Finland based Company, Tramigo, the largest manufacturer of vehicle tracking product has opened shop in Uganda-as it continues to extend services in Sub Saharan Africa.

Speaking at the official company launch at their head office along Old Port bell Road, Tramigo Chief Executive Officer Arto Tiitinen boasted of a 10-year service in Sub Saharan Africa, with Nigeria being the largest consumer of vehicle tracking products.

“We have been selling in Sub Saharan Africa for almost 10 years now and our target is everywhere. Private or individual or fleet, governments are always our target,” said Tiitinen.

He noted that the official entrance into the Ugandan market comes along with the availability of better services, products and training for Ugandan customers.

“We are happy to open offices in Uganda. This will help us provide even further support, better services and provide training services to Ugandan customers. Our background is that we have already been in East Africa, in Uganda in particular for several years now and in Kenya though Nigeria has the biggest consumer of our products,” he explained.

Tiitinen further explained that: “You need a sim card, fully fitted by Tramigo installers into a vehicle and you can use it through mobile smart phone, tablet PC based on the fleet size and private cars use Peace of Mind product,” he explained.

Adding, “With our system, you will receive a text message direct on your phone or Tablet PC and then you can re-affirm and shut down engine in case your car has been stolen. So, practically, you will always find your car and daily use of it to check your family and your driver. So, it gives you basic monitoring and alarms like over speeding, going to wrong areas etc. Even advanced fleet, you get fuel monitoring, you get notified if your fuel consumption is too high or in case of fuel siphoning”

Gabriel Ewalu, Tramigo Uganda Managing Director revealed that Tramigo is in its final stages of launching Person Tracking Devices:

“With this, you can track movements of your child while at school by putting the device inside the bag. Basically, you get to know where he or she is, whether still at school or already out of school.”

Valentines is just a few days from now and we are all running up and down preparing for it.

I am sure you have brainstormed with your circles on the ideal place to celebrate from 14^th February.

I guess some have even gone digital by goggling the best spots to celebrate Valentine’s day and if I am to take a wild guess you have not found a spot or if you have spotted one they are either very far or very expensive to afford.

Hold on, I know a place that I think will answer all your questions and save you the hustle.

Last year My Valentine and i went to Sheraton Kampala Hotel to celebrate our new love and we really loved it.

My Valentine Mary was blown away by how Sheraton made her feel and if you asked me what made Sheraton perfect for her was nothing farfetched but the lovely ambience, the delicious dinner and of course not forgetting that she was with a perfect gentleman by her side who knows how to treat lady.

Every lady definitely loves to be pampered and treated like a princess and yes, I did that seamlessly to her.

Just to paint the picture for you to understand what I mean, I simply replayed some soap opera scenes on that day; opened the car door for her, held her waist and generally behaved like Valentino… (Laughs)

You may be wondering why I chose Sheraton and not any other spot but the trick was very easy, it’s because it was cost friendly.

Let me help you break it down, it did not require me to travel far, I didn’t spend a lot on the dinner and to make things even easier I bought my bouquet of roses at Sheraton and surprised my Valentine Mary shortly after our arrival.

This is the best Valentine’s Day in my life.  I love the décor, the music, the flowers, the candles, the wine…oh my God everything is just perfect.

Mary commented with a smile ear to ear as she looked around then straight back into my eyes.

So without thinking twice I am definitely going back to Sheraton on Sunday to celebrate with my Valentine because I truly believe it’s the best place to be on Valentine’s Day.

Running a successful e-commerce business is not just about posting items online, but encompasses a larger scope.

It is about doing business with an entirely different mind-set, using a medium that challenges the very basic rules of traditional Ugandan ways of doing business.

E-commerce is a completely new concept to most and so they are expected to find it quite hard to easily adopt and also to learn how it works.

In a surprising trend, more millennials (25– 33year olds) in Kampala are buying merchandise online rather than at physical shops.

Kaymu.co.ug is the leading e-commerce platform in Uganda and they attribute their success to implementing several ways of attracting and retaining customers like exclusive codes, special discounts, and coupons from time to time.

Cynthia Tumwine, a 26 year old TV presenter says she got her first Kaymu item as a gift.

“A friend asked me to choose a birthday gift from the site. I couldn’t believe how easy and convenient it was. I used to have to find time to walk through stores and negotiate with sellers, I don’t remember when the last time I did that was,” she says and adds, “My mom doesn’t understand it though, she says I’m being lazy.”

Laziness isn’t her mother’s only reason, despite the fact that Africa’s middle class is rising and they have money to spend, mistrust in online payment methods is one explanation for millennials embracing online shopping at a faster rate than the generation before them.

