HiPipo Money

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Airtel Uganda thrilled music fans in Uganda with a Women’s day concert that was headlined by top Nigerian artist Tiwa Savage. The concert which was held at Kati-Kati Grounds, Lugogo also featured a lineup of top female artistes including; Rema, Irene Ntale, Cindy, Sheebah, Keko, Lillian Mbabazi as well as Airtel Uganda Trace Music Star winner Sandra Suubi.

Airtel Uganda has become associated to Women’s Day celebrations in Uganda. In 2014, the telecom company sponsored the “Ugandan Women of Substance” 2014 Awards ceremony that featured Jamaican artist Nyanda as the main act.

According to Airtel Uganda Brand Assets and Properties Manager, Noella Byuma, “Airtel Uganda realizes the importance of the woman in everyone’s life. By being part of this concert, Airtel Uganda joined the rest of the world to pay respect to the women who have in one way or another, positively influenced our lives.”

“Airtel Uganda will continue to be committed to supporting and recognizing women in Uganda who have made a significant contribution to society through sports, music, public service, arts & culture and media,” she added.

Tiwa Savage is a Nigerian singer-songwriter, recording artist, performer and actress, currently signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Mavin Records. Born on February 5, 1980 in Nigeria, Tiwa relocated to London where she studied and later to the United States where she began her music career as a background singer for artists such as Mary J. Blige, Sting, George Michael, Kelly Clarkson and Spice Girls.

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M-Net has put on hold plans to shut down Maisha Magic in March and extended the viewing of the channel to the end of May this year.  Viewers have now been assured that they will still enjoy their favourite shows as arrangements are being made on a smooth transition as well as a natural closure to some of the channel’s already on-air shows.

Maisha Magic now broadcasting on Channel 161 on DStv, was initially set for termination end of March 2015 due to inability to achieve the required ratings. According to M-Net Sub Sahara Africa CEO Patricia Van Rooyen, the business decision was taken after much deliberation following an assessment of the channel’s performance.

Among shows currently on air on Maisha Magic include popular comedy shows Don’t mess with Kansiime, Mr and Mr’s Singh and Mazagazaga. Others are music reality TV show  Maisha Superstar, Tujuane Plus and drama shows such as Rush and Deception. Veve, an original Kenyan film which won Best Indigenous Movie Swahili category in this year’s AMVCA awards, premiered on the channel in November last year.

While confirming its commitment to the East African region, M-Net has now pledged to utilize its resources towards revitalizing and improving the content on the remaining Maisha Magic Swahili channel, which is on both GOtv and DStv,  to make it more entertaining and appealing to viewers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

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Johannesburg – MTN Group today announced the appointment of Omotayo Ojutalayo as General Manager for Small and Medium Enterprise Channels within its Enterprise Business Unit, effective immediately.

Ojutalayo joins from MTN Nigeria, where she was a senior manager responsible for the SME customer segment. With the appointment, MTN aims to ensure greater focus on the SME segment at a Group level.

“Small and medium enterprises are a key segment of our customers. We recognise the important role which they play in the local economies of our markets. Thus, we believe that MTN has an opportunity to further aid development in the countries where we operate, by using technology to enable SMEs to grow. This is in line with our purpose to enable and inspire the growth of enterprises in emerging markets. Through the development of this new area, we will ensure there is greater focus on the technology needs of SMEs,” says Mteto Nyati, MTN Group Chief Enterprise Officer.

Nyati says Ojutalayo brings valuable experience and skills to her new role. “As an internal appointment, Ojutalayo is well versed on our business. She has also been working in our Nigerian operation for over four years, with a special focus on the SME segment.”

Ojutalayo has extensive experience in sales and business development, and holds an MBA degree from the University of Lagos.

She will oversee MTN’s strategic and go-to-market approach for the SME customer segment. Ojutalayo will work closely with enterprise business counterparts in MTN’s operations to provide support and ensure successful implementation of the SME value propositions.

Ojutalayo’s appointment follows other key appointments within MTN’s Enterprise Business Unit in recent months, aimed at better addressing the needs of enterprise customers.

