HiPipo Money

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Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, awarded the most excellent woman in ICT in Uganda at the 4^th Annual MTN Woman in Business awards, on Friday 18^th March at the Kampala Serena Hotel.

The awards with the theme “Women in Business: Using technology to manage their business”, were launched last month to help equip business communities in Uganda with the relevant ICT tools and expertise to not only start up new business ventures but also to grow and enhance their current business to ensure optimum output, increased efficiency and improved profitability. This program has over the last three years extended to women in Business (WiB) in Particular, in an effort to accelerate the role of women in driving enterprise development and Job creation.

Suzan Ajok of Straight Talk Foundation who emerged winner in Excellence in ICT Award category was awarded with a plaque and Huawei P8 Phone. Suzan has devoted 18 years to Straight Talk, moving from data clerk up through the ranks to Executive Director. She used the MTN ICT solutions (SMS and the Straight Talk Foundations hotline) to effectively communicate to communities in far-reaching places such as Karamoja.

Huawei Awarded a total of three P8 phones to winners and wingles, mobile wifi routers, bluetooth speakers and car chargers to women interviewees.

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The series of events through which MTN sought to recognize and celebrate outstanding women business leaders was climaxed today as the company announced this year’s winners of the 4th Annual MTN Women in Business Awards.

MTN launched the Women in Business initiative last month, under the theme; “Women in Business: Using technology to manage their businesses”, and included the Women in Business Expo, the panel discussion and the Awards.

MTN is using the initiative to continue its support for Business communities in Uganda, manifested through its extensive Enterprise business solutions offering as well as the MTN Business training programs for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The initiative has helped equip business owners with the relevant ICT tools and expertise to not only start up new business ventures but to also grow and enhance their current business to ensure optimum output, increased efficiency and improved profitability. This program has over the last three years extended to Women in Business (WiB) in particular, in an effort to accelerate the role of women in driving enterprise development and job creation.

“Tonight we celebrate the spirit of excellence that is demonstrated by those outstanding women that have harnessed technology/ICT and talent to grow their businesses, and I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to all the nominees and tonight’s winners,” said MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mapula Bodibe.

“For the winners, we have packaged the prizes to be able to aid further growth of your business, thereby achieving our mission of empowering businesses. On behalf of MTN, I would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the partners that have complemented MTN’s packages for the winners,” she added.

Each of the top 3 category winners will have an opportunity to attend an Executive Leadership Training for Women, have their story profiled on TV and print media, in addition to a bouquet of communication benefits including five fixed lines, MTN Business Bundle activation and free subscription of MTN Go Bundle for 6months, MTN Office/home WiFi (six months), and one year hosting at MTN’s Mutundwe data Center.

All finalists will also have access to strategic business Training for Women as well as two MTN fixed lines and a 4G MiFi router.

Today’s Awards winners were selected by a panel of judges and fall under three main categories of Excellence in ICT Award, Excellence in Financial Services Award and the CEO of the Year Award. The Public Choice Category winner was voted by the public.

Additionally, during the event, MTN Business’s General Manager, Reginald Kafeero, made a presentation that highlighted the introduction of the MTN Business bundles.  The MTN Business Bundles is an exciting solution that gives business customers access to a range of value bundles that fulfil all their communication needs. The MTN Business Bundles are now open for business and can be accessed through MTN Business at Nyonyi Gardens or MTN service centres.

Full list of benefits packages for winners

• Huawei Uganda, technology partners in this year’s MTN Women In Business event, who have extended 3 Huawei P8 smart phones to the winners.
• NTV Uganda who offered up to 30% discount of advertising that can be used within the 3 months of winning these words.
• Radio One who offered a combo advertising package that winners can take up on both Radio One and Two.
• UAP Insurance Uganda limited who have extended the following the Queen Motor Insurance policy. This cover extends to third party body & property liability, passenger extension liability, emergency medical expenses, free personal accident cover, handbag & content cover and household items cover. The tiers are as follows:
  • SME CEO Of the year: Queen Motor Insurance cover up to UGX. 78,500,000.
  • Excellence in ICT Award: Queen Motor Insurance cover up to UGX. 31,500,000.
  • Excellence in Mobile Financial Award – Queen Motor Insurance cover up to UGX. 21,500,000.
• Serena hotel who have extended the following:
• SME CEO Of the year: Weekend for 2 at Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa on a bed and Breakfast basis  
• Excellence in ICT Award: Brunch for 4 at Kampala Serena – 2 adults and 2 Children.
• Excellence in Mobile Financial Award – Spa day pass at Maisha- for 1 person
• Vivo Energy Uganda who have extended fuel vouchers worth UGX. 500,000 to each of the winners tonight. 
• Trademark EastAfrica who have extended best-business practice training through their partner Uganda Revenue Authority, to all the winners and nominees.
• Summit Consulting Limited, an advisory firm, who have offered their expertise to review the winners’ and nominees businesses and align their strategic plans for sustainable growth.

