sworn-in members of Parliament for older persons surely have their work cut out and ought to hit the ground running.

The Writer, Achak Carol Kay Human rights lawyer, and EAEPIAP Fellow with Center for Strategic Litigation

Email: kay.achak@gmail.com

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released a set of recommendations calling for urgent and strong support to help the global tourism sector not only recover from the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19 but to ‘grow back better’. The Recommendations are the first output of the Global Tourism Crisis Committee, established by UNWTO with high-level representatives from across the tourism sector and from within the wider United Nations system.

Recognizing that tourism and transport has been among the hardest hit of all sectors, the Recommendations are designed to support governments, the private sector and the international community in navigating the unparalleled social and economic emergency that is COVID-19.

“These specific recommendations give countries a check-list of possible measures to help our sector sustain the jobs and support the companies at risk at this very moment. Mitigating the impact on employment and liquidity, protecting the most vulnerable and preparing for recovery, must be our key priorities,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

Recognising the diverse realities in each country as well as the evolving nature of this crisis, the document will continue to be updated. 

Preparing for recovery now

We must support the sector now while we prepare for it to come back stronger and more sustainable

“We still do not know what the full impact of COVID-19 will be on global tourism. However, we must support the sector now while we prepare for it to come back stronger and more sustainable. Recovery plans and programmes for tourism will translate into jobs and economic growth.” added the Secretary-General.

The Recommendations for Action are the first comprehensive set of actions governments and private sector actors can take now and in the challenging months ahead. Mr Pololikashvili stressed that “for tourism to fulfil its potential to help societies and whole countries recover from this crisis, our response needs to be quick, consistent, united and ambitious”.

Responding today and preparing for tomorrow

In all, this new guide provides 23 actionable recommendations, divided into three key areas:

Managing the Crisis and Mitigating the Impact: Key recommendations relate to retaining jobs, supporting self-employed workers, ensuring liquidity, promoting skills development and reviewing taxes, charges and regulations relating to travel and tourism. The Recommendations are made as a global economic recession looks likely. Given its labor-intensive nature, tourism will be hard hit, with millions of jobs at risk, especially those held by women and youth as well as marginalised groups.

Providing Stimulus and Accelerating Recovery: This set of Recommendations emphasises the importance of providing financial stimulus, including favourable tax policies, lifting travel restrictions as soon as the health emergency allows for it, promoting visa facilitation, boosting marketing and consumer confidence, in order to accelerate recovery. The Recommendations also call for tourism to be placed at the centre of national recovery policies and action plans.

Preparing for Tomorrow: Emphasising tourism’s unique ability to lead local and national growth, the Recommendations call for greater emphasis to be placed on the sector’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Agenda and to build resilience learning from the lessons of the current crisis. The Recommendations call on governments and private sector actors to become build preparedness plans, and to use this opportunity to transition to the circular economy.

About the Global Tourism Crisis Committee

UNWTO formed the Global Tourism Crisis Committee to guide the sector as it responds to the COVID-19 crisis and to build the foundations for future resilience and sustainable growth. The Committee comprises representatives of UNWTO’s Member States and Affiliate Members, alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The private sector is represented by Airports Council International (ACI), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to ensure a coordinated and effective response.

The tourism industry in Uganda has good news, another baby Rhino has been born at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, off the Kampala-Gulu highway, Nakasongola district in the Kafu river basin. This new born has brought the total number of the formerly extinct white rhino given birth to in Uganda to five in less than years.

Rhinos were mostly found in Murchison falls national park and Kidepo national park. But with the wars in 1970’s, they were extinct through poaching and currently, they are only in Ziwa rhino sanctuary. Tourists en route to Murchison falls national park for wildlife tour always make a one hour stop over to track the rhinos before proceeding to the park.

The government has a future plan to re-introduce the rhinos in the parks once they breed a good number of them.

Angie Genade the executive director of the Rhino Fund Uganda noted that this newly born Rhino came months just after the recent birth of “Malaika” calf on 2^nd July, 2011 and added that it’s a blessing to Uganda’s conservation society as she is the only country worldwide with such an advancement in Rhino conservation.

Wildlife tours generate more foreign exchange in the tourism industry in Uganda, only second to Gorilla tracking tours which is done in Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has raised an exceptional $3 billion in a three-year bond to help alleviate the economic and social impact the Covid-19 pandemic will have on livelihoods and Africa’s economies.

The Fight Covid-19 Social bond, with a three-year maturity, garnered interest from central banks and official institutions, bank treasuries, and asset managers including Socially Responsible Investors, with bids exceeding $4.6 billion. This is the largest Social Bond ever launched in international capital markets to date, and the largest US Dollar benchmark ever issued by the Bank. It will pay an interest rate of 0.75%.

