HiPipo Money

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Re-building of Tororo – Gulu – Pakwach line by RVR gives rail transport option to northern Uganda

Kenyan businesses targeting the South Sudan and eastern DRC market can now transport goods for most of the journey by rail following the re-commissioning of Tororo-Pakwach railway line in northern Uganda.

The 500km railway line from Tororo in the east of the country, through Lira, Gulu and Pakwach in the north was re-commissioned by President Yoweri Museveni at the Gulu Railway Station on 26^th October.

President Museveni commended Rift Valley Railways for rebuilding and reopening the railway that was last in use 20 years ago. The track that had fallen into disrepair, with large sections washed away, destroyed or overgrown with vegetation, was rebuilt at the cost of $2 million over a 10-month period.

Speaking at the ceremony, RVR chairman Ngugi Kiuna, said, “reopening this railway is not only a fulfillment of a promise under our concession agreement; it heralds a new beginning for northern Uganda, one that is teeming with possibilities for the people and economies of Uganda and East Africa”.

Kiuna said a further $15 million will be spent to ballast the line in order to improve the line’s stability and load carrying capacity. A third phase with involve laying new, heavier guage railway tracks, which deliver a step change in cargo transportation capacity.

President Museveni urged local business and large scale farmers to increase their productivity as they now have a railway transport mode to transport their produce.

Mr Kiuna appealed for the government’s help in creating efficiencies right through the freight transport chain including through simpler customs and tax documentation at points of origin and departure and eliminating additional border customs processing which he called an anomaly in the era of a Single Customs Territory.

President Museveni flagged of a train carrying with cement from Bamburi that will be transshipped by road to eastern DRC.

The railway will play an important role in promoting regional integration and trade through working with logistics partners who will provide door-to-door delivery to customers in northern Uganda and neighboring countries. 

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• Fifteen Schools in Western Uganda have been selected and equipped with visual aids
• The company has now equipped 50 MultiChoice Resource Centres in various schools across the country
• E-education models have been tailored to suit the country’s education curriculum through the DStv Education Bouquet

MultiChoice Uganda, the leading pay television in the country, has today launched the MultiChoice Resource Center project in schools in Western Uganda. The programme, a partnership between MultiChoice Uganda and the Ministry of Education will be rolled out in 15 schools in the region. The schools are; Maddox Secondary School, Kyenjojo Secondary School, Kisojo Secondary School, Humura Secondary School, Wekomire Secondary School, Mpanga Parents Secondary School, Rwamwanja Secondary School, Nyakasura Secondary School, Semuliki Secondary School, Rwebisengo Secondary School, St Mary’s Secondary School – Simbya, Kulhe Secondary School, SAAD Memorial Secondary School, Rusekere Secondary School, Nyabuhikye Secondary School.

Speaking at the launch function the General Manager of MultiChoice Uganda Mr. Charles Hamya said “As a company, we have long showed our commitment to the country through 14 years of dedicated visual aid facilitation to the education sector. This has been made possible by our growing partnership with the Ministry of Education without which we would not be able to launch the project here today. It is the belief of both MultiChoice Uganda and the Ministry of Education that the use of Multimedia such as the PVR decoder and TV can play a tremendous role as a catalyst for improved education quality thus encouraging us to expand the program further.” He added “To date, there are over 900 MultiChoice Resource Centers established in over 25 countries in Africa including Uganda’s now 50 MultiChoice Resource Centers.”

In his speech as Guest of Honour, the Assistant Commissioner of Secondary Education – Government, Mr. Baritazale Benson said, “The use of technology in education holds tremendous potential for institutions and students to widen the scope of their knowledge and excel not only in the theory taught in the classroom but also in the practical knowledge. We have been given an opportunity to not only impact on the already existing knowledge that our students have but to also open their minds to all the possibilities and events taking place in the rest of the world.” He continued “The use of modern technology to enhance learning has been used in various countries in the world with remarkable success registered. Our partnership with MultiChoice Uganda has yielded similar results over the years and we are indeed grateful to them and such companies that understand the importance of giving back to communities in which they operate.”

