HiPipo Money

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If you can’t be in Brazil, SuperSport will bring Brazil to you. With every FIFA World Cup 2014 match available live and in High Definition on SuperSport, the World of Champions will offer the best  coverage available in Africa with star guests, live matches and dynamic magazine shows all available on latest technology.

SuperSport has pulled out all stops for this event, starting June 12, to ensure that DStv subscribers never miss a moment of the action on their television screens. Global icon Ryan Giggs is just one of many experts who will share his insights with SuperSport football fans.

Additional  football heavyweights include Jay Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Sammy Kuffour, John Barnes and John Dykes. Their analysis will blend with five embedded SuperSport crews who will track the progress of African powerhouses Nigeria and Ghana, among others. 

SuperSport will boast two 24-hour channels – one in HD (SS3HD), one in SD (SS3) on DStv – for the duration of the tournament. For the eight matches that run concurrently, in the last-round round-robin stage, SS2HD and SS4 will feature these fixtures.

As a bonus, SuperSport will also produce four magazine shows, each of a different flavour:

“Ola Brazil” will be hosted by football fundi Carol Tshabalala live from Rio de Janeiro every Saturday and Sunday with a lifestyle slant offering rich behind-the-scenes content.

“We are Brazil” will be a precursor to weekend matches with intermittent crossings to Brazil and areas of Africa. The show will include detailed information on team statistics, newsmakers, top five moments and retro moments. One of the highlights is sure to be Andy Townsend’s expert insights.

“Master Plan” is unashamedly aimed at the football intellectual; the fan who wants to know about game strategy and the science behind performance.  With world renowned Dykes anchoring, every game will be broken down and analysed like never before in this Sunday show.

Finally, “Fan Zone” is a one-hour weekend show aimed at the youth, comprising a strong social media element.

SuperSport’s state of the art HD studio, built for the 2010 edition, has undergone extensive refurbishment. “We’ve invested heavily in the latest technology,” said Alvin Naicker, SuperSport’s head of production. “It’s a multi-faceted facility that offers a range of broadcast options. Plus we’ve revamped the adjoining studio-entertainment area that now includes a fan zone and is multi-purpose.”

SuperSport’s coverage, to be punctuated by the “We are Brazil” theme, will be a multi-platform offering with TV, On line (www.supersport.com), social, and for subscribers with the Explora decoder watch out for the Catch-Up services featuring great FIFA World Cup highlights.

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Did you know that at justthe cost of a few text messages, you could win a dream get away to Brazil? Hard to believe, isn’t it?

Neither did Edison Muhwezi, a 23 year old farmer residing in Kirinya, Bweyogerere, located in the outskirts of Kampala.

Having sent just five text messages bearing the codes he found under the crown of his Bell Beer, Muhwezi is the latest winner of an all-expense paid trip to Brazil courtesy of Uganda Breweries Limited’s ongoing Sip Sip Samba promotion.

“When I was called, for sure I almost fainted. That I, Muhwezi, a farmer from Kisoro who has never crossed the boundaries of Uganda,is headed for Brazil is just a dream come true,” an elated Muhwezi said.

He becomes the latest winner of an all-expense paid trip to Brazil, the land synonymous with fun, merry making, beauty and the famous Samba culture in the ongoing Sip Sip Samba Promotion by Uganda Breweries Limited.

The promotion is givingforty lucky Ugandans the opportunity of a lifetime to enjoy the beautiful scenery that has become synonymous with this South American nation.

In addition to the trip, consumers also have the chance to win other prizes like instant airtime, cash as well as other customized memorabilia. 

To participate in the Sip Sip Samba promotion, customers have to buy a bottle of any of the four brands; Bell Lager, Guinness, Tusker Lager and Tusker Malt, check under the crown for a five-digit code then send an SMS with the code to 6050 for the chance to enter the weekly draw to win the trip. The more codes one sends, the higher their chances of winning.

