HiPipo Money

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Samsung Electronics East Africa presented its 3^rd generation of DVM S (Digital Variable Multi System) air conditioning systems for large buildings during the upcoming regional System AC Conference that was held in Kampala on 15^th March 2014.

The global electronics giant showcased its highly innovative system that adopts the new 3rd generation SSC (Samsung Scroll Compressor) technology that provides world class energy efficiency and the most powerful cooling and heating performance to the attendants of the conference that brought together engineering consultants, architects and contractors across the region.

While announcing this, Samsung Electronics East Africa’s Vice President, Robert Ngeru said, “We are showcasing our ability to innovatively use technology to ease life and improve energy efficiency through the new 3^rd generation air conditioning system that caters to all building types”.

“Unlike the conventional system composed of inverter and fixed compressors where one compressor operates longer than the other resulting in one compressor wearing down faster; the DVMS air conditioning systems ensures better stability than conventional air cooling systems, fitted with the DSI (Dual Smart Inverter) the system automatically responds to subtle indoor load changes, which allows you to save on energy costs”, said Ngeru.

Apart from the dual inverter compressors and an upgraded vapor injection system which surpasses the performance of previous versions of the system, Samsung’s new 3rd generation technology comes with the Dual Smart Inverter that runs the compressors simultaneously ensuring balanced oil distribution, quicker cooling, heating and better energy efficiency.

The upgraded vapor injection system within the compressor increases the refrigerant flow rate by 20% compared to the conventional products; using refrigerant cooling system, DVM S ensures better stability than conventional air conditioning systems.

The event concluded with a raffle draw where Eriaku Martin of Unikool Technical services won a 32” LED TV. 

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Joel Lonjamae, 28 from myghos Greek Tervana and lounge Kololo emerged Kampala’s Master Bartenderat UBL’s training program, Master Bar Academy (MBA) event held at Serena Hotel Kampala yesterday attracted up to thirty bartenders who had made it to the final round. The winner was awarded a $1,000 (US dollars) cash prize, an iPad loaded with exclusive cocktail apps, and title of Master Bartender.

Speaking to the media, excited Joel said, “I am so happy that I have won. The program has been transparent and fair. Winning the title of Master Bartender 2014, has so far been the highlight of my career. I intend to invest the $1000 I have won into my small shop in Seeta. I am thankful to UBL for the opportunity to expand my knowledge of serving experiences and I encourage my fellow bartenders to enroll into the program when the opportunity arises to upgrade their skills. I now understand what the perfect serve and a perfect balance. With this knowledge I hope to serve more interesting drinks like Cosmopolitan cocktail to my clients.”

MBA is Africa’s largest bartender training programme, sponsored by the world’s No. 1 selling premium spirit– Smirnoff Vodka, run by Uganda Breweries Limited(UBL)with support from Diageo UK and facilitating instructors from South Africa.UBL established this program to up-skill bartenders in Uganda and in-turn deliver better drinking experiences to its consumers. Consumer demands are dynamic and people are on the lookout for new, more exciting and better drinking experiences. The MBA aims to raise the bar behind the bar.

According to Mark Barrett, Spirits Capability Manager – Diageo Africa, “To date we have trained more than 600 bartenders in Uganda in the last few years. We expect to finish off this round of training with a further 300. UBL & Diageo are committed to promoting responsible drinking and this course is an excellent way of teaching the people that serve our brands to consumers; the bartenders.”

“We at UBL are committed to developing bartender capabilities through raising the standard in the bartender profession, as a guarantee to deliver much better drinking experiences to our consumers. Uganda Breweries is set to train over 300 more bar staff in 11 MBA 101 training sessions starting 18th March. The cycle will then be repeated in the search for Uganda’s next Master Bar tender.” Says Emmy Hashakimana, Customer marketing manager UBL

The winning bartender leaves with an MBA iPad loaded with exclusive cocktail apps, $1000 (US dollars), the MBA winner’s certificate and the title of Master Bartender Uganda.

All the MBA 303 finalists receive an exclusive MBA shirt, sweat band, MBA towel and a MBA certificate. The top 5 receive all of the above plus a special cocktail kit.