The African Development Bank Group is moving to provide flexible responses aimed at lessening the severe economic and social impact of this pandemic on its regional member countries and Africa’s private sector.

“These are critical times for Africa as it addresses the challenges resulting from the Coronavirus. The African Development Bank is taking bold measures to support African countries. This $3 billion Covid-19 bond issuance is the first part of our comprehensive response that will soon be announced. This is indeed the largest social bond transaction to date in capital markets. We are here for Africa, and we will provide significant rapid support for countries,” said Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group.

The order book for this record-breaking bond highlights the scale of investor support, which the African Development Bank enjoys, said the arrangers.

“As the Covid-19 outbreak is dangerously threatening Africa, the African Development Bank lives up to its huge responsibilities and deploys funds to assist and prepare the African population, through the financing of access to health and to all other essential goods, services and infrastructure,” said Tanguy Claquin, Head of Sustainable Banking, Crédit Agricole CIB.

Coronavirus cases were slow to arrive in Africa, but the virus is spreading quickly and has infected nearly 3,000 people across 45 countries, placing strain on already fragile health systems.

It is estimated that the continent will require many billions of dollars to cushion the impact of the disease as many countries scrambled contingency measures, including commercial lockdowns in desperate efforts to contain it. Globally, factories have been closed and workers sent home, disrupting supply chains, trade, travel, and driving many economies toward recession.

Commenting on the landmark transaction, George Sager, Executive Director, SSA Syndicate, Goldman Sachs said: “In a time of unprecedented market volatility, the African Development Bank has been able to brave the capital markets in order to secure invaluable funding to help the efforts of the African continent’s fight against Covid-19. Not only that, but in the process, delivering their largest ever USD benchmark. A truly remarkable outcome both in terms of its purpose but also in terms of a USD financing”.

The Bank established its Social Bond framework in 2017 and raised the equivalent of $2 billion through issuances denominated in Euro and Norwegian krone. In 2018 the Bank was designated by financial markets, ‘Second most impressive social or sustainability bond issuer” at the Global Capital SRI Awards.

“We are thankful for the exceptional level of interest the Fight Covid-19 Social Bond has raised across the world, as the African Development Bank moves towards lessening the social and economic impact of the pandemic on a continent already severely constrained. Our Social bond program enables us to highlight our strong development mandate to the investor community, allowing them to play a part in improving the lives of the people of Africa. This was an exceptional outcome for an exceptional cause,” said Hassatou Diop N’Sele, Treasurer, African Development Bank.

Fight Covid-19 was allocated to central banks and official institutions (53%), bank treasuries (27%) and asset managers (20%). Final bond distribution statistics were as follows: Europe (37%), Americas (36%), Asia (17%) Africa (8%,) and Middle-East (1%).

The pressure is building to phase out fossil fuels in Africa to fight climate change. Organizations ranging from the World Bank to the European Investment Bank (EIB) have dropped support for African fossil fuel production in hopes of encouraging a transition from oil, gas and coal to sustainable energy sources like wind and solar power.

Now there are legitimate concerns that investor support for oil and gas production will dwindle as well. Blackrock, which controls $7 trillion in investments, and the Royal Bank of Scotland have said they’ll be moving away from investments that support fossil fuel production.

The anti-fossil fuel fervor is being demonstrated in what may seem like surprising ways: the Bank of England was criticized for having an oil company executive its board of directors.

Pressure is coming from within the African continent, as well. Lobbies from Kenya and the surrounding region, for example, recently petitioned the African Union to put a stop to coal usage and look into phasing out oil and gas usage over the next three decades in hopes of eliminating emissions that contribute to global warming.

I agree that climate change should be taken seriously, but we cannot accept knee-jerk responses. We must not rob our continent of the significant benefits it can realize from oil and gas operations, from the economic opportunities of monetized natural resources to critically important gas-to-power initiatives.

I am not, by any means, calling for a stop to sustainable energy programs. They are being implemented, and I hope to see more. I’m simply saying it’s too soon for an either-or approach to green energy sources and fossil fuels.

What’s more, it should be Africans, not well-meaning outsiders, who determine when the timing is right to phase out fossil fuels in Africa, if ever. Pressuring Africa to do otherwise is insulting, no better than throwing foreign aid at us with the assumption that Africans are incapable of building a better future for ourselves. It’s also hypocritical for countries and people who enjoy the security, greater life expectancy, comforts and economic opportunities associated with plentiful, reliable energy to say, “Time’s up, Africa. No more fossil fuels for you. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

What about the desperation that the 600,000-plus Africans without power live with every day?

