HiPipo Money

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• Over 130 million litres of diesel to be supplied in Kenya and Uganda over 3 years
• 65pc increase in RVR’s annual fuel consumption following addition of 25 locomotives

Hass Petroleum Limited, a major regional oil marketer and distributer has won a sh385 billion ($148 million) tender to supply diesel to rail operator Rif Valley Railways over the next three years.

Under the agreement Hass Petroleum will provide RVR with an estimated 130 million litres of automotive gas oil (diesel) over a period of three years (the equivalent of over 4,300 fuel tank loads) toRVR’s keyoperational centersin Uganda and Kenya.  

Hass Petroleum was awarded the contract after edging out five other large regional oil marketers and distributors.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony at RVR’s offices, RVR’s chief executive officer Carlos Andrade said: “The 20 American-built locomotives we are acquiring over the next five months in addition to the five we’re refurbishing locally will double our cargo haulage capacity and increase our diesel consumption needs by 65 per cent this year alone.”

He said diesel consumption is expected to rise each year of the contract period with further increases in the locomotive fleet.

Mr. Abdirizak Ahmed, Kenya Country Manager of Hass Petroleum said: “We are happy indeed to have won this contract emerging with the best bid amongst our peers. This is yet another major milestone by Hass Petroleum Group and not only does it articulate the strength and market position of Hass Petroleum but is also shows the confidence  Rift Valley Railways has in working with Hass Petroleum. We are confident that we shall continue to dominate our industry’s landscape with a greater footprint than we have had before.”

A service level agreement requires Hass Petroleum to manage fuel facilities and ensure minimum stock levels in RVR’s operational hubs of Kampala and Tororo, and in Changamwe, Eldoret and Nairobi in Kenya. 

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Uganda’s head of state H.E Yoweri Museveni has officially commissioned the construction of the 37 km Ntungamo-Mirama Hills road. The groundbreaking ceremony wasattended by Uganda’s Minister of Works and Transport, Hon. Abraham Byandala, acting Executive Director, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), James Okorir, TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) Director General, David Stanton and TMEAs Uganda Country Director, Allen Asiimwe, among other dignitaries.

TradeMark East Africa is funding construction of the $22 million road which will be implemented by the Uganda National Roads Authority. Construction is expected to take 18 months with the road ready for use in April 2016.

The Mirama Hills road route offers a shorter and less difficult route to Rwanda than passing through the Katuna/Gatuna border post. This unpaved section of 37 Km of Northern Corridor road network was a major constraint to the better operationalisation of a one stop border post at Kagitumba and Mirama Hills and is expected to decrease the time for goods to be transported between Kampala and Kigali and increase the volume of traffic using this route.

“This road construction marks another significant milestone in Uganda’s commitment towards enhanced regional integration. It fits well with our northern corridor infrastructure projects including the border post at Mirama Hills. We expect this road to promote increased trade with Rwanda. Coupled with the construction of the one stop border post at Mirama Hills, Ugandan and Rwandan traders will experience reduced times and costs. The government of Uganda is grateful to its development partners and in particular, TradeMark East Africa for supporting us on improving the much needed trade infrastructure”, said H.E. Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda.

TradeMark Director General David Stanton noted that trade infrastructure is critical to East Africa’s prosperity, and in creating the much needed jobs in the region. Currently East Africa’s trade corridors are characterized by long transit times and high costs.  Freight costs per kilometre are more than 50% higher than costs in the United States and Europe, and for the landlocked countries, transport costs can be as high as 45% of the value of exports.

“This support to the government of Uganda is expected to cutdown significantly the time and cost of transporting goods to Rwanda and through the Mirama Hills one stop border post. This is an important project that will make a substantive contribution to the development of both the country and the East Africa region. We expect to see increased trade activity between Uganda and Rwanda. This investment in modernising the transport infrastructure is the catalyst needed to bring about prosperity to the region,” said Stanton.

The project focuses on upgrading and paving of the road to bitumen standards from Ntungamo to Mirama Hills Border (aprroximately 37 Km long). The works consist of upgrading the road from gravel to Class II Bitumen Standard, with 7m-wide carriageway of asphalt concrete surfacing and 2No. 1.5m-wide double surface dressed shoulders. The project is related to the TMEA supported projects that will provide: 

• Improved IT infrastructure; 
• Harmonised working procedures on both sides of the border;
• Training for border agency staff, freight forwarders and traders;
• Construction of the Kagitumba OSBP and Mirama Hills OSBP; and
• Construction of Kagitumba Bridge.

