Martha Songa

Communications Specialist. Zumba Enthusiast. Views are my own

[Ritah Mwagale @ritahmwagale]

This 63rd Africa Liberation Day is not only about remembering Africa’s struggles for political independence. It’s also about the unfinished struggle for:
✔️Economic sovereignty
✔️Industrialization
✔️Cultural identity
✔️African self-determination
#AfrikaLiberationDay2026

[PanAfric - Uganda @panafric_ug]

His Highness Paul Eganda, Global President @aido_network, while wrapping up Pan African Royal & Cultural Summit: Traditional leaders are not just ceremonial; you should be exemplary because you are part and parcel of the development of your communities.
#AfrikaLiberationDay2026

[PanAfric - Uganda @panafric_ug]

The Royal & Cultural Summit is a cornerstone of the @panafric_ug @aido_network work to promote leadership reflection & celebrate excellence within the Pan-African community. It focuses on making traditional leadership relevant to contemporary development issues.
#PanAfricanism

[PanAfric - Uganda @panafric_ug]

Culture is critical to development. It shapes our identity, enhances diplomacy & promotes social cohesion. This week the @panafric_ug + @aido_network are driving conversations on how culture & heritage can position Africa on the global scene #AfrikaLiberationDay2026

[Ritah Mwagale @ritahmwagale]

His Majesty King Bhungane III from Kingdom of Embo: The struggle & triumph of one African nation is inextricably connected to the rest of the continent. For Africa to truly regenerate, we must dissolve the divisions among us & embrace the #PanAfrican spirit

[Martha Songa @MarthaSonga]

@ritahmwagale @spekeresort @panafric_ug @DrWasajja @FKulayigye @sahawe2010 @ubctvuganda @Phanerookampala The Cultural and Royal Summit is one of a series of Pan-African events centred around #AfrikaLiberationDay2026 . The aim is to spark conversations on how to promote investment, cultural diversity, youth leadership, & economic transformation on the continent.

#PanAfricanism

[Ritah Mwagale @ritahmwagale]

This week we are celebrating Africa. During this Africa Liberation Week we are in @spekeresort with Royals from all over Africa celebrating African culture at the Cultural and Royal Summit organised by @panafric_ug
#AfrikaLiberationDay2026 #PanAfricanism

[David Soita Masinde. @davimasinde]

We must dismantle the idea that "fibroids killed her." Fibroids brought her to the theater; the theater is where the life was lost. In medical forensics, we distinguish between the Underlying Cause (fibroids) and the Immediate Cause of Death (e.g., cardiac arrest from anesthesia). While the fibroids necessitated the surgery, they did not necessarily pull the trigger. Understanding this Causal Chain is very important because it allows us to accept the fact that a patient can have a "successful" diagnosis but a "failed" procedure. When the media merges these two, they erase the Mechanical Reality of how a person actually dies on an operating table.

[Martha Songa @MarthaSonga]

@JWaninda 🤣🤣🤣

[STONΞ @StoneAtwine]

Retirement money is not for starting a business after retirement. It is not risk capital. It is for security and stability.

[Andrew Rugasira @andrewrugasira]

Decolonizing Value Chains: Why Africa Must Own the Brand

Global trade is still haunted by its colonial past. Africa exports raw materials—coffee, cocoa, cotton, tea. Wealthier nations process, package, brand, and profit. We call them “value chains,” but for much of the Global South, they remain value traps.

I saw this firsthand.

20 years ago, I founded Good African Coffee to roast and package world-class coffee in Uganda and export it as a finished product. And we did it. We reached UK and U.S. supermarket shelves.

But the system pushed back.

Accessing appropriate finance was a battle. Non-tariff barriers slowed us down. Logistics proved a nightmare and distributors doubted whether an African brand belonged beside Italian or American names. Consumers welcomed “origin” stories—but weren’t ready for African ownership.

At every turn, we were reminded: the global market welcomed our beans, not our brands.

The Numbers Speak Loudly

•The global coffee industry is worth $220+ billion.

•African producers retain less than 3%.

•A Ugandan farmer might earn $3 per kilo of green beans.

•But in London, just 10g of that coffee makes a £4 cappuccino.

•That same kilo, brewed into 100 cups, earns £400 at retail.

The farmer captures less than 1% of the final value.

Switzerland—a country that grows no coffee but exports over $3.4 billion of it annually. Nestlé, Nespresso, and others take beans from Africa and Latin America and transform them into billion-dollar brands. The bean travels. The power stays.

We’re often told to “add value.” But processing without brand ownership just repackages dependence.

Take cocoa:
•Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire grow over 70% of global cocoa.

•They earn $6 billion combined.

•The global chocolate industry, dominated by non-African brands, is worth over $140 billion.

One luxury chocolate bar in Europe can earn more than an entire African cooperative.

This Is About Agency

This isn’t just an economic problem. It’s a matter of power.

Africa cannot keep exporting raw materials and importing identity. Real transformation requires ownership—of story, design, distribution, and trust. It requires building brands that carry our names, values, and ambitions.

This is also a climate-smart shift. Local production reduces carbon-heavy transcontinental shipping, creates jobs, and keeps value where it’s most needed.

What Needs to Change?

•Entrepreneurs must think beyond production—to identity, packaging, storytelling, and positioning.

•Governments must invest in IP protection, brand infrastructure, and creative industries.

•Donors and investors must move beyond “tonnage” to focus on value retained at origin.

•Consumers, African and global, must ask: Who profits from what I buy?

Because in the end, this is not only a trade issue.
It is a justice issue.
It is a dignity issue.
There is no equity without ownership.
No justice without power.
And no future for Africa in chains—value or otherwise.

[UN Women @UN_Women]

Women's.
Rights.
Are.
Not.
Negotiable.

[Martha Songa @MarthaSonga]

@JWaninda @drkasenene 😆😆😆😆

[Martha Songa @MarthaSonga]

@JWaninda @drkasenene NayeJoseph. @JWaninda Beera serious! 😄😄😄😄

[TheGirlsTable @table_girls]

When women participate in political processes, societies become more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. There is no more effective tool for development than the empowerment of women.
#HerVoice

[TheGirlsTable @table_girls]

DID YOU KNOW?
Unpaid carework disproportionately affects young women and girls. Young women’s lives have become increasingly challenging as they juggle multiple responsibilities. They spend long hours fetching water, often carrying heavy containers back to their homes. Household chores, such as cleaning, laundry and nursing children further strains their time and energy. Women are shouldering the burden, sacrificing their well-being to ensure their families’ basic needs are met.
#HerVoice

[Martha Songa @MarthaSonga]

@bimbudgeting Stick to the new bar...

[Martha Songa @MarthaSonga]

@weskambale Your people will find you. Hang in there....

[PATH @PATHtweets]

Heat-sensitive #vaccines lose potency if overheated—but how can you tell? In the past, you couldn't. So we created the vaccine vial monitor: a sticker that changes color when exposed to heat, helping ensure efficacy & reduce wastage 💉

Immunization for all is #HumanlyPossible.