Kaymu Uganda’s Sales manager Lisa Kaitare says “In most European countries, there is more of a direct debit like culture, while in Africa and Uganda in particular, consumers tend to prefer paying cash on delivery – and usually not until they have unpacked the goods and tried them out. So we do it the Ugandan way, we’ll deliver the order to wherever you are and you won’t be forced to pay for it if it doesn’t meet your expectations.”

The site employs a great number of youth in Kampala and creates business opportunities for vendors that didn’t have a access to consumers beyond their stalls.

With deepening internet penetration, the trend suggests that it’s inevitable that more Ugandan consumers will migrate to e-commerce over the next five years.

In the meantime, Kaymu is connecting global brands with the country’s emerging consumers.

Africell Uganda this morning  rewarded winners in the Valentine’s Day Cash & Win promotion with cash prizes.

The promotion launched on 7^th February and ran up to Valentine’s Day had over 144 Africell customers win cash to the tune of Shs20,000,000.

The promotion was the biggest ever in Uganda where customers could simultaneously earn cash by calling Vision Group area radio stations across the country.

Dubbed “call and win”, the promotion had winners from all corners of the country.

The won money ranging from 50,000 to 500,000.

Today, the lucky winners walked away with their cash prizes of Shs500,000 and above.

Besides these winners, over 100 other winners earned themselves 50,000 which was transferred to their secure and reliable Africell Money accounts.

NEW PROMOTION LAUNCHED

Africell announced another promotion that will see subscribers win up-to Shs200million across the country.

The new promotion that will run on Vision Group radio stations across the country will have Africell customers winning cash on hourly basis in all regions of Uganda.

Customers will also have a chance to win other goodies including merchandise, airtime, data and phones.

The chairman of Uganda Diaspora Engagement – UK and founder of the Uganda Convention in UK Mr. Willy Mutenza hosted a mission consisting of members of the Moldova Government and its Bureau for Relationship with the Diaspora, a representative from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and an IOM Moldova representative.

The visit was a response to the demand from government representatives to enhance the institutional capacities by learning from peers about the implementation of policies on migration and development (M&D) and mechanisms for diaspora support and engagement related to nationally identified priorities.

Moldova is a country with around 20 % of its population living abroad.

This migration profile itself represents a major strategic factor and potential risk for the country (National Development Strategy “Moldova 2020” adopted in 2012).

For the purposes of national development, it is imperative that policies and interventions promote sustainable engagement of migrants and the diaspora in their homeland’s development.

Under a Moldova government funded scheme “Supporting the migration and development component on the EU-Moldova Mobility Partnership, Moldovan Diaspora Associations benefit from Diaspora Small Grants Mechanism that assist them in strengthening communication with migrants in their host countries, as well as communication between Moldova and migrants abroad, creating service platforms for migrants in host countries and strengthening their institutional capacities.

The Moldova government has also launched a grants programme titled, Diaspora Engagement Hub.

The programme promotes innovative initiatives of the Diaspora via providing grants, as a move to a need to tap into Diaspora’s expertise, which is needed more than ever back Moldova.“

The study visit sought to support the Bureau for Relations with the Diaspora in further advancing the national M&D framework and designing a national programme for diaspora engagement and support oriented towards the active participation of highly skilled diaspora professionals in the development of their country of origin.

It also sought to support the ongoing process of integrating migration considerations in relevant policies, increase the institutional coherence and efficiency of the collaboration between the different levels of public authorities, private sector and diaspora communities, building on the lessons learned from Uganda-Diaspora’s experience concerning:

1. Short term and circular migration
2. Labour migration
3. Reparation of pensions
4. Capturing and applying the skills of returnees
5. Attract graduates back to Moldova

The delegation wanted to learn directly from Uganda’s experience on

1. Engaging the diaspora
2. The benefits of the Ugandan convention
3. Diaspora engagement of host and home government
4. Challenges faced by diaspora
5. Diaspora investment in home and host countries
6. Engaging professional diaspora
7. Diaspora philanthropy

The delegation commended the work of UDE and the Uganda convention in engaging the diaspora and that we had come highly recommended.

The meeting was also attended by Ida Horner Chairperson of Let Them Help Themselves ( www.lethemhelpthemselves.org)

Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL) wishes to reiterate that we remain committed to Africa, where we continue to be optimistic about our growth prospects, and to operate in the normal course of business.