TMEA is providing financial assistance to the Government of Uganda (GoU) to assist in the financing of the project. The Works will be executed by a Construction firm and Quality Assurance will be ensured through a permanent supervision of works backed up by Project Managers from UNRA and TMEA. Both the Project Managers and Consultancy supervision firm will report to the UNRA/TMEA joint established Technical Oversight Committee (TOC), which will approve all project implementation decisions.

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Following his pivotal role in the European Team’s winat Gleneagles this weekend, the former US Open champion Justin Rosecontinued to soar high by demonstrating his shot making skill from the wing of a British Airways Boeing 747.

Celebrating  the  partnership  between  British Airways and the 34-year-old Englishman,the  airline  helped to raise funds and awareness for the Kateand  Justin  Rose  Foundation, which was set up by the golfing star and hiswife to inspire children through nutrition, education, and experiences.

Rose was joined by former England football captain and BBC Match of the Daypresenter  GaryLineker,  Ex-Liverpool  midfielder  Jamie Redknapp, formerEngland  and Arsenal striker Ian Wright and fashion icon, Jodie Kidd at theairline’s engineering hangar in London. Standing  on the wing of a British Airways 747, which has a wingspan of 64mand average height of 6.1m above the ground, Rose hit a succession of ballsat a target 180 yards away to secure flights for the charity.Gary  Lineker,  Jamie Redknapp, Ian Wright and Jodie Kidd, who are all keengolfers,took  turns  practicing their swing before trying to emulate Rose’s successaiming at the 160 yard target.

Representing  Europe  in  his  third  Ryder Cup but his first on home soil,Justin’s   emotions  were  still  running  high  after  the  team’s  secondsuccessive victory in the biennial tournament. “The team played outstandingthis  weekend  and it’s a fantastic feeling to come out of the Ryder Cup asthe  winning team again, to carry that adrenaline with me on to the wing ofthe British Airways 747 before flying the aircraft back across the Atlanticwas  a special thrill,” said Rose. “I have thoroughly enjoyed the challengeand  I am grateful to British Airways for donating flights towards the Kateand  Justin  Rose  Foundation  –  it  will  make  a  huge difference to ourcampaign.”

Frank  van  der  Post,  British  Airways  managing  director  of brands andcustomer experience, said: “We are delighted to work with Justin once againas  he is one of British sports’ most iconic characters. We were pleased toalso provide flights to the Justin and Kate Rose Foundation and support thegreat work they do.”

Rose,  who  became the first English player in 17 years to win a major whenhe  lifted  the  US Open title last year, will head to Dubai in November tocompete  in  the  European Tour’s finale of the Race to Dubai, the DP WorldTour  Championship,  held  at  the Jumeirah Golf Estates in the United ArabEmirates.

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The Board of Directors and Management of National Insurance Corporation Limited regret to  announce the untimely death of their Chairman, Mr. Remi Olowude, OON who passed on Saturday, 27th September, 2014 after a prolonged illness. Mr. Olowude, was until his death, the founder and Executive Vice Chairman of Industrial and General Insurance Plc (IGI Plc) with investment footprints in Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Rwanda.

The Vice Chairman, Dr. Martin Aliker, a distinguished elder statesman and Senior Presidential

Adviser has been the Acting Chairman of NIC during Mr. Olowude’s absence and the Board does not envisage any change in the short term. According to the Acting Chairman, Dr. Martin Aliker: “Mr. Remi Olowude lived ahead of his time. He set up the first indigenous privately owned insurance company in Nigeria and grew its shareholders’ fund from a modest N20million (Ushs322million) in 1992 to N18billion (Ushs300billion) as at June 2013. He was a consummate businessman, an acclaimed insurance professional, and will surely be missed by all on the Board of NIC.”