The MultiChoice Resource Center programme which was started in 1999 aims to carve out a path for future generations to prosper through educational content that is relevant to the student’s curriculum. Mr Musoke added, “The strategic partnership between MultiChoice and the Ministry of Education has helped to ensure that our e-education models are relevant to the country’s education curriculum through the DStv Education Bouquet offering. Comprising nine premium and informative television channels, the bouquet combines sound and imagery of television to provide a powerful education media.”

In conclusion Mr. Hamya reiterated that the MRC programme was intended to give back to the Ugandan community that has supported the company over the years, “We are grateful to the people of Western Uganda and Uganda in general who have supported us through the years and allowed us this opportunity to also give back to them in ways we have established will make a positive impact to them for generations to come. The MultiChoice Resource Centre programme is here to stay and our vision is to see all students in the country with access to these visual aids as the future of our country is intrinsically tied to the quality of education that they are exposed to.”

Mr Frank Manyindo, the Headteacher of Nyakasura School expressed gratitude to MultiChoice on behalf of all the schools chosen in the region and emphasised their commitment to exhaustively utilize the programme for the socioeconomic benefit of the  students.

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·         Citadel Capital Managing Director Karim Sadek participated in the opening panel of the EMPEA/FT “Private Equity in Africa” conference to discuss factors driving economic opportunities on the continent and the investment opportunities that they present

Karim Sadek, Managing Director of Citadel Capital (CCAP.CA on the EGX), the leading investment company in Africa and the Middle East with US$ 9.5 billion in investments under control, participated in a panel discussion entitled “Africa’s Economic Promise” at the 2013 EMPEA/FT Private Equity in Africa conference in London.   

 “The World Economic Forum estimates that the GDP of sub-Saharan Africa could increase by 35.7% by 2017 to reach US$ 1.9 trillion. When combined with factors such as a one billion strong consumer market, a large working age population and a commodities boom that is fueling exports, Africa is already attracting unprecedented levels of FDI, said Citadel Capital Managing Director Karim Sadek.

 “Supportive policy makers are also starting to make things easier for investors. Today, governments across the region are opening previously hands-off strategic sectors such as power generation, energy distribution, refining and large transportation projects to private equity investors,” he added. 

Citadel Capital, a pioneer investor in Africa’s infrastructure, is currently in the process of a strategic transformation from a private equity firm into a regional investment holding company focusing on five core industries, including energy, transportation, agrifoods, mining, and cement. As an investment holding company Citadel Capital is focused on a specific set of sectors and themes within its core African geography primarily in North and East Africa. The new holding company structure allows Citadel Capital to pursue longer-term strategies where it can add greater value.

 “Our transformation into an investment holding company and the change in strategy that this entails is particularly well suited to the nature of our current and future investments in Africa,” said Sadek. “As large-scale, long-term investors in Africa’s infrastructure we are now better able to bring in the capital and expertise needed to improve Africa’s competitive advantage in the global economy.”

 The firm’s footprint and emphasis remains unchanged: large-scale investments across Egypt, East Africa and North Africa. Citadel Capital’s investments in Africa not only make sense for firm but also contribute to the economic development of the continent as a whole. 

 “As one of the few large-scale firms actively investing in Africa in industries that are of vital importance to regional governments, we hope to continue receiving widespread regional and international support to deliver on and grow our investments, which help governments tackle pressing national problems. Achieving growth is important, but it must be inclusive growth for a larger portion of the population,” said Sadek.

 Citadel Capital’s African investments include Rift Valley Railways (RVR), the national railway of Kenya and Uganda. As the operator of RVR, Citadel Capital and its co-investors are implementing a turnaround program, which includes an upgrade of operational systems, a rehabilitation of existing assets and the addition of new assets to the fleet.

