Government is holding consultations with the government of South Sudan to sort out the payment of Ugandan traders in that country.

The Minister of State for Trade, Hon. Michael Werikhe informed Parliament that consultations aimed at having the traders paid monies owed to them, are going on between the two countries.

“As a government, we are committed to protecting our traders. The Prime Minister was in South Sudan to continue with negotiations to ensure that the affected traders are compensated,” he said.

The Minister’s clarification followed complaints raised by Members of Parliament on the plight of Uganda traders who supplied goods and services to the Government of South Sudan from 2011 to 2013 but had not paid to-date.

Hon. Werikhe said that the government would provide a comprehensive report on the outcome of the talks between the two governments, which he would present to the house.

The Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah who chaired the sitting of Parliament on Tuesday, 29th March 2016 wondered whether the demands by the traders would be handled by the government of Uganda on behalf of that of South Sudan.

“What is this payment about? Is this an extra-gracia payment or are we saying we pay on behalf of the Government of South Sudan?” Oulanyah asked.

The government has also set up a verification committee to determine the genuine traders as the process of handling these negotiations continues.

Members of Parliament have on several occasions raised the matter of non-payment of Ugandan traders in South Sudan. They want the Government of South Sudan to pay the traders who provided goods and services.

Source: Parliamentary News

Several MTN customers are smiling all the way to Mobile Money Agents to cash in after receiving Ush 1,000,000 each in the ongoing MTN Gagawala promotion.

The promotion which aims at rewarding customers who consistently load airtime was launched on 21^st March 2016, at is rewarding 10 winners every day.

Under the promotion, ten lucky customers stand a chance of winning One million shillings each on a daily basis when they load airtime worth Ush 1000 or more.

The more they load the more chances they have during the daily draws. All they need to do is dial *188# once, to join the promotion.

Zakayo Bwambale, a resident of Kasese who was one of the first winners could not believe his luck when he received a call on 0392002010 informing him that he was one of the winners of the day. Moments later, he received a Mobile Money transfer of one million shilling.

“I did not expect to win. I was chilling in Kasese town when I received the call. True to the caller’s promise, I received the money minutes later. I’m so grateful to MTN and will always be on that network. As I speak, I’m on my way to buy a sewing machine for my business. This is a dream come true and I thank MTN”

On his part, Soroti based Geoffrey Egua is still reeling in happiness after receiving the money. He is planning to buy an Ox plaugh for commercial purposes.  In Kampala, Fiona Abahu, a Makerere University student is among the many winners so far paid off.

Speaking about the promotion, MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer Mapula Bodibe said MTN is committed to continue investing in initiatives that positively change the lives of its customers.

“As MTN, we feel proud to see that our engagements are changing the lives of our customers. MTN Gagawala promotion is testimony to that commitment. Additionally, we take pride in the loyalty of our customers to the brand and we are doing this as a thank you for their unmatched support to our growth.” she said.

Phiona Abaho, a student at Makerere University was very grateful to having won in the MTN Gagawala promotion and said she will use the money to pay her tuition for this semester. She further encouraged everyone to participate in the promotion because it has relieved her from semester’s tuition and can change your life too.

Unilever Uganda Limited under their Blueband brand rewarded the top schools, pupils and teachers in their just concluded HI5 Blue band Schools Puzzle Challenge at a colourful Grand finale ceremony held at the Sheraton Hotel Kampala.

The campaign that started last year, centered around the theme of optimal nutrition reaching 985 schools while  engaging over 600,000 school going children as participants.

Blueband adopted the “HI 5” theme to advocate for the five micro nutrients present in Blueband namely vitamin A, D, B6, Niacin and Folic Acid.

These micro nutrients when taken with the recommended five daily meals, will impart five attributes to a child that will enable strong bones and teeth, good vision, energy, growth and immunity.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Assistant Commissioner for Primary education Dr. Tony Mukasa-Lusambu lauded Unilever’s efforts to enrich children and parent’s knowledge on optimal nutrition which is essential for healthier families.

In his remarks, the Assistant Commissioner further commended Unilever for its efforts to raise awareness about nutrition and engaging parents and youth to take an interest in their health and education saying;

“We must engage students in the process and give them the knowledge and experience to make their own healthy choices. It is therefore important that we as parents, teachers and institutions take the lead in advocating for programs that bring attention to education and nutrition.”

Schools together with pupils across Uganda competed in the promotion by collecting tokens which were made available under the label lid of special promotional packs of Blueband for parents to purchase.

Each child was also issued with a nutrition information meal planner booklet with the brand’s call to action to both pupils and parents to follow a proper diet by eating foods rich in micro nutrients.

Ms. Agnes Ssebowa, a nutritionist at the Ministry of Health commended Blueband for their efforts to educate as well as challenge pupils in different regions of the country.