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Unilever Uganda Limited has today officially announced the winners of the “Blue Band Schools’ Puzzle Challenge”. Making the announcement today was the Minister of State for Primary education Hon. Bataringayawho lauded the efforts by Unilever and Blueband of enriching children’s and parent’s knowledge on proper nutrition which is essential for healthier families.

The objective of the Blue Band’s puzzle challenge campaign was to educate consumers and children on optimal nutrition, as well as the importance of spreading Blue Band on every slice of bread as it contains fats and vitamins that kids need to grow.

A unique 500 piece puzzle entirely devoted to nutrition was distributed to over 700 schools countrywide. Schools competed to complete the highest number of puzzles through their students collecting puzzle tokens which were made available under the label lid of special promotional packs of Blue Band for parents to purchase.  Each child was also issued with an information booklet with the brand’s call to action and nutritional information.

Speaking at the grand finale Country ManagerPeter Muchiri said: “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 challenge was developed to make learning an interactive and enjoyable experience for students utilizing the puzzle as a way for students to talk to other students, their parents, and teachers about proper nutrition and continue the dialogue about healthy eating.”

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Primary education Hon. Bataringaya commended Unilever for its efforts to raise awareness about nutrition and in 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 experiences to make their own healthy choices.”

The campaign was also championed by celebrity mom and radio personality Keturah Kamugasawho added: “The importance of teaching our children and giving them energy cannot be understated, in terms of both the quality of what they eat and nutrition level. I am happy to see Blue Band engage with parents, students and schools in such an imaginative way.”

The National Grand Prize of a 37- seater school bus was awarded to KitantePriamry School in Kampala. This is a government aided school in Kampala City and emerged as the best school country wide having a total of 29900 tokens.

The grand student prize for the top 2 students nationally went to Kakoza Hilary from Kitante primary school with 20392 tokens and AseaRamandan from Future Foundation primary school with 14264 tokens collected winning a fantastic all expenses paid trip to the world famous Disneyland in California.

In addition, the national campaign awarded the top 3 schools per region that have the highest number of completed puzzles by supporting a school project.

1.      1^stPrize – School project worth 9M UGS:

·         Central-City Parents Primary School

·         North- Future Foundation Primary School

·         East-Lifeway Primary School

·         West- Mbarara Municipal Primary School

2.      2^ndPrize – School project worth  6M UGS:

·         Central- Kampala Parents Primary School

·         North- V.H Public School

·         East- Dawn Primary School

·         West-Homecare Preparatory School

3.      3^rd Prize – School project worth 3M UGS:

·         Central- Mirembe Junior Primary School

·         North- Pece Primary School

·         East- Victoria Nile Primary School

·         West- St. Jude Primary School

Encouraging participation the top 3 kids per region whobring in the highest number of puzzle tokens to their schools will receive a voucher put towards their school fees.

1.      1^stPrize – School Fees Voucher worth  900,000 UGS

·         Central- Zalwango Melody

·         North-Apili Rachel

·         East-Ulolo Gideon

·         West- Winnie Cynthia

2.      2^ndPrize – Schools Fees Voucher worth 600,000 UGS

·         Central- StanoRino

·         North-DriwaruJacline

·         East-Sooma Mercy

·         West- MushabeHanning

3.      3^rd Prize – School Fees Voucher worth 300,000 UGS:

·         Central-Muhumuza Arnold

·         North- Primer Vivian Daphne

·         East-Nadiah Mohamed

·         West- Asiimwe Mercy

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

1.      1^st Prize –  1M UGS:

·         Central- Mathew Ekabu

·         East- Obusa Bill Ivan

·         West- Okello vigil

·         North- Abdul RazakJuma

2.      2^nd Prize – 800,000 UGS

·         Central- Kalyemenya David

·         East-OdworiBorniface

·         West-Atwiine John

·         North- Keneth

3.      3^rd Prize – 500,000 UGS:

·         Central- Agaba Vincent

·         East-Igumbastephan

·         West-Tumwiine Joseph

·         North- Aciro Christine Olanya

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

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Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, continues to solidify its position as one of the world’s leading and most admired air cargo carriers, after it added a further two prestigious accolades to its list of industry awards this past week. 

At the annual Air Cargo World Awards that was held in Los Angeles earlier this week, Emirates SkyCargo won the Diamond Award, which is the top award given in a category. Emirates SkyCargo came out tops in the category for carriers who move 800 000 tonnes or more of cargo per annum. 