 RVR recently completed the building of 73 kilometers of new railway track between Mombasa and Nairobi costing US$20 million (KES 1.7 billion [Kenyan Shillings, kshs]) to improve the reliability and speed of cargo delivery by rail from Mombasa. Completion of the railway modernization project has reduced cargo delivery time between Mombasa and Nairobi by six hours through rebuilding the most badly rundown sections, which were responsible for 60% of blockage time on the rail line.

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Air Uganda in conjunction with the leading Mobile Money service provider MTN today introduced a new, fast and convenient mobile money payment option on its billing platform.

The new payment option enables customers to pay for their air tickets using their MTN mobile phones. The move comes as part of Air Uganda’s desire to empower more people to fly by offering better services and easy access to these services. The airline aims at making air travel affordable and accessible to all and hence the introduction of this mobile money payment platform.

The mobile money payment platform is a new addition to other payment platforms provided by Air Uganda to facilitate customers pay for air tickets faster and easier.

Speaking at the unveiling of the mobile Money payment platform the Air Uganda CEO Mr. Cornwell Muleya said: ‘Using MTN Mobile Money, our customers can now pay for air tickets and   fly!  At Air Uganda we want to empower our customers, so we introducing innovative products and technologies to ease the travel experience for the customer. This mobile money platform is easy to use, convenient, reliable and fast. It will save our customers a lot time, since they can now buy tickets from wherever they are.”

Ease of access to Air Uganda’s products and services by customers is part of the Airline’s strategy. The Mobile money payment platform is a great achievement in this direction.   Customers will be able to pay for their tickets without having to physically visit the airline’s sales outlets. The new service is set to revolutionize how Ugandans purchase their air tickets. This service is available to all MTN Mobile money users across the country.

Addressing journalists at the unveiling ceremony MTN Chief Marketing Officer Ernst Fonternel welcomed the partnership with Air Uganda adding that they are a new addition to a number of other stakeholders who have partnered with MTN Mobile Money to deliver convenience to over 8 million customers on the MTN network.

Fonternel said since the launch of  the service five years back, MTN Mobile Money has enjoyed unprecedented success, registering in excess of 28million transactions each month with more than 4.7 million customers active on Mobile Money.

“As per the GSMA 2012 Global Mobile Money adoption survey, MTN Uganda ranks 2nd in the world in the of number of active Mobile Money customer accounts. Today, as we launch this partnership with Air Uganda, I’m hopeful that the Airline’s customers will find MTN Mobile Money an easy, convenient, safe and secure service,” Mr. Fonternel said.

From all indications, the new payment option is not only intended to bring increased operational efficiency and cost effectiveness for the airline, but also greater convenience for the travelling public.

Introducing the platform is a further assurance for consumers that Air Uganda is always one step ahead in ensuring reliability and convenience when serving customers. In recent months the airline has grown its network, introduced new and improved products and improved service standards to match the challenges and growth of the regional aviation industry. Air Uganda remains committed to its goals, which are based on high safety standards, efficacy and reliability. With the introduction of this payment option, Air Uganda has taken another giant stride towards consolidating its position as a leading Ugandan and regional carrier.

About Air Uganda

Air Uganda was founded in 2007 and operates scheduled flights from its Entebbe hub throughout East Africa. The destinations served include Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Juba, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, and Nairobi. The airline recently launched direct flights from Entebbe to Mogadishu on July 8, 2013. Air Uganda operates a homogeneous fleet of 50 seater CRJ 200 aircraft.

Air Uganda is the home based carrier for Uganda and is a member of the Celestair Group, which is owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED).  AKFED is an international development agency dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. AKFED focuses on building enterprises in parts of the world that lack sufficient foreign direct investment.

AKFED is in turn part of the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of development agencies with mandates that include the environment, health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalization of historic

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 30 June 2013, MTN Uganda recorded 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 30 June 2013, MTN recorded 201.5 million subscribers across 22 countries. Visit us at www.mtn.com .