UK-based Barclays PLC, which owns 62.3% of Barclays Africa, yesterday said it continues to evaluate its strategic options in relation to its shareholding in Barclays Africa Group Limited and expects to update the market at the time of its 2015 full-year results announcement on 1 March.

Barclays Africa is an independently-listed entity on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, regulated by the South African Reserve Bank and we are well capitalised with a track record of strong returns.

Maria Ramos, Barclays Africa Group Chief Executive says: “We continue to offer a full and integrated range of products and services to more than 12 million customers in 12 countries across Africa and our customers can be just as confident doing business with us today as they have always been. With an independent board and a separate listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange we are deeply rooted in Africa and remain firmly in control of our future.”

In 2013, Barclays Africa was established as a leading African bank when 12 banks across the continent were brought together.

“In doing so, we put the future of this organisation firmly in our own hands,” Ms Ramos said.

Barclays Africa Group Limited is the majority (in some cases sole) shareholder of the BAGL operations in South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Uganda and Tanzania (Barclays Bank Tanzania Limited and National Bank of Commerce Limited). Any announcement relating to Barclays PLC’s shareholding in BAGL does not impact the shareholding and ownership of these operations.

“We continue to be optimistic about our prospects in Africa, where we have a strong franchise with assets of over R1 trillion. We are deeply committed to the success of our continent. Our destiny is in Africa,” Ms Ramos says.

The East African Community (EAC) motor industry prosperity once a dream has started becoming a reality.

The most recent good news to the baby industry is that as you read this, all the EAC heads of state have directed the council ministers to study and swiftly find out modalities of promoting the industry.

In line with what the heads of EAC states agreed on during the above summit, the ministry for EAC affairs has directed Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) and all the other responsible bodies to do whatever it takes to set the industry plans rolling.

“The 16^th ordinary summit of the East African (EAC) heads of state directed the council of ministers to stud the modalities for promoting the motor vehicle assembly in the region to reduce the importation of used vehicles from outside the community,” reads in part, the letter signed by the EAC permanent secretary-Daniel Mugulusi, to UIA that was received on January 27, 2016.

It adds, “in accordance with this directive, the ministry of EAC Affairs is undertaking field research targeting the public sector agencies, the private sector, the civil society and academia to establish Uganda’s perspective on the matter.”

In Uganda, the immediate beneficiary of this initiative is certainly the Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) that has already confirmed that setting up our own motor vehicle assembly plants is the way to go.

According to KMC chief executive officer-Paul Isaac Musasizi, this industry will unbelievably grow EAC’s economies by great margins in a few years.

Explaining to Red Pepper, some of KMC findings that have for long hindered EAC motor vehicle assembly industry growth, Musasizi said,

“The embryonic Automotive Industry (vehicles and motor cycles) in Uganda has for a while been characterized with importation of brands from world renowned automotive original equipment manufacturers like Toyota, Nissan, Ford, GM, and Bajaj with over 90% of the stock imported as gray market vehicles.”

Musasizi revealed that in the 1960’s the industry was dominated by brand new vehicle sales due to limited individual use and ownership of vehicles since they were predominantly owned by government officials.

The 1980’s fuel crisis caused demand for economy cars that had low fuel consumption and affordable.

The increased demand for the cars created the gray vehicle market as high-end customers were introduced to different model year concept that saw increased disposal of brand new cars to lower income earners in the automotive ecosystem.

KMC’s research further found out that ‘the gray’ vehicle market in Uganda thrived because of their low purchase price, availability of gray spare parts; skilled servicing and repair workmanship was easily accessible.

The motor cycle(2/3 Wheelers) segment was predominantly a gray vehicle market in the 1980’s since most of the brands were from Europe though by the early 1990’s their market had begun shifting to brand new 2/3 wheelers from India.

The shift from gray to brand new 2/3 wheeler vehicles is part of government’s intervention to wean the economy of gray vehicles as it builds local capacity to manufacture vehicles.

“The automotive industry in Uganda in the last decade has taken tremendous strides with very fundamental shifts in technological innovations, a change in brand perception, a shift from gray to newer models of cars especially for Government Fleets and some of the Leading Organizations, and affirmative government policies instituted to discourage the importation of gray stock. These are part of the reforms needed to create a foundation for automotive manufacturing in Uganda,” recommended Musasizi.

He added that there is need for a well-crafted and inclusive Government Automotive Industry Development Policy to address three aspects of the fertile Automotive Manufacturing Industry in Uganda.

This will ensure quality standards in terms of safety and enhanced environmental stewardships, milestones against which automotive value chain actors attract government incentives and regulation of vehicle exports and imports.