“The pupils were able to learn how to feed well by taking part in the puzzle challenge, which is a fun way of educating someone. This is surely commendable.” She said.
Also, speaking at the grand finale event, Unilever Uganda Ltd Country Manager Peter Muchiri said: “This time around, the HI5 Blueband Puzzle Challenge was regionally based so that more schools, pupils and teachers could participate in this activity. And we are proud that the results have shown even higher numbers of participation. We wanted to get primary school students to learn about nutrition issues in an engaging and fun way and to learn from each other.”
The campaign which was championed by Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, a leading pediatrician at Mulago National Referral Hospital and Senior Lecturer with the Department of Pediatrics Makerere University College of Health Sciences said; “Childhood is a time of critical growth in which proper nutrition is absolutely necessary. Children who have poor diets – whether because of a lack of food or because of patterns of eating that lead to inadequate intake of nutrients – are prone to significant short-term and long-term health impacts and diseases. Children afflicted by sustained poor nutrition are at greater risk for obesity, mental and emotional health problems, and a failure to thrive academically.”

The grand pupil prize for the top 2 students nationally went to ZALWANGO MELODY from City Parents Primary School and Munguci Patricia from Christ the King Primary School. Both won a fantastic Educational tour of East Africa to the Nile and Tanzania’s island of Zanzibar accompanied by their guardians.

The national campaign awarded the top schools per region that have the highest number of tokens collected by supporting a school project.

1. 1^st Prize – School project worth 25 million UGX :

• Buganda Road Primary School(Central)
• Lifeway Nursery And Primary School(East)
• Christ The King Primary School(North)
• Maria Gorette Primary School(Southwestern)

2. 2^nd Prize – School project worth 10 million UGX:

• City Parents Primary School(Central)
• Victoria Nile Primary School(East)
• Arua Primary School(North)
• St Francisco Primary School(Southwestern)

3. 3^rd Prize – School project worth 5million UGX :

• Real Quality Junior Primary School(Central)
• Dawn Prime Academy Primary School(East)
• High Land Primary School(North)
• Mbarara Municipal Primary School(Southwestern)

The top children per region who brought in the highest number of puzzle tokens to their schools received a voucher put towards their school fees.

1. 1^st Prize – School Fees Voucher worth 3 million UGX

• Talemwa Emmanuel – Real Quality Junior (Central)
• Akecha Comfort – Arua Primary School.(North)
• Arinaeitwe Edwin – St.Maria Goretti (South Western)
• Arakara Gabriel – Lifeway Nursery & Primary(East)

2. 2^nd Prize – Schools Fees Voucher worth 2million UGX

• Nabasire Annet (Central)
• Soma Mercy (East)
• Angelo Wesley (North)
• Amutuheirwe Daniel (South West)

3. 3^rd Prize – School Fees Voucher worth 1millionUGX.

• Kwagala Dinah (Central)
• Nakenyeze Edith (East)
• Edupu Yusuf (North)
• Mugalaasi Castrol (Southwest)

The best teacher champions for the campaign per region were also be rewarded for their efforts.

1. 1^st Prize – 5 million UGX:

• Wamala Cyrus (Central)
• Mugabi John (East)
• Alinyaro Celina (North)
• Atwine John (South West)

2. 2^nd Prize – 1million UGX:

• Nasanga Emmaculate-(Central)
• Ogwang Dennis-(East)
• Mindreru Claire-(North)
• Grace Kamazooba-(Southwest)

3. 3^rd Prize – 500,000 UGX for the 12 best remaining  teachers:

FROM NORTHERN:

• Akot Betty
• Achwera Denis
• Ajot La Ndema

FROM SOUTHWESTERN:

• Mukamarinda Phoebe
• Nalugo Flowrence
• Tushabe Janat

FROM EASTERN:

• Aring Simon Peter
• Namulemba Anthony
• Kisaame Timothy

FROM CENTRAL:

• Mugomba Derick
• Sekimpi Derick
• Okia Agustine

Unilever will continue to advocate for the nutrition and education agenda through their Blueband brand across the country with new and innovative promotions.

Africell in a bid to get their services closer to their customers is continuing to open up outlets across the country.

The number one telecom in terms of data speeds and the most affordable network in Uganda last week together with AJ King Communications opened up Uganda’s biggest phones and accessories shop.

Located at Grand Imperial Mall, AJ King Communications shop offers customers the widest range of all phone types, accessories, Africell services and is a service centre.

Speaking at the phone opening event, Ali Aoude the Chief Executive of King Communications said they have the widest collection of all phone types and related accessories in Uganda.

He asserted “We want Ugandan phone and gadget lovers to have all that they need at the best prices with the widest variety. We are also partnering with Africell because it’s the network that customers seeking for the widest and most affordable telecoms services prefer.”

King communications is also a major dealer in other electronic items and gadgets.