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 31 December 2014, MTN recorded 223,4 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.mtnbusiness.com, www.mtn.com and www.mtnmmo.com

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Collaborative effort between ASEC Engineering and the American University in Cairo’s Engineering and Science Services Department offers students professional training and degrees in highly specialized fields in Cement engineering and management.

Under the auspices of ASEC Engineering, an engineering services subsidiary of Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Exchange; formerly Citadel Capital), the American University in Cairo (AUC) hosted on Tuesday, 3 March 2015, the graduation ceremony of the first round of recipients of the university’s inaugural Professional Diploma for the Cement Industry with a specialization in Mechanical Maintenance.

The program offered by AUC’s Engineering and Science Services Department —which was launched this term and whose syllabus was developed in cooperation with ASEC Engineering’s ASEC Training Center—offers a comprehensive academic and practical education in the field of Cement engineering and management and is comprised of three specializations: Specialized Maintenance for Cement plants, Operation & Production Engineering, and Testing & Quality Control.

The degree includes six academic modules, each consisting of 45 credit hour online courses, affording students the ability to pursue their academic aspirations while maintaining their regular employment schedules.

Attending the ceremony will be a number of top-level managers from both Qalaa Holdings and ASEC Holding, including Eng. Khaled El-Sebaie, Chairman of ASEC Engineering, in addition to senior administrators at the university’s Engineering and Science Services Department, such as department’s head, Dr. Mahmoud Farag. 

Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Stock Exchange) is an African leader in infrastructure and industry. Formerly known as Citadel Capital, Qalaa Holdings controls subsidiaries in core industries including Energy, Cement, Agrifoods, Transportation & Logistics, and Mining. To learn more, please visit qalaaholdings.com.

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One-year contract is renewable for a five-year term, follows on heels of successful entry to Mozambique market

ASEC Engineering and Management, the leading cement plant O&M service provider in Egypt and the MENA region, has signed a contract with Ethiopia’s National Cement Share Company to provide full technical assistance for the operation and maintenance of a cement plant with a production capacity of one million tons of clinker per annum. The plant is located in the city of Dire Dawa in Ethiopia, 450 km east of the capital Addis Ababa.

National Cement Share Company is one of the largest producers of cement in Ethiopia.

The objective of the contract is for ASEC Engineering to utilize its knowhow and expertise to assist National Cement Share Company to increase production volumes, reduce production costs, and improve product quality. ASEC Engineering will also introduce and implement systems for all aspects of production, quality, maintenance, warehousing and human resources, among other areas. ASEC Engineering’s scope of work will cover extensive training for Ethiopian staff through the prestigious ASEC Academy training programs and courses.

The one-year contract is renewable for an additional five-year period.

In addition to other regional contracts, ASEC Engineering operates and maintains 10 cement production lines across 7 Egyptian plants representing c. 25% of total cement production in the country

“This contract with National Cement Share Company is a result of the continued efforts of ASEC Engineering and its ambitious plans to expand its business into Sub-Saharan Africa after its successful contract with Cimento Nacional Company in Mozambique,” said ASEC Engineering CEO Khaled El Sebaie.

ASEC Engineering is a subsidiary of ASEC Holding, a business unit of Qalaa Holdings. 

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Justice Christopher Madrama has dismissed with costs the case in which Haji Nasser Ssebagala sued MTN for using his speech as ringtone. In a judgement read before a parked court in Kampala today, the Judge ruled that Sebagala was not the author of the recording and therefore could not claim ownership of it. He added that SMS Media took the recording, modified it into the ringtone before selling it to MTN Uganda.

Justice Madrama further ruled that Sebagala gave the speech for public consumption and since it was not a private speech he cannot claim there is any breech when it’s given to the public for whom it was meant to go to.

 The judge concluded that if all politicians, celebrities and public figures were to claim copyright in all their speech and addresses to the public, the courts of law would be overwhelmed with cases.

MTN Lawyer John Bosco Ssempijja who represented the defendant in court welcomed the judgement saying it touches on a new matter which had not been determined before in Ugandan courts.