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Tusker Project Fame season 6 returned back to our screens on Sunday Night in a revamped and interactive format as the best musical talent from across East Africa that shall be battling out for the UGX 150million were unveiled. Uganda has 4 contestants in the TPF 6 academy this time round – Sitenda Kisakye, Derrick Kojjo, Daisy Ejang and the Undercover Bothers duo of Mulungi and Kirya. They shall be battling out with 11 other contestants from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan. The judges this year are Ian Mbugua from Kenya, Juliana Kanyomozi from Ugandan and Hermes from Tanzania. The show also has a new host in Joey Muthengi from Kenya who shall be co-hosting alongside the seasoned Dr. Mitch Egwang from Tanzania. The first nomination show shall be on Sunday 20th October, 2013 with the at least 4 contestants being put on probation. This year, the voting process has been changed with every country having a block vote and this will make the competition even tougher.

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Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, announced its official sponsorship of UGS 200,000,000 for the MTN for the annual Marathon 2013 themed “Run for Water”. A team comprising the company’s management and staff will also run in the marathon.

 “We highly appreciate MTN for creating such an excellent platform for responsible enterprises operating in Uganda to participate, and to share the opportunity to do something meaningful for the Ugandan people- giving back to the local communities,” Said Radoslaw Kedzia, Managing Director of Huawei in Uganda. “The marathon’s theme for this year Run for Water is in line with the 7^th Millennium Development goal of Ensuring environmental sustainability with water being a key challenge in most African countries.” He added.

A member of the UN Global compact, Huawei will be participating in the MTN marathon for the second time after last year under the theme Run for life where the company contributed UGS 168,000,000.  Proceeds from last year’s marathon went towards the provision of clean water and the rehabilitation of water sources for the re-located Bududa Landslide victims in Kiryandongo re-settlement camp.

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Organized by Vision Group, Pakasa Forum is scheduled to take place on October26 at Kampala Parents Auditorium from 9.00am to 1pm; and will be addressed by a first class panel, with a wealth of experience.

Given the rate of unemployment in Uganda, this forum will definitely be useful equipping young people with knowledge and information concerning opportunities in our economy and how they can explore them to earn a living.

 It will be addressed by prominent Ugandans who according to Vision Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert Kabushenga, “who know where opportunities for earning a living are and explain them to the general public.”

The Pakasa Forum panel includes Amama Mbabazi, the Prime Minister of Uganda; Phillip Odera, Managing Director (MD), Stanbic Bank; Richard Byarugaba, the MD, National Social Security Fund (NSSF); Mazen Mroué, the CEO, MTN Uganda; Jennifer Musisi, the Executive Director, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Bruce Robertson, South African producer dealer (Cotton and Simsim) in Uganda and Marino, a young wrought iron fabricator.

The forum is as diverse as it is experienced in different fields of human endeavor. Take a look at Hon. Amama Mbabazi for example. He is prominent lawyer and one of the most successful politicians in this country. If anyone should explain opportunities in the economy, then it is him.

The other interesting figure is Jennifer Musisi, the Executive Director of KCCA. Jennifer is known by many for being practical and transformational. Over such a short period of time, she has managed to score visible successes in the city.

No objective eye can skip MTN’s Mazen Mroue, one of the most successful Africans in the field of telecommunications. He is widely respected and has scored success over the years in Ghana, Liberia and now Uganda.

In all, this is a first class panel that should be able to unveil useful knowledge to Ugandans, especially the young ones who want to have an economic breakthrough.

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Organized by Vision Group, Pakasa Forum is scheduled to take place on October26 at Kampala Parents Auditorium from 9.00am to 1pm; and will be addressed by a first class panel, with a wealth of experience.

Given the rate of unemployment in Uganda, this forum will definitely be useful equipping young people with knowledge and information concerning opportunities in our economy and how they can explore them to earn a living.