Marvin Kagoro who represented Africell reiterated the telecom’s position to deliver affordable and quality services to their customers and insisted partnerships with dealers like King communications would go a long way in getting their services closer to the populace.

He said “Africell believes in delivering the fastest speeds at the lowest cost for our data customers, and the longest talk time with the best output for the voice seeking customers. Our partners like King Communications will help deliver on our vision to get services closer to all our customers at the friendliest cost”

Africell Uganda besides offering the most affordable services also introduced the free phone offer for customers who buy data.

This offer started off last August when they put up the iDROID Royal V7 for free for customers buying voice and data bundles in a campaign dubbed “Bakakase”.

Africell’s core strength has always been in the line of data offerings and was last year in November ranked the telecom with the fastest internet in Uganda.

WhatsApp has added end-to-end encryption to all of its messages – meaning that the company couldn’t give information to governments, even if it wanted to.

The latest version of the app will use security technology that means that messages can’t be intercepted as they travel between devices. Encryption ensures that only a message’s sender and recipient can read messages, stopping them from being intercepted on their journey.

That fact has meant that strong, or end-to-end, encryption has led to public disagreements between technology companies and governments. In the UK, politicians have proposed banning such technologies, forcing companies to install “backdoors” that would weaken that security so that messages can be read by spies.

WhatsApp said that it had added the new, stronger measures across its messages because it “has always prioritized making your data and communication as secure as possible”. “From now on when you and your contacts use the latest version of the app, every call you make, and every message, photo, video, file, and voice message you send, is end-to-end encrypted by default, including group chats,” it wrote in a blog post announcing the change.

“The idea is simple: when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to,” WhatsApp wrote. “No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us. End-to-end encryption helps make communication via WhatsApp private – sort of like a face-to-face conversation.”

The company also made explicit reference to the ongoing debate about whether technology companies should be able to use such security measures.

“Recently there has been a lot of discussion about encrypted services and the work of law enforcement,” it wrote. “While we recognize the important work of law enforcement in keeping people safe, efforts to weaken encryption risk exposing people’s information to abuse from cybercriminals, hackers, and rogue states.”

But the move also helps to ensure that WhatsApp conversations are less likely to be used for advertising, a concern that many voiced when the messaging service was bought by Facebook in 2014. While WhatsApp will still be able to access some important data, such as the behaviour of its users, the actual content of conversations will now be much harder to read.

The company said that it expects that end-to-end encryption will be added to other services in the future since it “will ultimately represent the future of personal communication”

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/

Africell Uganda this morning together with Tecno unveiled the latest Tecno offering, the high end Tecno Boom J8.

This Techno J8 which is now available in Africell stores will cost only 499,000 and comes with a free 4G LTE simcard plus 3.5GB of data valid for one month.

Also, TECNO is set to unveil its own mobile Operating system, HiOS which comes with launch of new TECNO Boom J8.

Africell which is ranked the number one telecom in terms in internet data speeds is lately partnering with smartphone manufacturers whose phones have the capability to run on faster operating systems.

TECNO has also joined the league of mobile makers to launch their next-generation devices on customized android operating system.

The announcement by TECNO of its customized version of the Android 5.1 lollipop OS, unveiled on its latest TECNO BOOM J8 music smart phone on March 31, 2016 raised the bar for the leading mobile devices maker in terms of user experience for its end users.

At the launch of the new TECNO BOOM J8 music, Hong Ji, the Tecno Mobile Operator Sales Manager said the mobile giant TECNO has been working hard to create a signature experience on all its mobile devices that users easily identify and associate with the TECNO brand, making it stand out of the clutter.

Hong said “What HiOS has helped us achieve is a unique user experience, one like no other. TECNO users can now tell their favorite brand by merely interacting with its UI. HiOS feels different and acts different; a lot more intuitive than the android OS 5.1 which forms its backbone operating system,”

The new TECNO BOOM J8 is TECNO’s first device to host the brand’s signature HiOS operating system.

The music smart phone which is an upgrade on predecessor TECNO Boo, J7 boasts 5.5” HD IPS touch screen, 13MP auto-focus rear/ 5.0MP front camera with Dual LED flash, extra 16GB ROM  expandable to 128GB and powered by 2GB RAM.

A retail bank in Kenya has been placed under receivership after running into financial difficulties.

Panic withdrawals on Wednesday, caused by “inaccurate” rumours on social media, led to a run on Chase Bank, said the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).

Its branches were shut on Thursday. The bank is the third to be placed under the CBK’s control in the past year.

Chase had recently released two conflicting financial statements, a BBC reporter says.

A subsequent audit showed it had hidden loans to its directors, adds the BBC’s Ferdinand Omondi in the capital, Nairobi.

In a statement, the CBK said it would appoint a team to run the bank.

The team would be given 12 months to come up with an “appropriate resolution strategy”, said a CBK statement.