Is it reasonable to expect them to wait for green energy to evolve while domestic natural gas and crude oil reserves can be exploited to create electricity and heating fuel far more quickly?

Addressing Energy Poverty

We cannot move forward with phasing out fossil fuels in Africa before we address the huge swaths of our continent existing in energy poverty. I strongly agree with OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo, who said in a recent speech: “The almost one billion people worldwide who currently lack access to electricity and the three billion without modern fuels for cooking are not just statistics on a page. They are real people . . . Nobody should be left behind.”

Closer to home, more than two-thirds of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, more than 620 million people, lack access to electricity. Even more infuriating, that number is likely to increase. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that by 2040, approximately 75 percent of sub-Saharan Africa will lack access to electricity. Why? Surging populations are far outpacing the spread of infrastructure.

As I wrote in my 2019 book, Billions at Play: The Future of African Energy and Doing Deals, living without electricity is much more than an inconvenience. It keeps people from modern health care, and it exposes them to toxic air pollution caused by burning unsafe fuels indoors. It also reinforces poverty and contributes to economic stagnation: Businesses, factories and schools need electricity to function and grow.

I’m convinced that one of our continent’s best chances of eliminating energy poverty is to strategically exploit our abundant natural gas resources instead of exporting and flaring it. Africa had 503.3 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves available to us as of 2017. Natural gas can be used to fuel electricity generation: It’s available; it produces less carbon dioxide emissions than diesel, gasoline or coal; and it’s affordable. In fact its price recently fell to its lowest February level in 20 years. What’s more, natural gas can be integrated with wind and solar power to produce energy that’s both sustainable and reliable.

While gas-to-power will require effort, from the creation of intra-African trade agreements that make natural gas available to countries without it to cooperation from power producers, it represents a very doable way for Africans to resolve one of the continent’s greatest challenges.

With that in mind, this is a horrible time to stop producing and using natural gas in Africa.

African Companies, Monetization and Economic Growth

Phasing out fossil fuels in Africa also would be harmful to the many international and indigenous oil and gas companies that contribute to the continent’s revenues and make a positive social impact here.  I’ve written extensively about companies that do real good for African communities, such as Atlas Oranto Petroleum, Sahara Energy Group, Aiteo,  Seplat, Sonangol, Shoreline Power Company Limited and many, many more. These indigenous companies create jobs for Africans, buy from African suppliers, and do business with other African companies, in addition to their extensive community outreach efforts. We have, and need, foreign companies that do the same—and share their technologies.

And that’s only part of the picture. Africa has not fully capitalized on a game-changing opportunity: monetizing our oil and gas resources. This starts with using oil and gas as a feedstock to create other value-added products. Natural gas, for example, can be used to make liquid transport fuels, base oils, paraffin, and naphtha. The resulting revenues can be used to build infrastructure and diversify economies. This is not an abstract, pie in the sky idea. In Equatorial Guinea, for example, initiatives aimed at monetizing the country’s massive natural gas reserves has led to the creation of new infrastructure. It is helping the government build a natural gas mega hub that could make Equatorial Guinea a major player in the global liquified natural gas market and bring in $2 billion in revenues. There’s no reason that other African countries can’t do the same.

Our Opportunities, Our Timing

I realizing that fully capitalizing on Africa’s oil and gas resources poses significant challenges, but it is doable. Both of my books, Billions at Play and Big Barrels: African Oil and Gas and the Quest for Prosperity, provide practical steps for realizing the African Oil dream. They show there are ways to strategically harness our oil and gas resources, create economic growth and promote stability, the kinds of changes that impact everyday people throughout the continent.

Our view on oil and gas is not about greed or lining the pockets of a select few. If we work to use these resources wisely, they really can power a better future for Africa. And we’re not ready to toss them aside.

NJ Ayuk is Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, CEO of pan-African corporate law conglomerate Centurion Law Group, and the author of several books about the oil and gas industry in Africa, including Billions at Play: The Future of African Energy and Doing Deals.

Following an article yesterday over the massive loss of forest cover in Uganda, over past years and more importantly projected to continue in the future, it is worrying to learn that rogue politicians are again inciting people around Mount Elgon to maintain and increase their encroachment while making demands for the park boundaries to be changed to give free land to their constituents. This mountain is the most know with the interesting calderas on the top which can be experienced while on the unforgettable mountain trekking or hiking!