The awards are based on Air Cargo World’s Air Cargo Excellence Survey, which measures carriers and airports on specific criteria and ranks them to identify above or below average performances. Airline winners are determined by freight forwarders who rate cargo carriers on customer service, performance, value and information technology. 

Emirates SkyCargo was also named ‘Cargo Airline of the Year 2014’, at the Air Transport News Awards held in Istanbul, Turkey. Finalists were determined from more than 4000 votes by Air Transport News readers, and an international panel of cargo industry experts selected the winners in the various categories. 

“Our focus is not to be the biggest, but the best. That is why we invest in the latest aircraft, product development, facilities and the training and development of our people. Winning these prestigious awards is gratifying because it is recognition by our customers and peers for all our efforts. We will continue to work hard on delivering consistently good service to our customers, and we thank them for their support,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

Earlier this year, Emirates SkyCargo was awarded the ‘International Cargo Airline of the Year’ by STAT Trade Media Group at the Air Cargo India 2014 Awards and was also voted the ‘Top Cargo Handling Airline of Cochin 2013’ by the Customs Department at the International Customs Day Celebration held in Kochi.

Emirates SkyCargo has a fleet of 12 freighters, 10 Boeing 777Fs and two Boeing 747-400ERFs, which provide cargo services to 46 destinations around the world.

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Picture caption: (From left to right) Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo, Steve Prince, Publisher Air Cargo World, and Pradeep Kumar, Emi

rates Senior Vice President Cargo Revenue Optimisation and Systems, at the Air Cargo World Awards held in Los Angeles.

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At the “Together We Can” Women’s Day Concert last Saturday (8^th March, 2014) evening at Garden City Rooftop, Airtel awarded Uganda’s top six women of substance. These are the women who have showed and had an impact on our society. The awards were based on an online voting process where people had to vote for the woman they think deserved to win the award.

The concert being headlined by Jamaican songstress Nyanda of the Brick & Lace group and top Uganda female musicianssaw a massive turnout of people.

Although, the Airtel Women of Substance Awards was previously being held by Warid Telecom which merged with Airtel last year, the Third Annual Women of Substance awards did not disappoint at all.

The Winners

The Nabagereka (queen) of Buganda Sylvia Nagginda was awarded the Mentor of the year award.

Kampala City Council Authority’s Jennifer Musisi was awarded the Public Service award for her efforts in revamping the city.

Juliana Kanyomozi won the Music award.

Uganda’s chess sessionPhionaMutesireceived the Sports woman of the year award.

The ever funny Anne Kansiime won the Arts and Culture award.

In the field of media, SiimaSabitti came on top of her compatriots.

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…Buying a movie ticket has become as easy as loading airtime…

Airtel Uganda todayannounced a new & richer platform for mobile money customers to enjoy.  The company made added a new feature to theirrevamped mobile money platform which includes being able to buy movie tickets by use of Airtel Money thus building on Airtel’s priorities to continually improve the consumer experience and to be Uganda’s most loved brand.

In attendance at the launch were representatives from The Hub, Cineplex and Airtel Directors. This comes from a just concluded partnership with DSTV, GoTV, UMEME andNational Water and Sewerage Corporation where Airtel offers to pay a customer’s utility bills for a full year. Representing the managing Director, Mr. Prasoon Lal, the Airtel marketing director said: “Airtel Uganda is excited to bring on board yet another partnership which will not only ease payment for cinema tickets but will also create a platform for mass youth engagement and empowerment in Uganda. With such kind of features, the customer can not only use Airtel Money for Home or business purposes but they can now also be able to pay for movie tickets.”

With the new upgrades to the Airtel Money platforms customers now get wider access through nationwide agents and transact with one single code *185# to send and receive money across networks at the lowest rates and enjoy more services on Airtel Money.

Representing the Hub Entertainment Mrs. Marion Busingye, Director Film Exhibition and Distribution, expressed gratitude for Airtel Uganda for providing a channel through which Cinema payments could be eased and promoting the youth voice in Uganda.

The extensive proficiency of Airtel’s partners in their respective fields has allowed the company to collaborate with some of the best and most respected businesses to bring consumers in the mobile services space a secure environment. Airtel Money customers can experience more new and innovative services and ways to send money to their loved ones.