One depositor told the BBC that he had $100,000 (£70,000) at Chase, and he had no idea whether he would get the money back.

Hundreds of customers flocked to Chase branches and ATM machines countrywide to withdraw their cash on Thursday, only to find them closed, our reporter says.

All 62 of its branches would remain closed until new management was put in place, said CBK chief Patrick Ngugi Njoroge.

He insisted that the banking sector in Kenya, East Africa’s biggest economy, was stable, despite the banks going into receivership.

Chase is a mid-sized bank with a mixture of low- and middle-income customers, as well as wealthy businessmen who trade with firms in the Middle East.

It also has a unit which specialises in Islamic finance.

On Wednesday, Chase dismissed its chairman and group managing director following the release of two conflicting financial statements.

One of them had downplayed the bank’s internal loans, says our correspondent.

An audit later showed the bank had loaned its directors $80m, and its bad debts had skyrocketed to $100m.

The bank posted a profit of $23m in 2014, only to record a loss of $7m the following year.

The African Development Bank, which last week agreed to lend Chase $50m for onward lending but had not disbursed the funds, said the receivership would not stop it from supporting the sector.

“The African Development Bank remains confident about the stability of the financial sector in Kenya,” its regional boss for East Africa, Gabriel Negatu, told Reuters news agency.

Source: BBC

The site will verbally describe photos to the visually impaired

Facebook introduced a new feature on Tuesday that will allow people with visual impairments to hear descriptions of photos, aiming to make the company’s social media apps more useful and accessible.

“We want to build technology that helps the blind community experience Facebook the same way others enjoy it,” the company said in a press release.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously said the new tool was part of the company’s goal of expanding social media access and making technology more helpful to people.

The feature, called automatic alternative text, uses object recognition technology to describe a photo, listing the items, people and scenery that it might contain. Previously, Facebook said, someone using a screen reader could only hear the name of a person and that the person had shared a photo. Now, they can also hear what’s included in the image.

The feature will be available across the company’s products, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. The company said it plans to expand the feature in other languages and platforms, but it is currently available in English and on iOS.

The European Business Forum will in May 2016 host the first of its kind, Annual Business Expo and Food Festival dubbed ‘3 Days in Europe’ in Uganda.

The 3 day-long event aims at facilitating business development, trade partnerships as well as cultural exchange between Europe and Uganda.

‘3 days in Europe’ is slated to kick off on Friday May 6, 2016 and run until the evening of Sunday May 8, 2016 at the Sheraton Kampala Gardens.

The two part event will highlight trade opportunities alongside cultural diversity and exchange.

A business Expo in association with embassies, missions and private businesses is set to host and address opportunities in renewable energy, agriculture, performing arts, tourism, trade investment, value enhancement for export as well as skills development for sustainable growth.

There will be colloquium sessions to allow for expertise exchange.

The Festival will celebrate and embrace European and Ugandan cultural diversity through food, beverage, fashion and entertainment.

Cuisine restaurants are set to demonstrate and spinoff European recipes with the use of local ingredients. Prolific instrumentalists and live performances from seasoned bands will set the tone for the evening entertainment.

An exclusive runway show by renowned fashion designer Sylvia Owori is a must-attend for fashion lovers.

The European Business Forum is a platform used to strengthen and develop the EU – Uganda economic ties.

It is born out of the growing number of European businesses and investment into Uganda.

The European Business Forum aims to make Uganda more attractive for business through high-level advocacy, networking and the exchange of information between the European Business Community and the Government of Uganda on business matters.

The association allows for European businesses to pool forces and speak with one voice under their advocacy arm with the Ugandan authorities.

In today’s world of commerce, basically anything and everything can be sold over the Internet.

While some types of businesses’ call for a regular store to be successful, one should never dismiss the option of selling online, either in addition to a physical store or as a main source for sales.

It is important to analyze your business (or business plan) to see if selling online could work for you because you may find the benefits of selling online greatly outweigh the alternative.

So what are the benefits of opening an online store verses a physical store?

It is a great way to reduce overheads. In general, conducting business online costs less to set up and run, although it’s important to recognize that making e-commerce work requires continuing investment.

A business owner incurs lower marketing costs. With better targeting, online promotion can be more precisely aimed at potential customers than using conventional media.

Stacey Mwesezi, the Marketing and Communtiy Manager of Kaymu, one of the biggest online shopping portals said,“There are more than 10,200 sellers currently registered on Kaymu Uganda. Anyone can become a seller on Kaymu, so our numbers keep on growing everyday.”

She added, “We do not offer incentives to acquire sellers. Our sellers are willing to list their products on Kaymu mainly because our website gets thousands of visitors every day. Being listed on Kaymu means that more potential customers can access your products, which typically will increase one’s sales revenue.”