The draws are carried out every Monday at 8:35pmonNTV Uganda to pick the winners of the cash award prize of UGX 100, 000 and tickets to Brazil.

The campaign will not only offer the most amazing prize of experiencing Brazil, it will also seek to reward those who will be here at home. There will be lots of prizes like free beer, instant cash via mobile money.”

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Uganda’s leading tax payer, MTN Uganda has again demonstrated its commitment to the development of the country and hashanded over a check worth Fifteen Billion, Nine Hundred and Twenty Eight Million Three Hundred and Fifty Two Thousand, and Three Hundred and Fifty Shillings to the Uganda Communications Commission Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF) in Tax remittance. This is part of the mandatory 2% levy for all telecommunications companies.

“Telecommunications plays an increasingly important role in Uganda’s development of and the world economy and as the leading tax payer; we have an obligation to support Uganda’s development by assisting in tax collection as prescribed by the law,” saidMazen Mroué, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Uganda. 

He added that MTN Uganda is committed to continue to support the Government of Uganda and particularly the Ministry of ICT and the Uganda Communications Commission in their plans to spread ICT literacy to all regions of the country.

RCDF projects focus on ensuring access and usage of ICT services for the underserved areas. The projects implemented by RCDF include under the leadership of Uganda Communication Commission:76 Internet points of presence (POP), 106 Internet cafes, 78 ICT training centers, 4,099 Public payphones, 78 District web portals, 13 Multi-Purpose Community Tele-centers (MCT), 45 Postal projects, 708 School ICT laboratories, 174 Health ICT facilities ,90 Voice network sites, 106 Content development projects,2  Local governance projects, and 31 Other unique projects.

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The direct impact realized out of the projects implemented includes; 100% voice coverage at the sub county level, 100% data coverage for every district / town of Uganda, teaching of Computer Studies as a subject in at least 50% of government secondary schools and basic ICT equipment in all district government hospitals.

As per the latest public results shared by the company for the first quarter of 2013, MTN Uganda has continuously registered positive performance, with an increase in its subscriber base by 8.4% to 9.5 million mobile customers includes 2.6 million data customer and over 5 million Mobile Money users. The results also confirm MTN Uganda’s market share increase to 55.3% and MTN overall Value share reached 65%.

The steady growth in revenue and increased market share has continuously permitted MTN Uganda the ability to remit the UGX. 16 Billion Tax. The solid financial performance of MTN Operations is mainly attributed to attractive, segmented and bundled offers aimed at both acquisition and retention. Regionally focused sales and distribution campaigns further supported the continuous growth and overall performance. 

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MTN Uganda through the MTN Uganda Foundation has unveiled a fully kittedstate of the art bus dubbed the MTN Internet Bus. The Bus which is the first of its kind in Uganda, will be a vital tool for MTN Uganda’s vision of enhancing ICT Education across the country.

The MTN Internet Bus which is equipped with sixteen high-end computer working stationsas well as access to High speed Internet Connectivity Service using the world class data infrastructure powered by MTN 3G and 4G LTE Technology with Wi-Ficoverage. The Internet Bus is the first to be introduced in Uganda by MTN the Leader in the delivery of Bold Digital services and is estimated to have cost in excess of Ushs. 600 million. It was unveiled at a Press conference held at MTN’s Nyonyi Garden offices

Speaking at the launch, the MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer Mazen Mroué said the introduction of the MTN Internet Bus is in line with MTN Uganda’s new Vision of delivering a Bold, new Digital world which aims at creating distinct customer experience, driving sustainable growth and a specific focus on making MTN Customers lives a whole lot brighter.

Mroué said the MTN Internet Bus will go a long way in driving MTN Uganda’s commitment to help build and develop the capacity of Ugandans as well as strengthening the nation’s economy through ICT awareness initiatives across all regions of the country adding that it is a vital component for the promotion of computer literacy in rural areas in an effort to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas.

“At MTN, innovation is about introducing something new, better or different, large or small that adds sustainable value to the lives of our customers. We believe the introduction of this Internet Bus will go a long way in creating the much needed ICT awareness across the country”, he said.