The Managing Director of NIC, Mr. Bayo Folayan, said, “Mr. Remi Olowude left the state-owned

National Insurance Company of Nigeria (NICON) in 1992 and set up IGI Plc which became  West Africa’s biggest oil and gas underwriter with an asset base in excess of N39billion (Ushs633billion). He was a humane leader and will be missed by the insurance fraternity.”Mr. Olowude is survived by a wife and four children. Burial arrangements will be announced in due course. Meanwhile, a condolence register has been opened at NIC 10th Floor to receive condolence messages.

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• The new Asus Fonepad™ 7 tablet powered by the latest Intel® Atom™ Multi-Core processor has launched in Uganda.
• The 7-inch tablet is available in MTN Service Centres countrywide at 450,000/-, comes fully connected with 1GB free Internet and has a free sleek tablet cover.
• Fonepad™ 7 is a perfect combination of a tablet and a smartphone in one single device

ASUS, the worldwide top 3 consumer notebook and tablet brand, together with Intel East Africa today announced the availability of the ASUS Fonepad™ 7 in Uganda.The newFonepad™ 7offers 3G connectivity & calling features of a smartphone, with the versatility of a 7-inch Android tablet. Powered by the latest Intel® Atom™ Multi-Core Z2520 processor with Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology, customers can expect fast and responsive web-browsing as well as smooth streaming of HD videos and games. It will be available in MTN Service Centres countrywide at only 450,000/-

The ASUS Fonepad™7 fully supports the Android 4.4 Kitkat* upgrade and features a vibrant 7″ LED Backlight WSVGA (1024×600) TN screen with 140 degree view angle, outstanding clarity and uncompromising multitasking capabilities. Other key features include: dual cameras, 10 hours battery life, 30 hours talk time on 3G, 4GB of inbuilt storage and free additional 5GB Lifetime ASUS WebStorage for syncing and sharing data with other devices.

“We are very excited to bring this tablet to Uganda.  Designed to fit every aspect of the increasingly important mobile lifestyle, be it reading ebooks, browsing, calling, play games, or keeping up with friends on social media, we believe the Fonepad™ 7will be a top tablet choice for consumers throughout the country”, said Chris Wen product manager Asus East Africa. “By incorporating 3G mobile data connectivity with full telephony support, we have made the ASUS Fonepad™7 the perfect combination of a tablet and a phone in one single device at an affordable price”, he added

The ASUS Fonepad™ 7 is ideal for people who value both the voice communication features of a smartphone and the entertainment opportunities offered by a tablet, but prefer the convenience of carrying just one device.

“Intel is investing in tablets and laptop technologies that meet all user requirements to ensure Africa is equipped and connected. We are therefore veryproud to join ASUS in launchingthe Fonepad™ 7 in Uganda. This is an innovative productthat addresses the emerging market andis pricedcompetitively.It offersgreat performance, longer battery life and fast web browsing capabilities,” said Danie Steyn, General Manger for Intel East Africa. “This is just the beginning. Together with our partners, we will significantly increase the urgency to introduce a range of innovative and differentiated offerings that will shape the future of this segment” he added.

Urging consumers to visit MTN Service Centres and experience the new ASUS Fonepad™7*, Kenneth Kiddu the Ag. Chief Marketing Officer at MTN said, the company is committed to bringing affordable and relevant devices to Ugandans from all walks of life.

“In line with the MTN’s mission of delivering a bold, new digital world, MTN Uganda offers all its customers free 15MB every month. Since last year it has also engaged its customers with regional Internet expos to provide a platform for interaction with the latest Internet solutions and devices and also to offer opportunity for customers to acquire the latest Internet enabled devices”, Kiddu said.

The ASUS Fonepad™ 7 comes with a number of exclusive ASUS productivity apps: Floating App for easy management of running apps and multi-tasking; SuperNote lite for handwritten notes and drawing; and WebStorage Office Online for Microsoft Office-compatible document editing on the move.

Other exciting free Apps developed with support from Intel’s Software Services Group that will be available on the ASUS Fonepad™ are:

• Tube Videos: A media player that gives a variety of video categories to its users and aggregates from various sources such as YouTube, Big think, Teacher tube etc.
• Cool Science: This app is a virtual science laboratory that offers interactions and simulations to its users to understand various science topics. Virtual experiments are also available for a user to learn from and play with.
• WordPlay: This is a game application which allows you to play with words. The application selects a letter randomly which must be used by a player to create a word.
• Africa Legends: A series of stories based African folklore and Legends. The comic and game take ancient stars and brings them to modern day Africa challenges

For a full product demonstration, please visit any MTN Shop in Uganda or log on http://www.asus.com/Tablets/ASUS_Fonepad_7_FE170CG/specifications/ for detailed product specs.