KMC, the presidential initiative for Automotive Manufacturing in Uganda is supported by the Government of the Republic of Uganda.

The market entry product mix for KMC includes pickups, SUVs, sedans, light and medium duty trucks, and buses.

Kiira Motors’ commitment to championing  the progressive development of this nascent industry makes it’s a reliable source of information and knowledge to provide an understanding of what needs to be done to create a regional, vibrant and sustainable automotive industry.

In the same vein, KMC hosted a number of stake holders at their Ntinda based offices in a consultative seminar on micro analysis of the commercial vehicle (trucks and buses) market in Uganda.

Among the issues discussed were CV application for hubs, CV application classification, asset financing in automotive value chain, product support, site and logistics proposals and investment incentives.

Stakeholders like UIA, URA, MTIC, URSB, UNRA, UMEME, NWSC, NITA-U, UNBS, NEMA, UFTZA among other attended and pledged to offer full support to the industry.

Barclays Plc reported a 2 percent fall in full-year adjusted pre-tax profit on Tuesday and unveiled plans to simplify its UK & international operations to boost returns and cut costs, primarily by exiting its historic African business.

The British lender said it would sell down its 62 percent stake in Barclays Africa Group (BGAJ.J: Quote) to focus on two main sibling divsisions, Barclays UK and Barclays Corporate and International, two of its strongest divisions generating in excess of 10 percent return on equity.

News of the restructuring came as the bank reported a weaker than expected adjusted pretax profit of 5.4 billion pounds ($7.52 billion) for the year to Dec. 31, compared with 5.502 billion a year earlier. The figure was below the average forecast of 5.772 billion from a consensus of analysts’ forecasts.

Barclays Africa Group was created by combining Absa Group and Barclays’ African operations.

Source: Reuters, (Reporting by Lawrence White and Richa Naidu, Writing by Jane Merriman, editing by Sinead Cruise)

City tyres limited has proved that it is the leading tyre company in Uganda after landing a new deal.

A few weeks ago, city tyres signed a deal with Linglong Co. Limited, a Chinese based tyre company.

The main content of this indicated that city tyres will be the sole company/agent in Uganda to sell Linglong tyres.

“Before this deal, Linglong wanted to deal with whoever wanted.

However, it (Linglong) was disappointed when it discovered that there were so many unscrupulous dealers that were mishandling the tyres between the manufacturer and Uganda,” Kiddu Makubuya, city tyres legal boss told Red Pepper.

He added that after a series of complaints from tyre users in Uganda about under quality of Linglong tyres, an investigation was launched and found out that some dealers in Uganda used to stuff tyres into other tyres so as to avoid paying taxes.

“Ten tyres would be packed inside each other to look as if it was one.

This certainly relaxed the tyres structure and badly affected their quality on the road-something the customers blamed on the manufacturer (Linglong) and city tyres.

This is why Linglong has decided to work with us only as its sole agent in Uganda,” he added, noting that the only genuine Llinglong tyres are found at city tyres centres across the country.

Sitting in his brightly lit office, James Opio, an Accountant in one of Uganda’s leading manufacturing firms casually scrolls through the day’s fixtures on Sports Betting websites.

On identifying his ‘sure’ wins as he prefers to call them, Opio clicks away and with a face depicting satisfaction gets back to his daily chores.

According to him, it is easier and very convenient to place his bets while at his desk without having to head to one of the betting outlets.

“Once in a while I would walk into one of the outlets and place my stakes. But at times, it was very uncomfortable…in fact, I would send someone to bet on my behalf.

But now, within five minutes, I’m done and back to my day’s assignments, no hustle,” he beams.

Johnny Nzabanita, the Online Manager at Gal’s Sports Betting, says that the number of people betting online has more than doubled since the service went live in 2012.

“We have seen a marked increase in the number of online users. The advantage online betting has is that it makes winning easy. You can do it anywhere at any time and on so many games,” he explains.

Nzabanita also adds that the minimum amount one can deposit on their Gal’s Sports Betting online account is UGX1,000 and the maximum pay out on this platform is UGX150m. This probably explains the massive influx of online users.

Once one opens a Gal’s Sports Betting account for instance, they can place stakes on a wide array of games; Football, Rugby, Keno, Spin and Win, Tennis, live betting among others.

Gal’s Sports Betting is also in the process of connecting its online platform to that of the different e-commerce providers.

Once this is complete, it will enable online users access their winnings (money) via their Mobile Money wallets.

Gal Sport Betting covers online, mobile and retail operations. As one of Uganda’s leading betting companies, the firm offers customers the widest range of betting opportunities and best gaming products mix and portfolio.