He added that the MTN Internet Bus would provide ICT training capacity with the provision of basic computer skills and integrated e-Learning. This will further solidify MTN’s commitment to support the Government of Uganda and in particular the Ministry of ICT in its agenda to enhance ICT skills and basic computer literacy in the country.

MTN Uganda continuesfocusing largely on the expansion of the data network infrastructure; MTN was the first in the market to introduce word class internet technologies through the 3G 42Mbps, 4G LTE and WiFi Hotspots. As of 31st March 2014, MTN Uganda total Data subscribers exceeded 2.6 million.
MTN Uganda became the first operator in Uganda, and one of the very first in Africa to launch its 4G LTE services. The launch of LTE represented a major jump in mobile connectivity capabilities with speeds of up to 100Mbps. MTN Uganda has further covered the country with internet speeds of up to 42Mbps and has insured great quality internet for the broader Ugandan population.

MTN Uganda launched its Mobile Network operations in 1998, since inception MTN cumulative investment exceeded UGX 1.7 Trillion. Last year, the company injected more than UGX 140 billion in upgrading the Network infrastructure and adding another 400Km of national fiber, by December 2013, MTN Uganda Total Fiber infrastructure exceeded 3,200 Km. The continuous investment  by MTN in Uganda has enabled job creation with direct and indirect support for over 560,000 Ugandans.

MTN’s new Vision and Mission to ‘To Lead the delivery of a bold, new Digital World to its customers’ and ‘To make our customers’ lives a whole lot brighter’. This has seen the company strongly enhance its Data portfolio through a number of targeted initiatives such as the regional MTN Data Expos and most recently the launch of its new thematic Data Campaign that showcases all the things you can learn from the Internet.

Officiating at the launch, ICT Minister Hon. John Nasasira commended MTN for leading the way on the innovation front with life changing services that are complementing the Government’s endeavors especially in delivering ICT training across the country.

Nasasira said the MTN ICT Education drive is a welcome initiative and urged Ugandans to embrace the opportunity to better their lives.

“At MTN, we have refocused our interventions towards empowerment of the communities in various areas. Education is one such area which is very close to our hearts because of the direct link between improved literacy and the socio-economic status of any community,” Mroué concluded.

The South African High Commissioner to Uganda- H.E. Jon Qwelane who is also an MTN Uganda Foundation trustee was also in attendance and he pledged that the MTN Foundation would continue to look at areas that have a sustainable impact on development of the different communities while also looking to address the different needs of Ugandans. He mentioned that he was pleased to be part of such initiatives that positively impacted the lives of Ugandans.

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 2014and onwards, the MTN Foundation will focus on three key areas so as to leverage scale to achieve significant development impact. These include the areas of Education, Health and National Priorities.

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Superbrands East Africa, an affiliate of London-based Superbrands UK, yesterdayrecognized Airtel Uganda as a Superbrand in Uganda. This was at the Superbrands Tribute Event 2014 which was held at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

Presided over by the Vice President of Uganda Edward Ssekandi, at an event that attracted more than 100 CEOs, marketing experts, business people, and government officials from East Africa, he said the government of Uganda will continue to have policies that spur investment for both big and small firms in the country. He also thanked Superbrands East Africa for bringing the event to Kampala and promoting excellence.

Superbrands is the world’s largest independent arbiter of branding. It identifies and pays tribute to exceptional brands by recognising, rewarding and reinforcing leading brands from all over the world.

Mr Jaffer Jawad, the Superbrands East Africa Project Director, said: “Superbrands, as the world’s largest independent arbiter of branding shall continue identifying and paying tribute to exceptional brands by recognizing, rewarding and reinforcing leading brands from all over the world.”

Headded that this is the most exciting time to identify and celebrate the region’s leading brands. “Brands have an ever-increasing importance in our day-today lives, and as consumers we have never been more engaged; logos are tattooed onto enthusiasts’ bodies and thousands join social networking groups to campaign for the re-launch of a favourite brand,” he said.