 It will be addressed by prominent Ugandans who according to Vision Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert Kabushenga, “who know where opportunities for earning a living are and explain them to the general public.”

The Pakasa Forum panel includes Amama Mbabazi, the Prime Minister of Uganda; Phillip Odera, Managing Director (MD), Stanbic Bank; Richard Byarugaba, the MD, National Social Security Fund (NSSF); Mazen Mroué, the CEO, MTN Uganda; Jennifer Musisi, the Executive Director, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Bruce Robertson, South African producer dealer (Cotton and Simsim) in Uganda and Marino, a young wrought iron fabricator.

The forum is as diverse as it is experienced in different fields of human endeavor. Take a look at Hon. Amama Mbabazi for example. He is prominent lawyer and one of the most successful politicians in this country. If anyone should explain opportunities in the economy, then it is him.

The other interesting figure is Jennifer Musisi, the Executive Director of KCCA. Jennifer is known by many for being practical and transformational. Over such a short period of time, she has managed to score visible successes in the city.

No objective eye can skip MTN’s Mazen Mroue, one of the most successful Africans in the field of telecommunications. He is widely respected and has scored success over the years in Ghana, Liberia and now Uganda.

In all, this is a first class panel that should be able to unveil useful knowledge to Ugandans, especially the young ones who want to have an economic breakthrough.

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The GUINNESS FOOTBALL MANAGER game that is giving football lovers the chance to ‘Be the Boss’ of their own fantasy football team has unveiled  Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero as Roberto Di Matteo’s Player Made of More for week 9 of the English Premier League.

Making the announcement, Roberto Di Matteo said, “Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero had a terrific match against West Ham at the weekend, scoring the first goal after 16 minutes with just the keeper to beat, before grabbing a second just after half time.  On another day he could have had a hat-trick!  For this performance and for helping to move City back into the top four, Sergio Aguero is the Roberto Di Matteo Player Made of More for week 9 and any managers with him in their team earn extra points.” 

The Player Made of More is the player picked weekly by Roberto Di Matteo who, in his opinion, has stepped up and delivered a bold performance in one of the games over the last week. In addition, anyone playing the Guinness Football Manager game and who has this player in their team will be awarded extra points.

Guinness Uganda will be awarding the top Managers for the month of September this week with Manager of the Month getting UGX 1.5million and a DSTV Walka 7. Managers of the week will get a DSTV Walka 3.5 and a crate of Guinness to share with friends.

The Guinness Football Manager is a free to play, fantasy football league like no other – you pick the team, you call the shots, you get the glory!  There are great prizes to be won, weekly and monthly and all you need to do to play is sign up to GUINNESS VIP at m.guinnessvip.com select your fantasy team and show us what you’re made of!

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Dr. Charles Mbire receiving the Pearl of Africa Lifetime Achievers Award 2013 from Prime Minister Hon. Amama Mbabazi.   Right is General Pecos Kuteesa and   extreme left is Mr. Bonny Katatumba, Chairman of Pearls of Africa Lifetime Achievement Awards Committee.

MTN Chairman Dr. Charles Mbire has been honoured with an Award as the most Respected and Inspiring Business Leader in Uganda in the Pearl of Africa Lifetime Achievement Award 2013. The ceremony which took place at Imperial Royal Hotel Kampala was presided over by the Prime Minister of Uganda Hon. Amama Mbabazi.

Dr. Mbire’s name is synonymous with successful businesses in Uganda including MTN Uganda.

Dr. Charles Mbire remained a consistent, astute and honest businessman, entrepreneur and industrialist in Uganda. He is reported to be the wealthiest indigenous Ugandan, with an estimated net worth in excess of US$65 million, as of December 2008

Mbire traces his origins to Mparo, Kabale District, in southwestern Uganda. He studied business and economics and graduated with Honors from Essex University in England. He went on to obtain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Leicester University, also in the United Kingdom. His investments range from telecommunications, finance, energy, real estate, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness and transportation.