With a retail deployment of over 60 shops distributed throughout Uganda, Gal’s Sports Betting provides its customers with the best service and support wherever they are located.

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has shut down its old E-collection system and adapted a more advanced tech savvy portal that will enable employers and banks remit employee savings through the digital platform.

E-Collections is an electronic way of processing employee contributions onto their NSSF accounts with minimal manual interventions. It involves having a straight forward process of remitting members’ contributions from the employer through the Bank to NSSF.

While addressing guests at Kampala Serena Hotel, NSSF Managing Director Richard Byarugaba said that the new e-collections platform will enable the Fund improve the customer experience in remitting their funds.

“The new E-collection system  will  enable  us to improve our data quality whilst increasing collections by taking away the data management function from the banks in form of receiving and passing on schedules from employers.”

The process will also ease the mode of contributions payment, enable real time reconciliation between the BANK and NSSF, improve data quality and faster update of member accounts and consequently leading to a faster processing of member benefits,” Byarugaba said.

“By introducing the new system, the employer and employee data quality will be refined and improved in accuracy and completeness. I therefore appeal to employers to all switch to this system as it is more efficient and faster,” he added.

Byarugaba also added that the new system is in line with NSSF’s vision of being the Social Security Provider of Choice.

Standard Chartered Bank Managing Director Herman Kasekende applauded NSSF for being innovative and encouraged all employers to switch to the new advanced portal.

“The new system is more convenient and time saving, at Standard Chartered Bank we have already enrolled to the new portal,” Kasekende said, adding that this system will eliminate a lot of errors while posting employee contributions.

The old system has been officially shut down and all employers have been advised to enroll onto the new portal with immediate effect. The system is web based where clients will choose the option of e-Collections payments from NSSF web site.

Each Employer is given login credentials to access the E-collections Portal. At the end of the process a Transaction Reference Number (TRN) is generated for the employer and this is what is taken to the bank for payment purposes together with cash or cheque, depending on the payment mode selected.

NSSF partners with Banks to act as a one-stop center for employers to remit payments and the corresponding schedules. Banks are mandated to receive payments and schedules from employers and pass them on to NSSF within a specified amount of time.

Africell Uganda continues to lead the way in the telecom industry with revolutionary affordable pricing for their voice and data bundles.

The giant telecom that was last year ranked the number one telecom in terms of internet data speeds unveiled the O’fwono Tooti bundle this morning.

For just 500 shillings, Africell customers can now get 30 voice minutes charged per second to be used in a period of one hour.

The O’fwono Tooti Bundle pricing makes it the lowest and most affordable bundle offer on any telecom network in Uganda.

Africell which in October last year also unleashed the King of the Bundles offer which combines voice and data calls bundles promises to keep the rates affordable for their customers.

Besides this low charge bundle, Africell also has offerings for their customers whose preference is data with their packages that are similarly lowly priced.

Milad Khairallah, Africell’s Chief Commercial Officer says these offers are in line with the telecom’s vision to give their customers services that are affordable and the best in the market.

“Africell has always looked out for its subscribers. We strive to give them services that are the best, are affordable and are of good quality. Our coverage caters for nearly the whole of Uganda. We want everybody on our network to have a package that suits their tastes”. Africell has also previously been awarded the best network rating for surpassing customer services levels expected of telecoms by the Uganda Communications commission.

The telecom company has strongly put emphasis on the need for affordable call rates to enhance easy communication and facilitate faster business transactions especially for the growing number of SME’s that run then Ugandan economy. Other offers that Africell has previously offered its customers includes the popular Tokota 500 which gives the customer 15 talk time minutes, Tokota 1,000, free night calls from 12pm to 6am and other voice and data bundles that have been hailed as the cheapest in the market.

“At Africell, we still consider our customers as our biggest asset and as such we will continue to give them the best and most affordable rates of any network. Our range of cheap services will continue to flow as we grow” Milad Khairallah closes it off.

Doing business in Uganda requires not just capital but also innovation.

With a crowded business space and choosy buyers, companies are thinking out of the box to create a niche that will get buyers settling for their products.

One such company is e-commerce king, Kaymu.

The brand is  which is the largest online retailer-shop in Uganda, is also becoming the fastest growing online digital market place where buyers and sellers meet on social media sites to make transactions.

The break through social-shopping craze has turned Kaymu into an online shopping community where buyers and sellers meet and make the best deals for used for used or new products.

These commodities range from mobile phones, laptops, latest fashion, apparel to home appliance ,sports items, food & beverages and many more products.