It also facilitates expanded geographical reach. A local business can become regional or nationwide, depending on the product, just through having an effective e-commerce strategy. “The majority of Kaymu sellers are based in central Kampala. However, anyone can list their items on our marketplace, regardless of which part of the country they reside in – plus they deliver anywhere in Uganda,” Ms. Mwesezi said.

Being open for business 24/7: With automated order and payment processing, sales can be made at any time, and customers can buy when it suits them, creating convenience.

It also calls for improved customer profiling. This comes with the opportunity to target products and services at specific groups of customers based on buying data.

The ability to tell people about your business: This is particularly valuable when to businesses operating online whereby they can provide vital information about opening hours, contact details and answer to Frequently Asked Questions by their customers.

There is no doubt that selling online can bring many added benefits to certain businesses’. It is the responsibility of the business owner to inform their selves, assess the situation, make a decision and take the necessary steps towards reaching their ultimate goals.

Members of Sheraton Kampala Hotel Fitness Centre today were appreciated by the hotel’s management to an elaborate 2 hour social cocktail with a selection of BBQ grills and gourmet finger foods.

The event held at the hotel’s iconic Kyoga Poolside was held in honor of the fitness club members was meant to reward them for their loyalty to the brand and for embracing a healthier lifestyle by subscribing to the Hotel’s Fitness center.

The Sheraton Fitness centre is well equipped with some of the best gym equipment, best service and highly qualified trainers.

The Fitness centre also has a massage parlor with the most relaxing ambiance offering a wide variety of massages depending on the particular needs of each client.

“At Sheraton, a good lifestyle is paramount to maintaining a healthy body and we do a lot to uphold this value. I therefore take this opportunity to thank all our Fitness members and I encourage them to keep it up and even those who haven’t signed up yet now to keep healthy. The Sheraton fitness centre is a well-equipped fitness centre with every equipment to enable anyone stay fit and avoid diseases like diabetes, blood pressures, obesity to mention but a few.  We have a very good swimming pool for those who want to swim and a fantastic massage parlor for those who want to relax.” Said the Sheraton General Manager Mr. Jean Philippe Bittencourt.

The Sheraton Fitness members get to enjoy a full package that gives them access to the gym, swimming pool, massage, basketball court, squash and many more to keep healthy and well relaxed. Sheraton appreciated several members that have been loyal to the Sheraton Fitness center several years and a raffle was also conducted to appreciate some of the other guests in attendance with great prizes that included weekend accommodation in a suite, complimentary membership and dinner voucher at the renowned ‘Seven Seas Restaurant’

“This event is not just to appreciate our fitness club members but to also enable our fitness members to connect with each other as we also connect with them. We uphold and respect their initiative of keeping healthy and we encourage everyone to come and experience what we have at our Fitness Centre. The wide range of offers at our service centre caters for everyone and it’s very affordable depending on the program a customer wishes to subscribe for. Good health does not only benefit the body but the mind as well so we should embrace this to improve our health. Not to forget, we have programs for all ages and also provide personalized programs to fit your needs.” Concluded Mr. Collins Mpango – the Fitness Club Manager.

MTN Uganda has re-launched the second phase of MTN Gagawala promotion with more cash and more life changing prizes.

Over forty Mobile Money Kiosks are lined up to be with start-up capital worth over 480 million up for grabs for winners in the eight weeks promotion.

MTN officials say the move aims at creating an enabling environment for ordinary people to start business and become SMEs.

All they have to do is load airtime worth 10,000 shillings or more in a week (Monday to Sunday) to be entered into the weekly draw to win  a MTN Mobile Money kiosk and 2,500,000 shillings as start-up capital.

MTN Uganda General Manager Financial Services, Phrase Lubega urged the public to participate in the life changing opportunity.

“The more a customer loads in a week, the more entries they will be entitled to and this will increase their chances of winning. Every 10,000 shillings worth of airtime loaded in a week is an entry in the draw. We shall have five winners, coming from each of the five regions and the campaign will run for 8 weeks.  A total of 40 kiosks will be given out each with a combined value of approximately 8,500,000 shillings including the MTN Mobile Money kiosk, the Agent Kit, Mobile Financial Services training, Point of Sale collateral, Gagawala merchandise and  other related materials to kick off their business”. Phrase added.

Running concurrently with Gagawala is the MTN Cash box activations which will happen in the different regions during the course of the eight weeks. Three activations per region per week for eight week will see Cash box activations participants grab as much cash as they can within the cash box. For customers to participate in the cash box activation, they  will be required to load airtime of minimum 1000 shilling on the spot and have their numbers written down on a piece of paper and entered into a draw. Two lucky customers whose numbers are drawn will enter the cash box and exhibit their skills in grabbing money.

The MTN Gagawala promotion was first launched last month and rewarded over 100 winners each winning one million shilling every day. The winners were drawn from across the country and all they had to do was load airtime worth 1000 shillings and enter daily draws.