The trend is in fact alarming considering the potential for landslides inside the park, caused by reckless cutting of trees, seismic events and human habitat spreading at the bottom of steep slopes now used for cultivating crops without terracing. Hundreds of people died in a major landslide not long ago and in spite of the increasing risked, those removed to safety by Uganda Wildlife Authority and other government bodies often sneak back to their illegal little farms, ignoring the widening chasm higher up on the mountain which now spans over 40 kilometres in length.

Changing boundaries of protected areas requires an act of parliament here in Uganda but wannabe leaders have often been prodding wananchi on to enter forests and parks, with cattle and for cultivation, bringing instant conflict between law enforcement and those misled. Mt. Elgon in fact is notorious for park rangers as several of them were killed when ambushed by squatters, with at least one tourist on a mountain hike met a similar fate some years ago.

Notorious, amongst many, is one Titus Wakooba, a self styled chairperson who recently strongly reject(s) the 2003 park boundaries to regain land unfairly grabbed by Uganda Wildlife Authority. It should be noted that Uganda wildlife Authority of the body responsible for all Uganda National parks, conservation and protection of Uganda wildlife for future generations and sustainable Uganda tourism grwoth.

Wild mouthing offs at the time have since given way to embarrassed silence, but nevertheless are thought by many to be one of the reasons why encroachment and land grabbing at Mt. Elgon continues unabated, as Uganda Wildlife Authority  was structurally weakened and has not had either a board appointed nor a substantive Executive Director named ever since.

Conservationists point to the crucial role of Mount Elgon as a national water tower, besides being a transboundary protected area shared with Kenya, which makes any changes in Uganda a matter of concern for Kenya Wildlife Service too.

None of the regular sources within the corridors of the ministry nor at Uganda Wildlife Authority were ready to comment, one citing the sensitivity of the matter which made it prudent to remain silent, but it is understood that both Uganda Wildlife Authority and the ministry of tourism are watching these development with increasing concern and that other security organs in the country have been alerted to this turning into another potential hotspot of illegal demonstrations and activities once again.

One thing is clear though, if Uganda Wildlife Authority and government fail to stand firm on this issue, it would open the floodgates for similar invasions and demands elsewhere in the country, critically endangering conservation efforts and potentially spoiling, through negative publicity, the impact of Visit Uganda 2012 when the country has been named as top destination by Lonely Planet.

But the long term survival of the species is not (if you’ll pardon the pun) out of the woods yet. According to Alastair McNeil age of the Wildlife Conservation Society, the population of 400 gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is still critically small. Most scientists would say that a minimum population of 500 breeding individuals is needed to be sure of their long term viability.” Even though recent census results do paint a positive picture, the long term future is still very uncertain.

McNeil age believes the impact of climate change could have devastating effects, as farmers seek land at increasingly higher altitudes. Current estimates indicate that by the end of the century, growing conditions for a particular crop will have risen around 700 meters in altitude, so there is likely to be plenty of demand for land higher up the mountainous slopes of Bwindi or the Virunga. He is a firm supporter of gorilla tourism, highlighting the importance of nurturing sustainable, high-end tourism in order to justify maintaining these areas as forest habitats for the mountain gorillas.

The survival of the mountain gorilla, as both a critically endangered species with which we share a very special kinship, and as a significant pillar of the local and national economies, is increasingly important. It is naïve to think the challenges that these gentle giants face will disappear—indeed they have arguably multiplied in scale and number since gorilla conservation began—but responsible gorilla tourism, that benefits both the wildlife and the communities that surround it, could be the very salvation of this incredible species.

It seems there is a surprising correlation between habituated gorillas (gorillas that have learned to accept the presence of humans) and faster rates of population growth. Gorilla Doctors have ascertained that the annual rate of growth for the habituated gorillas in the Virunga is more than five times that of the un-habituated gorillas in the same area. They attribute this pattern to the fact habituated gorillas can more easily benefit from ‘extreme conservation’ practices such as medical intervention. Simply put, completely wild gorillas are harder to treat when they develop illnesses, injure each other, or get trapped in snares. So while habituated gorillas may be more vulnerable to human illnesses, the net result of their habituation is having a greater chance of healthy population growth.

Anne-Marie Weeden first fell in love with Africa when she drove a small pink 2wd van all the way across the Sahara for charity. After years of taking every opportunity she could to travel the continent, she left the ‘day job’ in London to move to Uganda with her partner, where she has tracked gorillas, darted rhinos, hand-fed giraffe and learned how to speak chimp. She now works for Journeys Discovering Africa, helping to provide tailor-made wildlife safaris to East Africa.