 As Ugandans become more accustomed to using social media, Kaymu gives its customers the opportunity to use such media to attract fans, promote images of their products, and create viral campaigns in a hope to influence consumers purchasing decisions.

Sellers use the social sites to engage with their clients and advertise different products. Kaymu enables customers to integrate their e-commerce with facebook.

Through social media, account holders of Kaymu are able to follow a seller, chat privately and see what sellers are displaying.

To foster safe online shopping, Kaymu provides you with the contact details of the seller right after you make an order on making an order. Buyers are able to see the latest products and rate the seller.

The payment system has been made secure by enabling buyers to order and prepay to the Kaymu Safepay Account.

Buyers are sent an email or sms for notification of the payment. Sellers can then call the buyer and arrange for delivery.

Upon agreement of the transaction, Kaymu then transfers the money to the seller’s Safepay account.

Timothy Mugume, the Head of Customer Support and Operations for Kaymu, believes this form of e-Commerce has closed the gap between the seller and buyer.

“The integration of social media network has evolved the relationship between consumers and sellers on Kaymu. This alignment brings out the best of shopping experience, advancing e-Commerce in the country,” he said.

The frenzy has seen a rise of entrepreneurs by giving sellers a more organized and structured way of conducting business deals.

Sellers are also empowered with seasoned seller managers who try to meet their marketing needs and offer business advice.

President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya will today host president Museveni to discuss the construction of Uganda-Kenya oil pipeline.

According to a statement by Kenya’s Secretary of Communication and

State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu yesterday, Uganda’s oil producers – Irish company Tullow Oil, French company Total and China’s CNOC – have also been invited to the meeting that will take place at the state House.

In the statement, Manoah Esipisu noted that “Kenya favours the ‘northern route’ through Lokichar, because as part of the Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) project, it would transform infrastructure and the way of life of the people in the towns and counties across its path.”

He said the two leaders discussed the issue when Kenyatta visited Uganda in August last year and agreed that “development of a crude oil export pipeline needed to be implemented expeditiously to avoid any further delay in commercializing especially Uganda’s petroleum resources which were discovered nine years ago.”

The pipeline will move crude oil from the oilfields of Hoima to the Port of Lamu through Kenya’s oilfields at Lokichar.

Museveni, Magufuli Pipeline Deal

Early March, Museveni and Tanzania’s president John Pombe Magufuli agreed a deal to have the pipeline pass through Tanzania.

During a meeting at the side-line of the East African Community summit in Tanzania, the two agreed to begin construction of the crude oil pipeline from Tanga to Uganda, for the benefit of the two countries and their East African counterparts.

Africell is giving Ugandans an early Easter present.

The telecom giants yesterday unveiled an unbeatable MiFi offer at the cheapest price ever as a reward to data seeking customers.

For only 115,000 shillings, this is the best offer under the internet segment in the market presently.

The technologically advanced 4G MiFi comes with free 10GB of data to last a month plus a free sim card.

The high end device also has super speeds of more than 21Mbps with capacity to connect upto 10 Wifi users.

The battery lasts longer per charge with 1500 mAh power.

This Mifi is presently rated the best in the market with its price being the lowest for that kind of offer

Besides the 4G Mifi, Africell has also lined other offers that include a 3G modem with 1GB of data for only 60,000 shillings, a Pixi 4G LTE smartphone with 500MB of data and a free sim card plus the lowly priced Itel 1403+ at only 125,000 shillings which comes with a free sim card 500 Mb of data and a huge 4 inch screen.

The promotion started today and is available at Africell stores

Africell has from last year been engaged in an affordable price for all its services campaign offering the lowest prices for both data and voice.

Milad Khairallah the Africell Chief Commercial Officer says this is in line with Africell’s vision to give the best services, at the lowest cost and with the highest quality of service backed by the widest coverage of their network.

Persons with an interest in communications are set to benefit from a series of quarterly summits dubbed Public Relations Over Coffee (PROC) that will launch the East African edition in Kampala next month.

These business meets will focus on fresh topics from diverse sectors of the economy and will provide a platform for close interaction and knowledge sharing between sector experts and participant.

Joseph Kanyamunyu, the Managing Director of Publics Africa Communications, a PR firm and Project lead of PROC in Uganda says that the events will provide a forum where real conversations about brands and reputation can take place.

“During these meetings, sector Media and participants will partake in dialogue sessions with panelists comprising both local and global experts to create avenues for education and innovative alliances giving our participating members’ the opportunity to grow their brands and businesses exponentially,” he explained.

