In Picture (Left – Right) Hon. Speaker of Parliament and Patron of the Busoga Tourism Initiative(BTI) Rebecca Kadaga, MTNs Corporate Affairs Manager, Justina Ntabgoba, MTNs GM Corporate Services, Anthony Katamba & Hon Edward Baliddawa, MP Kigulu County North Iganga District
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Kampala, Uganda – 9th May, 2013
MTN Foundation has handed over a donation of UShs. 10 million towards the unveiling of Kagulu Hill, in Busoga Region.
Kagulu Hill located in Buyende District and some 30km from Kamuli town is an imposing attraction that apart from its scenic splendor has deep cultural and historical significance in Busoga.
Kagulu Hill rises at 3,600ft above sea level and while at its summit, it offers a magnificent panoramic view of Busoga, Lango and Teso regions.
The combination of the majestic impression of the rock and the scenic beauty that it offers of its surroundings and the cultural heritage it signifies have for many years drawn the locals to Kagulu Hill.
“Uganda is endowed with plenty of natural and cultural resources which can form the basis for a very lucrative industry, creating employment and generating income, and as MTN Uganda, we realize and understand that tourism has the power to play a significant role this,” said Anthony Katamba, GM Corporate Services, MTN Uganda.
The Honorable Speaker of Parliament and Patron Busoga Tourism Initiative, Rebecca Kadaga, said that MTN Uganda’s contribution will go a long way in supporting the initiatives efforts in making Kagulu Hill a valued tourist attraction added to the Eastern Uganda Tourist Circuit and be able to spur socio-economic transformation of the people of Busoga.
She thanked the MTN Uganda Foundation for their support towards the drive.
As part of the effort to raise awareness to a much wider audience of this beautiful attraction in Eastern Uganda, the Busoga Tourism Initiative (BTI) is organizing an official unveiling of this jewel through a climbing competition scheduled for the 11th May 2013.
Since 2009, in the area of tourism, the MTN Foundation has partnered with Community Based Tourism Initiative (COBATI), a non profit NGO whose main purpose is to support local people in Uganda to participate and benefit from tourism and its related initiatives. MTN’s partnership with COBATI was specially designed to empower the Nubian Community in Bombo, and indeed Uganda as a whole, through rural-based tourism.
The Nubians are essentially known and reputable for preserving their cultural heritage and traditions, expressed through unique colourful handcraft, dance and culinary skills.
“We are a multi-faceted cultural country. This directly means that we have a lot to show the world. We have various traditions practices that in such colourful and beautiful ways capture our way of life which besides being a source of national pride, should be used to better our lives,” Katamba concluded.
The MTN Uganda Foundation is a not-for-profit legal entity that was inaugurated in July 2007 as a vehicle through which MTN Uganda implements its’ Corporate Social Investments (CSI). The Foundation strives to improve the quality of life in communities where MTN Uganda operates in a sustainable way. Over the past five years since its launch, the MTN Foundation has supported a number of initiatives in the areas of Education, Health, Arts and Culture, Environment, Community Development and Low cost housing.
The MTN Uganda Foundation partners with both public and non-profit credible organizations to execute sustainable projects in each of the chosen focus areas. The Foundation is committed to ensuring that the selection and approval of its projects are conducted in a manner that is transparent, systematic, efficient, and effective while promoting its mission.
In 2013 and onwards, the MTN Foundation will focus on three key areas so as to leverage scale to achieve significant development impact.
The three sectors will be Education, Health and National Priority Areas under which Tourism falls.
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About MTN Uganda
Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading telecommunications firm in country with more than 7.7 million customers as of 31 December 2012.
Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug; www.youtube.com/mtnug; www.facebook.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnugandacare.
About the MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 31 December 2012, MTN recorded almost 190 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit us at www.mtn.com and www.mtnfootball.com.