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Johannesburg –MTN Group has appointed Mteto Nyati as Group Chief Enterprise Officer, effective 1 October.

Nyati joins MTN from Microsoft, where he was General Manager for Middle East and Africa (MEA) Emerging Regions. In this role, he developed and implemented growth strategies for markets within the region. Prior to that, he was the Managing Director of Microsoft South Africa for six years. 

During his tenure in the South African business, Nyati drove Microsoft’s innovation and leadership across the company’s core businesses in key markets. He was also integral to the development and implementation of Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative, a multi-year effort which aims to actively engage in Africa’s economic development to improve the continent’s global competitiveness. 

“This newly-created role is in line with our strategy to further leverage our integrated ICT offerings.Mteto will be a member of the Group EXCO, and take responsibility for leading the group-wide enterpriseand ICT strategy, and to enhance MTN’s position in the enterprise segment,” says Sifiso Dabengwa, MTN Group President and CEO.

Nyati spent 12 years at IBM, where he held a number of senior executive roles. He has a BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Natal. In 2004, he was named a Yale University World Fellow.

– Issued by MTN Group Corporate Affairs

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 2014, MTN recorded 215 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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30th September 2014

Madam Speaker,

Honorable members,

I wish to take on this opportunity to thank you Madam Speaker and Honorable Members in approving my appointment as Prime Minister.

I wish to also thank His Excellency the President for the trust and confidence in appointing me as Prime Minister.

Let me take this opportunity to thank my predecessor, Ndugu Amama Mbabazi, who has served very well as Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda for the last 3 years.

As you well know, the duties of the Office of the Prime Minister are well defined.

I will be focusing on implementation of the NRM (Movement) Manifesto, the National Development Plan and the coordination of Government programs as approved by Parliament. 

Our focus will be on implementation of the many infrastructural projects underway and we will continue to prioritize improved service delivery to the people. To that end, I wish to reiterate that it is our collective responsibility to ensure that our population access the essential services that they are duly entitled to such as health and education among others.

In order to address the problem of poverty and youth unemployment, promotion of private sector investments and job creation must remain a top priority. We must also focus on modernization of agriculture, industrialization and value addition as key pillars of our transformation program.

Let us intensify our collective effort to combat corruption, a vice that has plagued our society and still remains a challenge. Greater emphasis will be placed on accountability and transparency in managing public affairs.  This is a responsibility of Government, the Opposition and of every Ugandan citizen.

Our country has had a difficult history; one scarred with wars, disease and natural calamities, to which so many lives have been lost.  Through struggle and sacrifice, Uganda has since emerged out of this difficult period and is now playing a vanguard role in promoting regional security and socio-economic development.

As I take on this new responsibility, I take it on fully aware of the hard times, struggle and sacrifice that Ugandans have gone through, however, Our nation has also attained significant achievements, promising great opportunities and bright future.

I call upon all honorable members of this this August house and our fellow citizens, to collectively consolidate these achievements as we work together in advancing Uganda’s transformation agenda. 

I thank you Madam Speaker, and I say this for God and my country.

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M-Net and Endemol SA are pleased to announce that due to recent developments, Rwanda has now been re-instated as a participating country in Big Brother Hotshots.

The re-instatement is as a result of the delay in production which led to adequate time being available to process the necessary documentation for the housemates to participate in the reality show. We would like to thank Rwandans and fans across the continent for their patience throughout this process.

We wish Rwanda a spectacular debut onto Africa’s biggest reality show and in the build-up to the launch, fans can look forward to more housemates being revealed in anticipation to Big Brother Hotshots hitting the screens on Sunday 5 October.

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Mauritius has been ranked first in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) 2014 for the eighth consecutive year. Among the 52 countries rated by the Foundation, Mauritius scored the highest overall mark of 81.7 points. Cabo Verde was second with 76.6 points, with the average score for the continent being 51.5 points.
 