“We are very happy with the response our customers have shown towards the MTN Gagalawa promotion which is aimed at changing the lives of Ugandan by winning free cash from MTN. We believe one million is a good start to changing somebody’s life. The Gagawala two is even bigger and better with more cash and prizes which we are hopeful will change lives significantly” said Mapula Bodibe, MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer

Mapula added that the promotion is part of MTN’s ways of bonding with its customers by creating an enabling environment for personal success.

Living Goods, a social enterprise founded in Uganda and focused on improving health and incomes of the poor, has won the 2016 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

The organization together with its Founder, Chuck Slaughter, were recognized for creating a community of health workers that deliver products for improving health and incomes of underprivileged communities.

Living Goods will receive $1.25 million (shs4.25 billion) from the Skoll Foundation to scale their work and increase impact.

The Skoll Awards, according to the foundation, distinguish transformative leaders whose organizations are disrupting the status quo, driving large-scale equilibrium change, and are poised to create even greater impact on the world.

Speaking at the 2016 Awards, which took place in Oxford, England, Jeff Skoll, Founder and Chairman of the Skoll Foundation, said, “The social entrepreneur is driven to challenge injustice.”

“Empowering those who have the greatest stake in building a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities, social entrepreneurs instigate change where it is desperately needed. They give voice and agency to the voiceless and marginalized, and give us good reason to believe in a radically better future.”

Living Goods’ Community Health Promoters (CHPs) go door-to-door teaching families how to improve their health, and diagnosing and treating patients.

They also sell health products such as bed nets, de-worming pills, anti-malaria and diarrhea treatments, fortified foods, and water filters.

“The credit for these results, and the honor of the Skoll award goes foremost to our nearly 4,000 committed Community Health Promoters who travel tirelessly door-to-door every day, bringing better health to their villages, one mother and child at a time,” said Slaughter.

Alfred Wise, Country Director, Living Goods Uganda, said: “Our success is largely due to the guidance and support we’ve received from our partners at the Ministry of Health, especially the Minister, Dr. Elioda, Tumwesigye, and the Director General, Dr. Aceng. This award will help us to scale our work and reach more communities in need of our services.

The award money will be used to expand to more Districts, and to recruit more CHPs to enable us fulfill our goal of reducing child mortality and supporting children and women”.

Living Goods Uganda supports over 1,000 Community Health Promoters, directly serving more than 800,000 people in Kampala, Wakiso, Masaka, Jinja, Mukono, Mpigi, Iganga, Mityana, Mbale  and Lira.

Last year, GSK, a global healthcare company, and Save the Children awarded Living Goods US$120,000 (Shs343 million), to support the expansion of its innovative approach to tackling child deaths in remote areas by bringing life-saving health services directly to people’s doorsteps.

Living Goods Uganda was one of four African initiatives that won a share of the $1 million GSK and Save the Children Healthcare Innovation Award.

MTN has introduced a new mobile and web app called WebPhone that is an alternative cost-effective way of communication for frequent travellers and those living in the diaspora. 

The app is ideal for business travelers and those doing business outside the country that make frequent calls back home; and offers the same call rates as local call charges, to any network in Uganda.

Users can make calls over the internet either from a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone, by signing up for a virtual “WebPhone number” (032), which then becomes the username that is used to sign in to the mobile or PC application.

The mobile app’s sleek interface offers the user quick access to their phone contacts, as well as the option to make calls using either the WebPhone number (Phone Call) or the number of the SIM used in the mobile device (Regular Call).

The benefit of using the WebPhone number while calling from outside Uganda is that it is significantly cheaper than any of the currently available alternatives for making international calls to Uganda, making it the ideal solution for the business traveller

“We are pleased to introduce a product that offers convenience to our customers outside Uganda while dramatically reducing the cost of communication. This is inline with our commitment to offer our customers more value on all offers,” said the General Manager, MTN Business, Mr. Reginald Kafeero.

Ability to call non-smartphone users

While WebPhone relies on the Internet, its users have the unprecedented advantage of making calls to people without smartphones. This offers a key difference between WebPhone and other existing Voice over IP (VoIP) apps.

“With MTN WebPhone you can use the Internet to make calls to any Ugandan number from anywhere in the world at local rates, allowing you to spend only as much as you would spend while calling from an MTN fixed line in Uganda,” she added.

The United States will have the first African-American to appear on its paper currency, also being the first woman in more than a century, the Treasury Department announced Wednesday.

Celebrated former US slave Harriet Tubman will replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 banknote after the Treasury Department abandoned a previous plan to have a woman replace founding father Alexander Hamilton on the $10.

Harriet Tubman and President Andrew Jackson lived on opposite sides of the American experience.

Tubman, a black woman, escaped slavery to become a conductor on the Underground Railroad, risking her life to lead slaves to freedom. Jackson, the son of Scots-Irish immigrants and owner of slaves, was elected president as a war hero and became known for policies that led to the deaths of countless Native Americans.