The platform provides instant services when using your Airtel Money to transfer money at your convenience. The services include;

1.        Send money across networks at the most affordable rates as low as 450/=

2.       Top up airtime, for both self and other Airtel customer and get Bonuses

3.       Pay bills (UMEME, NWSC, Multiplex, URA & all pay TVs – DStv/GoTv, TVNext, StarTimes, ZukuTv, MoTv) instantly and more conveniently.

4.      Withdraw money the easiest & most convenient way, either at an agent point or ATM (Equity Bank, GTB, Interswitch). The agent spread is now wider for your reach.

5.       Mobile Banking – access your bank account now with Equity Bank.

6.      Pay for movie tickets at Cineplex and The Hub (Get one free for every movie ticket bought using Airtel Money)

All this comes with a new friend, guide and confidant that will help you with all your money transfer solutions and that is MR. MONEY. This offer of buying a movie ticket using Airtel Money is valid for Tuesdays at Cineplex and The Hub. 

HUB PARTNERSHIP WITH AIRTEL

CINEPLEX CINEMAS is proud to announce the new partnership with AIRTEL.  The partnership provides the opportunity for both parties to synergise our services and leverage on the commercial application of Airtel Money and other exciting products.  Mobile phone application usage is the fastest growing tool in the service sector worldwide, Uganda inclusive, hence our need to innovate into that area.

The new service which is now active provides Cineplex and Airtel customers with a way to:

1.      Pay for tickets any day of the week using the Airtel Money platform from wherever they are, so from the comfort of your office desk, home, favourite hangout you can now pay for tickets and simply collect on your way in.  No need to rush

2.      Take advantage of the 2 for 1 ticket offers every Wednesday at either Cineplex locations.  The customer pays for 1 ticket and gets the second one free

This is the first of many initiatives we are launching which will benefit both the Cineplex and the Airtel customer.  This year will see us completing our digital upgrade, expanding our programming to include more diverse product, and broaden our service offering, so we are looking at screening key live sports such as the World Cup.

CINEPLEX CINEMAS is the leading cinema exhibitor in Uganda.  We offer the widest variety of movies in Kampala on our 7 screens which are spread across 2 sites Oasis Mall and Garden City.   We screen block buster and independent movies from around the world bringing the best in movie entertainment from Hollywood to Bollywood.  Last year we launched our 3D service at Oasis Mall which means that now customers can have a choice to watch in either 3D or 2D where available.

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• Mr. Bhullar tasked to support further developments in  Airtel Africa’s newest operation
• Former Rwanda MD, Mr. Paluku, now appointed cluster Head of Airtel Money at HQ    

BhartiAirtel (“Airtel”), a leading telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, has announced the appointment of Mr. Teddy R.V.S. Bhullar as Managing Director (MD) of Airtel’s operation in Rwanda. 

Before his appointment, Mr. Bhullar has been the Managing Director for Airtel Sierra Leone since the launch of the Airtel Brand in the country in November 2010 and in Airtel Seychelles prior to that. He is expected to support further developments in the telecoms operator’s newest operation.

The mobile industry has already had a transformative effect on the social and economic development of Sub- Saharan Africa. Despite the astonishing progress of the mobile industry in recent years, the biggest impact of mobile in Africa is yet to come. Mobile solutions are beginning to address a range of social and economic challenges in the region, some examples being healthcare, education and agriculture.

Making the announcement, Airtel Africa CEO, Christian de Faria said:  “With his diverse experience in blue chip organizations and skills, Teddy is a great fit for Rwanda. His drive for results and passion for improving the lives of the people around him makes us all extremely confident that he is best placed to coach the new team at Airtel in Rwanda into the next frontier.”

The new MD brings 32 years of wide-ranging experiences working at Tata Tea Ltd, Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola and Airtel. Mr. Bhullar holds an MBA Degree and has also attended various Leadership programs at CCL in Singapore.

He will succeed Mr. MarcellinPaluku who will now head Airtel Money at a pan-African level for a cluster of Operating Countries. He has successfully led Airtel Rwanda since its inception in 2011, which he managed to launch three months ahead of schedule. Over his tenure in Rwanda, Airtel not only has the best Internet service in the country, but more than 1 million Rwandans have adopted Airtel as their network.