He also disclosed that the inaugural PROC meeting in Uganda will take place on April 22, 2016 at the Kampala Serena Hotel, with the keynote address being delivered by renowned brand architect, Thebe Ikalafeng.

Ikalafeng is recognized as an inspirational, engaging and insightful global African authority on building brands and reputations across Africa and the world.

His keynote addresses are shaped by his extensive corporate, advisory and board experience across 100 brands  and businesses and travels to over 50 countries globally, where he’s gained an incomparable perspective and knowledge on building African and global brands and reputations.

The inaugural PROC in Uganda will discuss; “Africa Inside: Building Businesses, Brands and Relationships in Africa.”

Kanyamunyu explains that the choice of topic for the inaugural PROC in Uganda is based on the need for the replenishment of entrepreneurial skills.

“We have very many self-made entrepreneurs. The purpose of this meeting is not to reinvent the wheel but rather to give entrepreneurs as well as the prospective ones tools they need to shake up their industry, challenge ‘old hat’ practices, increase their bottom line and have an undeniable impact on the business society in Uganda,” he stated.

All SMEs’, business leaders, business owners and industry leaders are encouraged to attend the event for an interactive session promising to be a master class in groundbreaking, trend setting new ways to turn their businesses into a relevant, innovative, game changers.

PR over Coffee Enterprises, is an organization that serves members directly through PR over Coffee meetings and special events, and virtually via rich web content, online resources and social networking community.

The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas, but maintains satellite “Chapter” or “Group” locations in cities across the United States, Canada and the world.

The National Social Security Fund yesterday launched the NSSF Kampala Hash Seven Hills Run, an initiative aimed at raising Shs240 million to be channeled to selected Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) schools for the improvement of sanitation and renovation of structures.

The run scheduled to take place on 3rd April 2016, in partnership with Kampala Hash House Harriers, a group of professionals, targets to improve learning conditions of more than 70,000 pupils in schools managed by KCCA.

On average, 57% of the Government Grant Aided Primary Schools don’t meet the required standards, according to records from KCCA.

While addressing journalists today at a press conference held at Workers House, NSSF Managing Director, Richard Byarugaba said that as a responsible institution, the Fund has a mandate to contribute to the well-being of the community.

“The NSSF Kampala 7 Hills Run is a vehicle through which we will progressively raise funds to contribute to the improvement of learning conditions in Kampala schools, mainly improving sanitation facilities and renovations,” he said.

The funds will benefit over 40 primary schools over the next 3 years.

KCCA Executive Director Mrs. Jennifer Musisi said that the partnership with NSSF and Kampala Hash Harriers will become a beacon of hope for children in KCCA schools.

“I applaud NSSF Uganda for the initiative and call upon organizations and companies to participate in the run as it will go a long way in improving the learning conditions of children under Universal Primary Education (UPE).

KCCA has a supervisory mandate to oversee education service delivery on behalf of government in Kampala.

The obligation covers pre-primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.  There are over 2000 education institutions in Kampala City.

Musisi explained that only 43% of KCCA schools meet the recommended pupil – toilet stance ration. “On average, 57% don’t meet the required standards”, Musisi said, adding that 69% of schools don’t have provisions for children with special needs.

Speaking on behalf of the Kampala Hash Harriers, the Hash Master, Miria Rugomwa said that the run is a fun, non-competitive event that covers the historical 7 hills of Kampala, hence the 7 hills run moniker.

“The run has been on the calendar for over 10 years. Participants will run a distance of 21km and will traverse the seven hills of Kampala i.e Nakasero, Kibuli, Old Kampala, Namirembe, Rubaga, Lubiri and Nsambya,” she said.

The registration fee for corporate companies is Shs10 million, Shs5 million, Shs2 million. This is a unique run as it target only corporates who will participate in groups.

NSSF has over the past years engaged in a number of social responsible initiatives, such as the annual Torch Awards, Blood Donation drives in partnership with Ministry of Health, the annual dental camp at Mulago hospital among others.

Kentim Integrated Agricultural Training Centre (KENTIM-KIAT) in Kyanja-Kampala has started a cooperative farmers’ savings model that has excited Kyanja farmers.

It is based on Kenya’s Nyeri corporative model that is largely praised across Africa.