Introduced alongside a slew of changes to the $5 and $10 notes as well, the redesign gives the Treasury “a chance to open the aperture to reflect more of America’s history,” Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said.

Lew said the designs should be unveiled by 2020 and go into circulation “as quickly as possible,” although he declined to say when. He said the $10 bill was scheduled to go out first, citing security needs.

Source: CCTV Africa

Landlocked Uganda has announced it will build a major pipeline to export its oil through Tanzania.

Uganda had planned to send the pipeline through Kenya, which wanted a joint facility for oil from its own fields that are under development.

The pipeline will now be routed further south, with concerns about possible attacks by Somalia’s al-Shabab Islamists said to be a factor.

The group has attacked targets close to where the pipeline would have passed.

Uganda announced its decision in Kampala at a summit of the East African Community bloc, which groups Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan.

The 1,400km (800 miles) pipeline will connect Uganda’s western region near Hoima, where big oil reserves have been discovered, with Tanzania’s port of Tanga.

The project is expected to cost about $4bn (£2.8bn) and create 15,000 jobs.

The discovered oil reserves in Uganda are estimated at some 6.5bn barrels, and the country expects to start production in 2018.

France’s Total, China’s CNOOC and the Anglo-Irish company Tullow hold most of the licences.

Kenya, which has also struck oil, had wanted the pipeline to pass through its territory.

Uganda had initially signed such a deal, but Total later questioned the plan over security concerns, the BBC’s Catherine Byaruhanga in Kampala reports.

Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa said on Saturday that the cost was also a factor in choosing the project.

“We considered Tanga oil pipeline route based on a number of aspects – among them it is the least cost,” he told the AFP news agency.

Reports also suggest that Uganda backed the Tanzanian route because the country’s port of Tanga is already fully operational, while Kenya’s Lamu port is still being built.

When completed, it will be East Africa’s first major oil pipeline.

Meanwhile, Kenya said it would build its own pipeline from Lokichar, in the north-east, to Lamu.

Source: BBC

Africans are sitting on vast amounts of wealth. This wealth can only be unearthed if they (Africans) grasped the concept of proper branding.

This is one of the key points emphasized during the maiden PR Over Coffee meeting in Uganda on April 22, 2016 at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

Renowned brand architect and founder of the influential Brand Leadership Group, Thebe Ikalafeng noted that while other attributes such as passion and availability of funds play a vital role in growing businesses, the most important aspect is branding.

He however cautioned that Africans ought to stop imitating if they were to succeed in this regard.

“Find what it is that you can do different, not better because better can always be bettered! Find your competitive advantage and then build on that.”

Ironically according to Ikalafeng, only 30% of the brands admired by Africans are from Africa.

“What does that imply? It means that we have to brand appropriately if we are to be appreciated, only then shall we realize our true potential as Africa,” he said.

Adding, “USA, Europe and Asia have an agenda for Africa, but Africa has no agenda for Africa. Our job as Africans is to therefore stop blaming everybody, begging and borrowing. Why are we enslaved to Aid? Aid only succeeds in breeding corrupt leaders.”

He said that the time was nigh for Africa to harness its potential as the next economic tiger.

“Europe has a history, Africa has a future. Africa is all we have; but it is everything we need. We are the future.”

Ikalafeng was the key note speaker at the inaugural PR Over Coffee event in Kampala and based his address on the topic; “Africa Inside; building businesses, brands and relationships in Africa.”

Major General Jim Muhwezi, the minister for Information and National Guidance who was the chief guest at the breakfast meeting lauded organizers of the event saying that it had amplified what government has always advocated for.

“I am pleased that the guest speaker (Thebe) said about branding. As government, we are also rebranding the way we communicate. In the last general election, we realized a communication gap and as a result people were incensed because they had been fed on lies,” he explained.

Adding, “Even my ministry is going to change very soon so as to communicate better. We shall work with the private sector in this regard.”

A brainchild of Publics Africa Communications, Public Relations Over Coffee is a pioneer information empowerment forum, created to promote and stimulate the growth of Uganda’s communication industry and clients’ brands through networking, collaboration, matchmaking and innovation in various professional fields.

Joseph Kanyamunyu, the Managing Director Publics Africa Communications and Project lead of PR Over Coffee Africa says that the purpose of these meetings is to share ideas, tips and tools that entrepreneurs need to shake up their industry, challenge ‘old hat’ practices, increase their bottom lines and have an undeniable impact on the business society in Uganda.

The meetings will be held quarterly with each tackling issues in different sectors of the economy.

As humans, most of us naturally value loyalty. We appreciate people who stick with us in tough times, people that we can depend on no matter what.

The same applies in the business world, where gaining loyal customers is fundamental to building a thriving and successful company.