“This also goes to show that when people innovate and put effort into their work, that work is protected by court and that will encourage more innovation in the sector. MTN being a leader in IT innovation, We shall continue to support such innovations”.

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MTN Uganda continues its Leadership, Investment and Contribution to the socio-economic development of Uganda”.

MTN Uganda had a great achievements despite the few challenges that team faced as we close 2014. “As MTN Group, we are one of the biggest 5 operations in the world, the only one that has operated for 15 years in Uganda with the same name.” said Brian Gouldie.

 “Our data platform stabilized, we reported no failures by customers to use mobile money during the much anticipated high traffic Christmas season.” He added this morning during a press brief at the MTN Towers.

MTN Uganda today boosts of 10.4 million subscribers. Its market share increased by 56.8% and the revenue increased by 6.8% for the year of 2014. Data and mobile money were the main contributors to this growth, as voice services’ competition keeps growing with new players coming in.

MTN Uganda has at least 3.2 active mobile money subscribers, this is a great milestone as the struggle to embrace financial inclusion continues.

Over 3.4 million users consume MTN data regularly, with 30% (700,000) making use of 3G data and the rest are still on 2G. MTN is taking a major responsibility to increase 3G usage, and improve quality of service. In 2014 alone, MTN invested at least 146 billion shillings to improve its network and quality of service. The telecom giant is still investing in 2G technology, MTN at least spent 26 billion UGX in 2G technology maintenance and improvement in order to serve a national role.

Yesterday, MTN Uganda announced the Group Performance Report that highlighted the key achievements of the MTN Group and MTN Uganda results for the year ended 2014.

For over 16 years, MTN has consistently invested in the future potential of Uganda. The investment has transcended across the network and its accompanying infrastructure, employment, the brand, business and entrepreneurship as well as continued investment in communities across Uganda. MTN’s ownership has also remained consistent over this period which has created stability and affirms our commitment to Uganda.

We are happy to report that we were able to achieve a 100% roll out of 157 2G sites and 140 co-located 3G sites. MTN Uganda invested to the tune of over 94 billion shillings in its network infrastructure, with the primary objective of increasing access to data in Uganda coupled with increased access to affordable 3G handsets to facilitate a steady migration from 2G to 3G technology, for a richer customer experience. 

MTN Uganda registered a positive performance for the year ending 31 December 2014, increasing its subscriber base by 18% to 10.4 million. This increase was driven by a growth in the uptake of bundled voice products, improved 3G coverage and an increased take up of MTN Mobile Money. Total revenue increased by 6, 8%, supported by a 36, 6% increase in data revenue. By year end, data contributed 9% to total revenue. MTN Mobile Money continued to perform well and recorded a 40, 9% increase in registered subscribers to 7, 3 million.  Mobile Money usage was stimulated by a wider mobile payment product range and a new enhanced technology platform.

MTN Uganda also took a bold step and partnered with Ericsson to invest over 14 billion Uganda shillings in the implementation of the biggest financial system migration project in Uganda. The primary objective of this project was to improve Customer experience and ensure the stability and security of the Mobile Money financial service for all Ugandans. This fuelled the increase in our Mobile Money subscriber base which resulted in Mobile Money revenues becoming our 2nd biggest revenue stream.

In line with our commitment to providing value driven solutions to our customers, MTN partnered with Jubilee Insurance to provide much needed life insurance, at affordable rates, to ordinary Ugandans through the MTN Life care insurance offer.

We were also able to open 17 fully kitted Service Centres and Connect Stores which we believe will bring our full complement of services closer to communities across Uganda. In our effort to extend our reach and make it convenient for Ugandan’s to access our services, MTN and its partners operates 16 Connect Stores that offer similar services to those offered in MTN Service Centres.

In addition, we have invested in a mobile service centre with the primary intent of reaching more customers in remote areas. We have also contracted over 122 Retail outlets to distribute MTN products and services, in line with the intent to increase access to our offering. With the largest 24/7/365 Customer contact centre, with over 500 staff, speaking in more than 7 languages; MTN is dedicated to ensuring that our customers’ queries are resolved in the shortest time possible.