Mr. Arindam Chakrabarty, the Managing Director of Airtel Uganda, agreed with this statement. “We believe it is important for brands; local, regional and global to be recognized for their excellence in their various markets of operation. We also believe that rewarding the top companies fosters healthy competition, which encourages other companies to work even harder in their respective industries and sectors.”” he said.

“Airtel always associates itself with top notch, exceptional companies and brands. Over the last few years, we have supported increase in ICT skills through our partnership with British Council and KCCA to provide internet to schools countrywide. We have facilitated the development of local sports with the Airtel Rising Stars initiative and the sponsorship of the Uganda Cranes National team. These and more partnerships are testament to our belief that joining efforts with the best brands can reap positive benefits for us, our partners, our consumers and our various stakeholders,” he added.

The event was also graced by Uganda’s Finance Minister Hon. Maria Kiwanuka, who is also a Superbrands Council Member in East Africa.

15 Uganda, 17 Tanzanian and 54 Kenyan brands were recognized at the glamourous event.

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Management at Qalaa Holdings (formerly Citadel Capital) and senior staff from five of the company’s subsidiaries gathered at the Green Investment Opportunities Conference held on 15-17 June to discuss how industry can work not just to mitigate its impact on the environment, but to reduce emissions going forward

Senior staff from Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Exchange; formerly known as Citadel Capital), and its subsidiaries joined other private sector leaders for the inaugural Green Investment Opportunities Conference, a national gathering on the environment and the economy. The conference took  place in El-Gouna, on Egypt’s pristine Red Sea coast, under the auspices of the Ministry of State for the Environment.

Qalaa Holdings, an African leader in infrastructure and investment with subsidiaries in energy, cement, agrifoods, transportation and mining, is a proud sponsor of the event.

The conference is establishing a framework by which ideas on sustainable and green development can be realized. Participants discussed scientific methods of implementing a green economy and explored the practical strides taken by the private sector (and Qalaa Holdings specifically) to combat climate change through green construction, sustainable transport, renewable energy, waste recycling, and alternative fuels. The conference investigated how endeavors in these fields will help grow the economy, develop the community, and protect the environment by drawing from the pool of experience available across Egypt and the Arab world.

“Economic growth, job creation and a healthier environment are by no means mutually exclusive,” said Ahmed El-Sharkawy, a Managing Director at Qalaa Holdings. “This means that Qalaa Holdings not only designs industrial and infrastructure projects to have as little impact on the environment as possible, but also actively looks for opportunities to create profit-making ventures that are pro-environment.

“Take, for example, the Egyptian Refining Company. It is not just a US$ 3.7 billion refinery that will create jobs and sharply reduce our nation’s reliance on diesel imports: It will also slash the country’s present-day sulfur emissions by nearly a thirdand reduce our carbon footprint by producing diesel to Euro-V specifications, the cleanest-burning diesel fuel in the world,” El-Sharkawy added.

In addition to El-Sharkawy, Qalaa’s participants at the gathering include Gen. Maged Farag, the Chairman of the National Company for Multimodal Transport (NMT), a Qalaa subsidiary in the transport industry; NMT operates river transport vessels and ports along the Nile River in Egypt, Sudan and South Sudan. Gen. Farag was joined at the conference by senior staff from Glass Rock (a producer of green insulating materials) and GlassWorks (whose product portfolio includes coated and reflective float glass). Also joining the Qalaa executives was Ahmed Gaber, Chairman of Tawazon, a subsidiary of Qalaa operating in the energy segment; Tawazon is a leading solid-waste management company and producer of refuse-derived fuels.

Speaking at the opening day of the conference, Mohamed Mashhoor, Managing Director of Nile Cargo (a Qalaa Holdings subsidiary), discussed the economic and environmental advantages of river transportation projects. Other Qalaa speakers included Hisham Wagdy, Managing Director of TAQA Power (a subsidiary of TAQA Arabia, Egypt’s leading independent energy distribution company), who discussed renewable energy sources and alternative fuels as a key component of Egypt’s energy and environmental security policies.