Without regularly returning customers, you will constantly be searching for new leads to convert in to sales.

Basic business principles have taught us that it costs more to bring on a new customer than to retain an existing one – so it only makes sense to reward those who keep on coming back.

Customers remain loyal where it benefits them, whether in terms of convenience, attractive prices or a generally satisfying experience – so when they receive an unexpected reward from a company, it’s a pleasant surprise.

Rewards remind the customer that you’re aware of them, that you appreciate their purchases, and that you’re willing to go above and beyond to keep them happy.

One company that has embraced the idea of rewarding its customers is Kaymu, Uganda’s largest online marketplace, who is currently running a giveaway promotion called the Kaymu Lucky Dip. Kaymu Uganda’s Marketing Manager, Stacey Mwesezi says “It’s all about giving back to our customers. We recently celebrated Kaymu’s 2^nd birthday, so we’re thanking our customers for embracing our platform and bringing us this far. We’re not able to give a gift to every single customer we have, but we’ll give every customer who places an order during this promotion, an equal chance of winning – that’s why it’s called a lucky dip.”

Following a rigorous selection process, involving more than 700 applicants from 26 countries across Africa, the top three finalists in the MTN Entrepreneurship Challenge powered by Jumia, have been revealed.

The challenge, which aims to boost entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as build a stronger and more sustainable business environment on the continent, kicked off in February, and is a joint initiative between MTN, Jumia and the MTN Solution Space based at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business.

Through the entrepreneurship challenge, students were invited to develop a unique digital application or smart solution to address a problem faced in Africa. Applicants heeded the call and hundreds of original ideas covering the areas of E-Commerce Marketplaces, Education Technology, Smart Cities and Solutions, and Health Technology were received.

Over the past few weeks, the ideas were narrowed down, with 11 Live Pitch events taking place from Cameroon to South Africa, to shortlist the top candidates who will eventually pitch their business ideas at the Entrepreneurship Festival in Cape Town in May 2016.

The three finalists are:

• ng (Nigeria)

Pass.ng is a web, desktop and mobile-based CBT examination preparatory and testing platform, with a vision to help candidates excel in all the major Nigerian examinations and tests.

• MedRX (Ghana)

MedRx app is an interactive health platform for all users who have health needs. The app connects users to health personnel from various fields of practice including hospital, pharmacy, laboratory and academia.

• Vicoba (Tanzania)

Village Community Banks (Vicoba) are an important instrument of development work, allowing people who do not have access to conventional bank accounts, to access informal investment groups. Vicoba app creates a collaborative platform that includes existing tools for financial and task management in a way that is adapted for the African market.

MTN Solution Space Manager, Sarah-Anne Arnold, congratulated the winners and commented: “Universities are resource-rich, highly networked and create opportunities for students to find like-minded co-founders and explore and develop new opportunities together, and are therefore the ideal environments to encourage entrepreneurs. This was shown by the amazing talent that emerged during the incredible week of Live Pitches which took place across campuses in 11 countries, in collaboration with partner universities and sponsors. Congratulations and best of luck to the finalists.”

The top two applications from each region were selected for the semi-finals and awarded the opportunity to undertake a short course from GetSmarter in order to build new capabilities in areas such as Search Engine Optimisation or Digital Marketing.

The finalists will face a panel of experienced business leaders at the Entrepreneurship Festival, where the winning team will be named. The panel includes Jeremy Hodara, co-CEO Africa Internet Group, Professor Walter Baets, Director of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, and Herman Singh, MTN Group Chief Digital Officer.

“We are incredibly impressed with the calibre of applicants and the level of innovation shown. We are looking forward to the finals and wish our contenders the best of luck. We are certain that whichever team emerges victorious, it is the continent that will be the biggest winner, as entrepreneurship and locally developed solutions are what will enable the growth and development of this continent,” says Singh.

Bankole Cardoso, the Head of Communications at Africa Internet Group added, “From the application phase, we were very impressed with the high quality business models and it was not at all easy for the judges to select from so many promising businesses. Over the last week, we have held over 100 live pitches and given young entrepreneurs across the continent a platform to showcase their business ideas and even more importantly, to receive critical feedback from experienced professionals on our judging panels. The gaps in the African entrepreneurship ecosystem are in capital and mentorship so it was great to undergo an exercise like this that will no doubt force them to improve. I now look forward to working closely with these three finalist teams to prepare them for what’s to come in Cape Town. It is an incredible opportunity for all of them to propel themselves to the next level.”

The winners will be announced at the Entrepreneurship Festival with the top team being awarded the opportunity for incubation at the premises of either the MTN Solution Space at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, or at one of 9 Jumia offices across the continent. The winner will also win a cash prize of US$25 000 towards their start-up and have access to a Facebook Start Programme to the value of US$15 000, which includes tools and services needed to build mobile applications.