In partnership with the UCC, MTN Uganda took the lead and implemented the first ever Content Management and Billing solution to empower customers to block or unsubscribe spam messages through a Do-Not-Disturb service using the short code *196#. This has resulted in an improved overall customer experience.

In addition MTN has implemented the UCC directive to harmonise its Short Codes to *130* and *131#.  This harmonisation process will take several months with the old codes continuing to be in operation, whilst MTN embarks on an intensive and nationwide customer education campaign aimed at ensuring that all its customers are aware of the changes and do not have their services disrupted whilst this migration happens.

MTN continued to meet its annual financial obligations to the Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF), an initiative of the UCC that is aimed at the digitisation of rural Uganda.

MTN Uganda has continuously complied with its tax obligations, winning several awards over the years from the Uganda Revenue Authority, as the largest revenue contributor in the country. In addition MTN Uganda is also committed to corporate governance and high ethical standards with a zero tolerance policy towards fraud and corruption.

In 2015, MTN Uganda will continue to take its leadership seriously and leverage the MTN Group resources and capabilities to benefit Uganda. This will enable us to continue to invest in the best network infrastructure and systems, enabling a world class customer experience for our customers.

Our key focus areas in 2015 will be:

• Enabling increased access to Data services through the continued investment in the 3G network
• Driving increased financial inclusion through a seamless and secure Mobile Money experience
• The introduction of affordable 3G devices to enrich our customers mobile experience 
• Developing deeper and more meaningful partnerships with SMEs
• Enabling increased access to digital platforms to facilitate self-service
• Continue to care for Communities through our CSR initiatives

MTN Uganda is committed to Uganda, enriching the lives of its people and its continued development in line with our Brand promise to deliver a bold new digital world to Uganda.

In other developments, Brian Gouldie briefed the press about the recent UCC statement that fined MTN Uganda to a tune of 5 Billion Uganda shillings, saying “We have been in negotiations with the regulator (UCC) since 2007 and in all the discussions we talked about harmonization of the short codes to 130 and 131 and our stand has always been that our customers come first and changing the codes would affect customer experience,”.

“They had allowed us to continue with the codes but when we wrote to them on February 3, 2015 requesting for a meeting in regards to the same, UCC postponed all meetings with MTN indefinitely pending our reaction to instantly implement the new short codes. We request for a very constructive relationship between the leading operator (MTN Uganda) and the Regulator (UCC).” Brian added.

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MTN Group Results

MTN Group Revenue grew by 6.4% in the year. This was largely the result of an increase of 12, 1% in MTN Nigeria’s revenue and a decline of 3, 9% in MTN South Africa’s revenue. Data revenue increased by 33, 2% in the year, to contribute

18, 7% to total revenue at year end.

Announcing the results and achievements, the MTN Group President and CEO, Sifiso Dabengwa, attributed this success to non-voice revenue, driven by various data initiatives, including the Mobile Money offering, across key markets. “MTN made good progress in transforming our operating model, particularly in reducing costs and monetizing assets”. The Group faced a number of challenges, including aggressive price competition, increased regulatory requirements and pressure on consumer expenditure. The sharp decline in the oil price in the second half of the year had a marked impact on the economies and exchange rates of a number of African and Middle Eastern countries” he said.

MTN Uganda Results

MTN Uganda registered a positive performance for the year ending 31 December 2014, increasing its subscriber base by 18% to 10.4 million. This increase was driven by a growth in the uptake of bundled voice products, improved 3G coverage and an increased take up of MTN Mobile Money.

Total revenue increased by 6, 8%, supported by a 36, 6% increase in data revenue. By year end, data contributed 9% to total revenue.

MTN Mobile Money continued to perform well and recorded a 40, 9% increase in registered subscribers to 7, 3 million. Usage was stimulated by a wider mobile payment product range and a new enhanced technology platform.

MTN Uganda’s EBITDA margin increased by 3, 3 percentage points to 39, 2% thanks to strong cost control and improved revenue performance.