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) provides an annual assessment of the quality of governance in African countries. Compiled by combining over 100 variables from more than 30 independent African and global institutions, the IIAG is the most comprehensive collection of data on African governance.
 
Commenting on the ranking, Mr.DevManraj, Financial Secretary of the Republic of Mauritius said “It is indeed with great pride that we welcome the MO Ibrahim report on Governance and we are pleased that Mauritius again tops the ranking for the eight consecutive years. Today’s announcement shows that Mauritius continues to lead Africa in terms of its high governance standards and that we have significantly improved our performance in public management, on the business environment and in providing sustainable economic opportunities.  I am confident that this announcement will further enhance the position of Mauritius as a secure, transparent and trusted environment for FDI and also as an ideal platform for outward investments into Africa”.
 
According to Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mauritius also ranked first in Africa for Sustainable Economic Opportunity business environment, a category which assesses whether the state provides the conditions necessary for the pursuit of economic opportunities that contribute to a prosperous and equitable society. It also measures the delivery of sound economic policies and the provision of a sustainable economic environment that is conducive to investment and the operation of a business.
 
Mauritius also ranked first in Human Development, a category which evaluates the success of the state in securing the well-being of all of its citizens. It measures the extent to which the government provides citizens with social protection, comprehensive education provision and a healthy life.
 
IIAG was established in recognition of the need for a robust, comprehensive and quantifiable tool for civil society to track government performance in Africa. It is Africa’s leading annual assessment of governance established to inform and empower the continent’s citizens and support governments, parliaments and the civil society to assess progress.

Tanzania was ranked in position 15, two places ahead of Kenya, while Uganda was listed in position 19.

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“The economic reforms that have taken place thus far are courageous, ambitious and impactful,” said El-Khazindar, “but they must be supplemented with a comprehensive vision that will set the framework for long-term growth”

Hisham El-Khazindar, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Exchange, formerly Citadel Capital), a leading African investor in infrastructure and industry, gave the opening keynote speech at Al Mal’s 10th annual Money & Finance Conference. 

“During the past three months we have witnessed the implementation of an ambitious set of long-overdue reforms that have already had a positive impact on the economy,” said El-Khazindar. “In the next period we can expect to see a gradual shrinking of the budget deficit which is an important early indicator for both local and international investors of where things are headed,” he added.

El-Khazindar also noted that the removal of energy subsidies and the  liberalization of the energy sector in general, which will allow private sector participation, was a particularly encouraging step that will be of benefit to the country on multiple levels. 

“Egypt’s production capacity has been suffering tremendously during the past period because of limited energy supplies. If we look at the cement sector as a case in point we can see that Egypt’s cement capacity went down from 50 million tons per annum to c. 30 million tons because factories did not have access to fuel,” said El-Khazindar. “Allowing the private sector to import coal and natural gas will improve the efficiency of our industrial sector across the board and that alone will translate into growth before we even begin to factor in the impact of new investments.”

The challenge according to El-Khazindar will be moving beyond the short-term growth that is largely the result of a rebound effect to sustainable long-term economic development that will result in a tangible improvement in the standard of living for all Egyptians. 

“Long-term growth will only be possible if we have an integrated vision with clearly communicated goals and a plan to minimize the negative impact of fiscal reforms,” said El-Khazindar. “Raising taxes was a must but the next step is coming up with a way to move the informal sector into the real economy so that they can start paying taxes. Putting a cap on public sector salaries was necessary but we have to keep in mind that without competitive salaries we compromise our ability to attract high caliber employees.”

Regarding the negative impact of energy subsidy removal, El-Khazindar noted that a proper social welfare system must be put in place whether it’s the further activation of smart cards or conditional cash transfers for those in need.

Qalaa Holdings executives Mohamed Shoeib, Managing Director and Head of the company’s Energy Division and Amr El-Garhy, Managing Director and Head of Agrifoods and the Corporate Finance and Investment Review Function also participated in panels on managing Egypt’s energy needs and tapping into new sources of financing. 

Qalaa Holdings has undergone a transformation process that has seen it develop from a private equity model to an investment holding company with a focus on the core industries of energy, cement, agrifoods, transportation & logistics, and mining. The new structure gives the company the leeway to hold investments longer and thus create more value for both shareholders and the regional economies in which it invests.