“Farmers no longer fear to stock chicken or grow mushrooms even if they don’t have cash because Kentim’s arrangement with peri-urban farmers ensures that they have the inputs thru their SACCO and have guaranteed market,” Jadreth Kyomugisha the agribusiness specialist at Kentim stated

“The model is implemented through a partnership between Kyanja SACCO and KENTIM-KIAT but because our pilot was successful, we have expanded the project to cover a greater part of Kampala peri-urban & farmers. Farmers pay back because they easily access the market and they get value addition skills that increase shelf life of their products,” Jadreth added

Dr Kyobuguzi the proprietor and CEO Kentim noted that, the model rotates around equipping farmers with technical knowledge along the value chain and inputs like mushroom seeds, piglets, poultry & feeds, tomato, water mellon and onion seeds on credit through the SACCO.

“KENTIM through our network of service providers who are mainly our certificate and diploma agriculture students who work under supervision give extension services to the beneficiaries and later Kentim links the farmers to the market. The farmers are then paid through the SACCO.”

According to Kyobuguzi, the SACCO-HUB cooperative model is the way to go as it has successfully worked in Kenya where they benchmarked it.

The model helps the farmers to get good market for their products but also keep receiving the inputs even if they don’t have cash.

Kyobuguzi a farmer and serial entrepreneur was recently trounced in politics and his bid to become Kashaari MP was thwarted.

Shortly it was rumoured on social media that he quit politics to concentrate on farming, agro-tourism.

KENTIM-KIAT is a business incubation centre of Kentim University.

MTN Uganda, the best network for smartphones is offering special discounts on different smart devices and related data gadgets in an on-going Easter promo dubbed ‘Enyongeza’.

The Easter Enyongeza promotion, which started on 18th March 2016, and stretches through the Easter period offers customers some of the best smart phones discounts (up to 30 percent). And with every purchase comes FREE data bundles, hence the theme “Enyongeza”.

In addition to the Nyongeza device deals, customers can also choose and buy from a wide range of smart devices, which include the newly launched 4G Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge. Another recently launched Samsung, the S6, is being offered at a 9% discount. Other devices on offer include the MTN Smart Series – the range of MTN branded, low budget data enabled phones. Under the same umbrella campaign MTN is also offering best 3G device deals that come with FREE bundles at very competitive prices. They include brands such as the LG, Google, Alcatel, Huawei and ZTE.

According to Mapula Bodibe, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, the objective of this promotion is not only to bring excitement during the season but its also the continuation of the brand’s effort to ensure that MTN customers anywhere in Uganda can afford and have access to affordable communications including reliable Internet.

“By offering discounts on smartphones in the market, we’re removing the barrier to entry for so many people who have so far not been able to access fast Internet because of the type of handset they have. MTN has gone a step further by offering free data bundles on top of the competitively priced devices”

The devices on offer can be found in all MTN service Centres all over the country.

The ‘Enyongeza’ range of smartphones on offer include:

• LG G3 now at 1,295,000 (from 1,850,000)
• LG Google Nexus5 now at 870,000 (from 1,250,000)
• Alcatel Idol Alpha now at 730,000(from 1,050,000)
• Huawei g7 now at 800,000, (from 1,050,000)
• ZTE Switch V796 now at 105,000 (from 150,000)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab s8.4 now at 1,040,000 (from 1,485,000)
• Samsung galaxy a3 now at 630,000 (from 900,000)
• Nokia lumia 1520 phablet now at 890,000 (from 1,278,000)
• Nokia lumia 920 now at 720,000 (from 780,000)

As everyone prepares to celebrate Easter with family this weekend, Sheraton Kampala Hotel has organized a sumptuous brunch for family.

“We are very excited about Easter and we are very confident that whoever will have Easter with us will definitely have a memorable time with our meticulously prepared meal and drinks by our experienced international chefs. We have increased the brunch spread to include more food items for the children as well as the traditional fusion of breakfast and lunch items. Celebrate with us and have a great Easter at our Paradise & Seven Seas Restaurants and also enjoy some entertainment from the live band as well as all the activities lined up for the kids including free swimming, an Easter egg hunt and much more” Said Sheraton’s Marketing Director Ms. Jennifer Musiime.

Sheraton being one of the oldest Hotels with a very rich heritage in Uganda and still maintains a very loyal client base in this highly competitive hospitality industry because of the great work done to maintain impeccable standards from their services to meals to offers.

“At Sheraton we care about the wellbeing of our customers and such offers are meant to appreciate them for the continued support and making us the number one hotel for such a long time. I would like to affirm that Sheraton is a hotel for everyone and therefore we welcome everyone to come and enjoy all our facilities.” Remarked Jennifer.

There is more at Sheraton this Easter than just the brunch, for parents with children there will be bouncing castles, swimming pool, face painting and other fun games for children.

The Sheraton gardens will be available for those who want to relax and experience a cool breeze so it’s a complete Easter package.