Capex in the year amounted to 143 billion shillings, with 157 new 2G sites and 140 co-located 3G sites rolled out, improving quality and capacity on the network.

Commenting on the results, MTN Uganda CEO Brian Gouldie said, “This performance was achieved as a result of a key focus on strategic elements of our business; in particular our new Mobile Money upgrade, stabilisation of our Data platform and the launch of new and exciting voice propositions which will remain the cornerstone of our revenue. We remain the leading telecommunications operator in Uganda and the extent of Capex investment of 143bn shillings is testimony to that. Our quality of service was the most improved in the industry which has supported our 6.8% revenue growth”.

 “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 2015, our focus will primarily be on the continued emphasis on Customer Experience as well as ensuring consistent investment in key infrastructure to support the continued growth of MTN in Uganda,” Gouldie concluded.

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45 year old Lazarus Okoth, resident of Sesera-Maundo village in the outskirt of Nagongera Township, Tororo district could not hide his happiness. Okoth who last year emerged as one of the 10 million winners in the on-going MTN Kaja initiative has invested the money for the good of his family.

When a team of MTN officials visited Okoth to assess the impact of the win in his life, Okoth proudly showed a two acre piece of land, a residential house nearing completion in his village and a pork joint business in Nagongera town.

“I will forever remain grateful to MTN for this opportunity that God bestowed in my life. How else was I going to achieve all these in such a short time? I entered this game not knowing how it would end but see me today. I’m testimony to the fact that a company like MTN can change ordinary lives through meaningful initiatives such as MTN Kaja” Okoth said.

Prior to his win, Okoth says he lived an ordinary life of a peasant, tilling his small piece of land at his village. However, he now testifies that with the acquisition of the additional acres of land, he is going to start producing food for the market.

While sharing MTN branded gifts with a group of Boda-Boda men in Nagongera town, Okoth who now enjoys a near celebrity status; appealed to residents of his area to embrace MTN and experience the value its services offer, adding that his win is testimony to the fact that MTN has the potential to change its customers lives for good.

MTN Uganda in partnership with SMS2bet is running an exciting lottery game named MTN Kaja where customers who subscribe are entered into a daily draw to win up to Ushs. 40 million or several other cash and airtime prizes.

MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer Ms. Mapula Bodibe reminded customers that under the Kaja promotion, the brand has staked millions of shillings for customers to win on daily a basis.

She advised customers to follow the mechanics and enter the promotion by dialing *178# and selecting “subscribe” to get entered into the daily draws and stand a chance of winning. Customers participating in this promotion are charged Ushs. 220 each day. Those customers who wish to withdraw from participating in the Kaja promotion, can dial *178# and select “Unsubscribe”.

According to Mapula, the promotion is open to all subscribers who hold MTN lines and all subscribed customers stand a chance of winning the grand prize of 40 million shillings in cash.

Automated draws are conducted daily at midnight to determine the winning number. One MTN number is randomly drawn from the entire MTN active customer base. Any customer who subscribes to the Kaja promotion and whose mobile number constitutes 8 digits of the drawn number reading sequentially from right to left will win the grand prize of 40 million shillings.

All other Kaja participating subscribers whose number constitutes 7 to 2 digits of the drawn number reading from right to left sequentially will also win other great cash and airtime prizes.  All winners will be notified by SMS and those that win big cash prizes of Ushs. 1,000,000 and more, will be called using telephone number 0776 986 178. 

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In an effort to improve the user experience of our customers, MTN has implemented the standard industry codes for loading airtime and checking balance for all Mobile voice customers in Uganda.

In line with regulatory requirements, MTN has changed the codes for loading Airtime from *155* to *130* and checking airtime balance from *156# to *131#.

These changes took effect on Sunday 1st March 2015.

MTN Chief Marketing Officer Mapula Bodibe said “these changes will ensure that we continue driving a positive customer experience”.

“The implementation means that the codes that MTN has been using since its inception in 1998 now change to the new ones, however the old codes will still be working alongside the new ones until we can ensure that all our customers have adopted to the new codes.” Mapula said.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/MTNUG