MTN will also offer the following to the 3 winners of the awards:

• MTN Office WiFi for a period of 6 months
• MTN Fixedlines
• MTN MTN Business Bundle activation and free subscription of MTN Go Bundle for 6months
• MTN Colocation for a period of one year

A working trip to South Africa to meet the biggest SMEs there so ideas can be exchanged and lessons learnt.

AWARD WINNERS:

MTN Women in Business Excellence in ICT Award:

Susan Ajok of Straight Talk Africa.

MTN Women in Business Excellence in Financial Services Award:

Jacqueline Birigwa Nuwamanya of Rural Communication Centre LTD.

MTN Women in Business CEO of the Year Award:

Alice Karugaba of Nina Interiors.

Public Choice Award:

Charlotte Kanabahita Kamugisha of Bunyonyi Safari’s.

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It’s been a tough year for Multichoice Africa. Our markets have suffered as a result of commodity and oil price weakness, coupled with the huge devaluations of local currencies. Most of MultiChoice’s costs are incurred in dollars forcing us to pass through price increases in 2015. Nevertheless, we continue to take financial strain.

But we are not alone! Our subscribers, our biggest asset, are suffering. So we are going to do our bit. We’ve decided to absorb some of the pain and NOT impose a price increase on any of our DStv bouquets in April as we usually do. Barring any further external economic shocks, we do not anticipate a price increase in 2016.

Subscribers are the reason we exist, so we commit to bring you the best possible content at the most affordable price. We want you to have a great in home viewing experience and the best local and international television entertainment.

We started this journey last month when we launched two new SuperSport channels in order to bring the EPL, La Liga and the EURO 2016 tournament to DStv Compact subscribers and we are not stopping there. This April, DStv channels will showcase the best and latest upcoming new seasons of popular series including the highly-anticipated Season 6 of Game of Thrones starting on M-Net Edge, Express from the US, along with the brand new telenovela, Hush, on Africa Magic Showcase and The Voice: Nigeria. Subscribers will also be spoilt for choice with a variety of local and international entertainment shows available on their DStv bouquets including a new telenovela on Zee World, East Meets West while a ‘Wedding Season’ film marathon theme on Universal channel will warm viewers’ hearts with its selection of romcom titles. More themed film marathons await on Studio Universal where ‘Manscape’, ‘April Fools’, ‘Getting Away With it’ and a Steven Spielberg marathon will provide plenty of laughs and thrills.

Hollywood’s glitz and glamourous stars will be showcased on E! Entertainment with the return of #Richkids Of Beverly Hills and the premier of LA Clippers Dance Squad. Get a front row view of your favourite stars as they walk the red carpet at the star-studded Black Girls Rock 2016 on BET and the 2016 MTV Movie Awards on MTV Base. Football fans on DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact are also in for a treat with live EPL, La Liga and EURO 2016 tournament action on SS3, SS5, SS11 and SS12 with the Spanish side gearing up to showcase the anticipated El Clasico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid on 3 April.

Charles Hamya, General Manager MultiChoice Uganda said. “We are extremely pleased to announce that there will be no price increase on DStv subscriptions this April on any of the bouquets. Barring any further external economic shocks, we do not anticipate a price increase in 2016. This means that from next month, DStv subscribers can fully immerse themselves in the exciting world of DStv entertainment, at no extra cost.”

For more information of the bouquets and upcoming shows, please visit www.dstv.com.