“Airtel Money has had significant growth momentum in the last couple of years. Mr. Paluku is an important addition to the team at the Airtel Africa Headquarters with his practical expertise in developing one of the fastest growing services in Africa and will work with an excellent team.” commented Mr. de Faria.

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MTN Uganda has registered positive performance for the year ending 31 December 2013, increasing its subscriber base by 14.4% to 8.8 million, driven by strong acquisition promotions, segmented offerings and the continued success of MTN Zone according to the MTN Group Results released on 5th, March 2014 in Johannesburg South Africa. MTN continued to show good results in a changing environment.

MTN Group subscribers increased by 9.8% to 207.8 million, notwithstanding on-going subscriber registration programmes in a number of markets. Overall subscriber growth was supported by competitive segmented offerings and improved network quality and capacity in many markets.Revenue for the year increased by 12.0%.

Announcing the results and achievements,the MTN Group President and CEO, Sifiso Dabengwa, attributed this success to increased penetration into rural areas and improved network quality. “MTN Group delivered satisfactory growth in headline earnings, supported by favourable currency movements. The Group faced a number of challenges, including aggressive price competition and increased regulatory pressures in many of our key markets,” he said.

According to the results, total revenue for MTN Uganda increased by 17.9%, supported by a 51.7% increase in data revenue and a 10.9% increase in outgoing voice revenue. SMS revenue declined by 3.5% as customers opted for newer data-driven social media platforms for communication. Data trends were supported by an expanded 3G network, value-added services and enhanced Marketing.

The report indicates that MTN Mobile Money continued to perform well in Uganda and recorded a 47.0% increase in registered subscribers to 5.2 million with more than 25 million transactions per month. Usage was stimulated by a wider mobile payment product range. MTN Uganda’s EBITDA margin declined by 0.5 percentage points to 35.9%, excluding the profit from the sales of towers, mainly because of an increase in network-related and commission costs.

Mr Dabengwa expressed happiness with MTN Group growth in headline earnings, which he said was supported by favourable currency movements despite a number of challenges, including aggressive price competition and increased regulatory pressures in many of MTN’s key markets.

Commenting on the results, MTN Uganda CEO Mazen Mroué said, “I am happy to note that the results continue to show a steady performance for the MTN Group and particularly for MTN Uganda currently with a subscriber base of nearly 9 million customers. MTN Uganda’s focus over last year was to enhance our infrastructure investment towards improved Network Quality, the rollout of innovative Products and Services and improvement of Customer Experience”.

He added that through the consistent positive performance of the company, a focus on investment in Quality of Service, Innovation and Communication, MTN Uganda seeks to provide its customers with the best experience on the market.

Regarding the continued growth of MTN Mobile Money, Mroué said, “MTN Mobile Money remains the fastest growing product in Uganda with 5.2 million registered users each transacting on average six times a month. The popularity and growth of MTN Mobile Money has created more than 100,000 jobs for Ugandans and increased financial inclusion of the unbanked. MTN customers have continued using the Bill payment channels to pay their Electricity and Water bills through MTN Mobile Money. Overall figures indicate that more than 85% of the mobile bill payment collections in Uganda are made through the MTN Mobile Money platform”.

In 2013, MTN Uganda was the first in the market to introduce WiFi Hotspots, 42Mbps and 4G LTE. MTN customers are also able to enjoy 15MB worth of Free Internet every month

MTN’s vision is to lead the delivery of a bold, new Digital World to its customers. As MTN continues to fulfill this promiseit remains committed to continue to improve the lives of Ugandans by consistently fulfilling our promise to provide consistent service and the best customer experience.

“I would like to congratulate the MTN Uganda staff for their contribution and support in achieving these positive results. At MTN we recognize our staff as a key asset in enabling this success. As we move into 2014, our focus will be primarily on Customer Experience as well as ensuring consistent investment in key infrastructure to support the anticipated continued growth,” Mroué concluded.

About MTN Uganda

Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services and Internet Service Provisioning. As of 31 December 2013, MTN Uganda recorded 8.8 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com. Customers can also follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnugandacare for assistance.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 31st December 2013, MTN recorded 207.8 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. More info on www.mtn.com