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As one of Africa’s fastest-growing nations, Uganda laid down ambitious plans to connect its entire 45 million population to reliable electricity by 2030 in an eye-catching energy transition plan unveiled on Tuesday at Cop28.
Huge investment into renewable energy projects, through hydro, geothermal and solar power paired with a new oil pipeline, aims to double the current number of people wired to electricity supplies.
Fewer than 45 per cent of Ugandans have access to power, below the average for sub-Saharan African nations.
Despite Uganda being a continental leader in green energy, with 95 per cent of its current 2 gigawatt capacity generated by renewables, it is a controversial 1,400km heated oil pipeline that promises to transform the landlocked nation and contribute to its green energy transition.
With the development of the energy transition plan, we are a sending clear signal on Uganda’s intended direction of travel
Irene Bateebe,
permanent secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development
Pumping from the Tilenga and Kingfishers sites close to Lake Albert is due to begin in 2025 and will produce up to 240,000 barrels of oil a day when fully operational.
Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and moved to new settlements to make way for the pipeline that snakes through Tanzania into the city of Tanga on the Indian Ocean.
The project, backed by China and French oil company TotalEnergies, promises to transform the nation into an energy hub for East Africa, doubling the national GDP to about $80 billion.
While fossil fuels remain at the heart of Uganda’s economic future, it is renewable energy that will continue to power the country.
“The plan lays out an ambitious yet feasible pathway to meet the country’s growth and development objectives in a secure, affordable and sustainable way,” said Ruth Nankabirwa, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development.
“Given Uganda’s point of departure, progress on expanding energy infrastructure must kick up a notch.
“Fortunately, Uganda has an enormous amount of domestic resources that can help realise the transition. Uganda has ample potential for solar, hydroelectric and geothermal power.
“These resources will reinforce the transition and contribute to Uganda’s economic growth.”
The plan said $850 million was needed annually to reach universal access to electricity by 2030, while the overall energy transition process will need $8 billion per year from 2030 onwards.
The message that the world is not quite ready to abandon fossil fuels has been a familiar theme at Cop28 in Dubai.
“The rate of progress to reach universal access is steep but not unprecedented,” said Ms Nankabirwa.
“Reaching universal access in this decade relies on all solutions available and will deliver huge benefits for development, health and gender equity.”
Another ambitious goal is to wean 95 per cent of the nation off biomass fuels such as charcoal and wood, used to heat homes and cook food.
With Uganda's population expected to increase just short of 50 million to 70 million by 2040, energy transition is required now to prevent soaring rates of carbon emissions.
Charcoal ban
Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni recently issued an executive decree banning production and trade in charcoal in the north, where the charcoal industry is focused, in a bid to push through cleaner cooking practices.
A programme has already been launched to encourage a switch from firewood to burners using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) instead.
To achieve the universal clean cooking target, a million cleaner stoves will be needed annually until 2030.
Uganda’s energy transition plan envisages most of the population cooking on electric hobs, clean gas rings or closed combustion stoves that emit no methane, a gas which is highly damaging to the climate and public health.
The major challenge ahead is how to get a population of millions to switch practices that have been passed down through generations while reassuring them cooking by gas is safe.
Authorities said as many as 50,000 Ugandans die each year from air pollution generated from burning biomass inside homes.
If left unchecked, current demand for biomass is so high it is estimated Uganda’s entire national stock of forest and tree cover will disappear within 20 years.
“With the development of the energy transition plan, we are sending a clear signal on Uganda’s intended direction of travel to industry, investors and the global energy community,” said Irene Bateebe, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
“We have set Uganda on a sustainable low-carbon energy development path.”
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
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Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
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THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
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3 stars
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Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
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SQUADS
Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed
Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
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Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
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TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Elina Svitolina (UKR) [3] v Jennifer Brady (USA)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) v Belinda Bencic (SUI [4]
Not before 7pm:
Sofia Kenin (USA) [5] v Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
Maria Sakkari (GRE) v Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) [7]
Court One
Starting at midday:
Karolina Muchova (CZE) v Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) v Dayana Yastermska (UKR)
Petra Martic (CRO) [8] v Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v Anett Kontaveit (EST)
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