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With the Women in Business Awards 2016 winners set to be announced next week on the 18^th of March, MTN Uganda is amplifying its call for the public to vote the MTN Women in Business Public Choice Award.

The winner of this category will be selected from the list of nominees below:

You can vote by sending the name of the nominee, business type and the reason you’re voting that business (in 50 words) to:

1. Email – wib@mtn.co.ug
2. Facebook – www.facebook.com/mtnug
3. Twitter – www.twitter.com/mtnug
4. WhatsApp  – 0776 600 811

You can also read details about MTN’s Women in Business Initiative by visiting www.mtn.co.ug/wib. 

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Innocent Kawooya.

Every now and then, your favorite media present complex yet summarized financial figures of either a company’s annual performance or its committed investment budget for a particular period.

While most times, the media reports accurately about the released figures, they rarely take any initiative to break the financials down for all their readers/viewers/listeners. Most reporters work on the erroneous assumption that their audiences are well learned and thus can crack the math for themselves.  Many times, they are wrong!

At the end of last week, MTN Group released its Performance Report highlighting 2015 achievements and challenges. The MTN Group announcement was followed by performances at country level.

On Friday 4^th March, MTN Uganda released a detailed report of its 2015 performance at a press conference held at MTN Towers, Hannington Road and attended by several media houses.  To those that attended the conference, it was so detailed with MTN Uganda CEO Brian Gouldie taking time to ‘breakdown figure by figure, explain word by word’.

However, a few days after this generous declaration, most, if not all of the articles published are either ‘re-publishing the issued press release or giving a summarized performance figures, beefed up with a few quotes here and there. 

Two things; One, the stories are authentic as they contain the right figures and also quote MTN Uganda Executive members. Two, these stories lack some much needed detail and depth. If it was a lunch out, the writers have served their audiences bony meat.

A common man out there would wish to have a clear and localized understanding of MTN Uganda’s financial performance backed up with examples that he is well familiar with.

There is no rocket science about this. Let’s cut the jargon short and hit the road.  

In 2016, MTN Uganda will directly spend Ushs 238 billion on Capital Expenditure (CAPEX), Ushs 2 billion less than its 2015 CAPEX. Mr Gouldie noted that this money will be invested in “predominantly data network, Information technology required for the development of new products and services and facilities investment including a major re-development of our head office property.”

According to www.investopedia.com ; also referred to as CAPEX, Capital expenditure are funds used by a company to acquire or upgrade physical assets such as property, industrial buildings or equipment. It is often used to undertake new projects or investments by the firm.

Together, let’s understand the greatness of MTN Uganda’ 2016 committed investment.

The current average retail price of a Sugar kilogram is Ushs 3500. If it was to buy sugar, the Ushs 238 billion that MTN Uganda has earmarked for 2016 would buy 68,000,000 million kilograms. At the end of 2015, Uganda’s population stood at about 40 million people. MTN Uganda would use its 2016 Capital Expenditure to buy each Ugandan a kilogram of Sugar and remain with another 28,000,000 kilograms untaken.

Let us talk Boda Bodas (Motor Bikes). Today a brand new Bajaj Boxer motorbike goes for about Ushs 3.7 million. MTN Uganda’s Ushs 238 billion Capex for 2016 can buy 64,324 brand new motorbikes. In a day, each Boda Boda rider takes to the owner an average of Ushs 10,000. 64,324 motorbikes would give MTN shareholders Ushs 643,240,000 daily. In 30 days, the shareholders would have Ushs 19 billion and Ushs 192 billion in 10 months! This excludes the money each rider would have earned during the same period. 

That’s the magnitude of MTN Uganda’s 2016 approved Capital Expenditure.

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In a post that he made on his official Facebook account, elect Hon. Karubanga David in one line politely with clear intention asked and advised Trump to take care of America’s problems before he starts making noise about Uganda and other African leaders.

This follows the bickering that the popularity seeking republican candidate has been involved in, regarding various African leaders just to attract cheap popularity.

Karubanga said, “Why not to sort out America first?” And added saying, “According to me, leadership is not enjoyment. It’s about sacrificing time and resources; and walking the talk as opposed to cheap verbal antics.”

Hon. Karubanga joins president Museveni and other leaders that have suggested the same to Trump.

Let’s watch the space.