The inaugural day of the conference was concluded by Amr Al Samak, head of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), who thanked Qalaa Holdings for its efforts in supporting and sponsoring the conference and furthering the cause of environmental investments in Egypt.

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Actis, the pan-emerging markets private equity firm,today announced the successful conclusion of a two-part transaction that has seen the firm, through its subsidiary, Umeme Holdings Ltd (“UHL”),sella total 45.7% of Ugandan electricity distribution company, Umeme Ltd(“Umeme”) for $98m.

The sale of shares totalling 6.7% of the company and worth US$13mto Ugandan retail investors and Umeme management and directors was the final step in the transaction, which was led by Stanbic as Lead Transaction Advisor and Stanbic and Rencap as Joint Bookrunners.

The retail and management tranche follows the $85m institutional tranche, which was heavily oversubscribed by more than 20 institutional investors in May 2014. The institutional tranche represented 39% of the company. Following this latest tranche,Actis remains the second largest shareholder in Umeme, with a 14.3% residual shareholding.

On the retail tranche, strong demand from local investors prompted UHL to release additional shares.  Local investors were given the opportunity to purchase shares at the same price offered to institutional investors Ushs 340 and in addition benefited from one free share for every ten purchased. The sale was structured to ensure smaller investors were given their full allocation.

Umeme’s directors and managersinvested US$6min the share purchase and have increased their shareholding in the Company to approximately 5% from the previous 2%.In the institutional offer, Investec Asset Management increased its shareholding to 18% to become the largest shareholder, while the Ugandan National Social Security Fund became the third largest shareholder after increasing its shareholding from 8% to 14%. The overall transaction has been the largest offering of secondary stock to date on the Uganda Securities Exchange.

David Grylls, Partner at Actis, commented: “We have been delighted by the strong take-up of Umeme shares, first by heavyweight institutional investors, and now by retail investors and Umeme management and directors. Not only is this indicative of a healthy appetite for solid Ugandan companies, but also a commitment to Uganda’s powerful macroeconomic story, and can only be good for Uganda’s capital markets.”

Patrick Mweheire, Lead Transaction Advisor at Stanbic Bank, added:The Accelerated Bookbuild for Actis’ sale of a stake in Umeme was highly successful and the first of its kind. It signalled significant appetite from both institutional African investors and international investors who are keen to tap into the opportunity in these increasingly sophisticated and liquid markets, this was evident in the strong demand seen across all investor classes (including retail and management) for the transaction.

Since Actis invested in Umeme in 2005, the company has invested over US$ 224m in modernising its distribution system. By the end of 2013, Umeme had increased its customer base from 250,000 to about 584,000 customers, connecting over50,000 power-hungry customers to its network per year.  Umeme now directly employs over 1,300 staff.

About Actis

Actis invests exclusively in the emerging markets with a growing portfolio of investments in Asia, Africa and Latin America; it currently has US$6.5 billion funds under management. Combining the expertise of over 100 investment professionals on the ground in nine countries, Actis identifies investment opportunities in three areas: private equity, energy and real estate. Actis is proud to actively and positively grow the value of those companies in which it invests and in so doing contribute to broader society. www.act.is

About Umeme 

Umeme is the largest electricity distribution company in Uganda. As an electricity distributor, Umeme is mandated to:

• –           Operate, maintain, upgrade and expand the distribution network
• –           Retail electricity to its customer
• –           Improve efficiency within the electricity distribution system

Umeme continued to return strong results for the year ended 31 December 2013. Earnings before Interest Taxation Depreciation & Amortization (EBITDA) grew by 27% to UGX149bn in 2013 from UGX117bn in 2012.  Profit after tax grew from UGX 57 billion in 2012 to UGX 84bn in 2013. www.umeme.co.ug

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The 2014 edition of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards is now open. We are calling all learners between the ages of 14 – 19 to write an essay or design a poster on the topic “Imagine you are a satellite, orbiting high above your own country or even above your own home or school” answering the following questions;

• What would you see?
• What would you like to tell the people below about what you see from up there?
• What would you like people to know?
• What would you like them to think about?
• If you could send them a message or an image, what would you like to say or show?

The DStv Eutelsat Star Awards is part of the ongoing partnership between MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat since 1999. This pan-Africa collaboration has over the years created meaningful engagement with students, the academic community and the scientific world. The competition is geared towards students and encourages them to either write an essay or design a poster about the benefits of satellite technology on the continent. Since its inception, the competition has drawn over a 3000 entries across the continent and has invigorated a passion for science amongst the younger generation.

The Awards are open to all students from secondary (high) or combined schools in Africa where MultiChoice Africa maintains operations.  Entry forms can be obtained from any MultiChoice Resource Centres, the nearest MultiChoice office or copies can be downloaded from www.dstvstarawards.com. Entries may be prepared in English, French and Portuguese. The awards collateral will also be made available in 3 languages (English, French and Portuguese).  Competition closes on 27 October 2014 and only entries submitted on the prescribed entry form will be eligible.

The DStv Eutelsat Star Awards comprises national and international adjudication. The first assessment of entries is at country level with a panel of local judges selecting country winners and runners-up who go through a round of preliminary judging which culminates in the selection of the final winners. A regional panel selects the top four entries. Last year the panel was chaired by the inspirational European Space Agency Astronaut, Paolo Nespoli, assisted by a panel of industry experts who commended the standard of the competition.

Country winners receive exciting country prizes and go on to compete against each other for the overall continental awards.  The overall essay and poster winners are eligible for a once in a lifetime trip for two to the Eutelsat facilities in Paris, with the essay winner traveling onwards to witness a live rocket launch.  Runners up will win a trip to South Africa as guests of MultiChoice Africa.  Schools attended by the overall winners will also receive a DStv installation, including dish, television, state-of-the-art PVR decoder and free access to the DStv Education Bouquet.

The winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony in Zambia during February 2015.  

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Chinese government owned Exim Bank, the main financiers of the ongoing 600 MW Karuma Dam project has finally signed the much awaited advance payment guarantee for the funding of the project.

According to a document titled ‘Advance payment Guarantee No. BKD2014LG00120’ issued on 10^th June 2014, and addressed to Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and signed by Zhang Dajin on behalf of Exim Bank Head office, the bank agrees to cover Sinohydro Corporation, Karuma Dam contractors with a guarantee.

SinohydroCorporation has already committed its own funds for the ongoing construction works at the project site ahead of the release of funding by the government of Uganda.

Last month the Chairman and President of Exim Bank of China Mr. Li Ruogu was in Uganda to meet President to confirm and present details of the project funding.

Sources within Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development have confirmed that a delegation of government officials from the two Ministries of Energy and Financeled by Ministers Maria Kiwanuka and Irene Muloni and including their Permanent Secretaries, Keith Muhakanizi and Kabagambe Kalisa respectively are in China to discuss the release of the balance of the 85% expected to be concluded by the end of this month.

Total cost of constructionof Karuma dam and power plant is estimated to cost approximately US$ 1.7 billion. That figure includes the cost needed to build a transmission line from Karuma to a location where the power will be integrated into the national power grid.

Last year, Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka said 85% of the funding will come from the Exim Bank of China while Uganda government will provide 15% of the funding adding that the concession loan from China will be repaid in the next five years.

The project currently being undertaken  by Sino Hydro Corp Ltd from China is expected to provide much needed relief to fast growing economy whose energy needs are outstripping production.

Sinohydro Corporation Chief Representative Mr. Deng Xiaoguan said in a recent report that construction of the dam is in full force and the release of the necessary funding will go a long way to enhance progress.