HiPipo Money

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Valentine’s Day may have elapsed, but we still lie in the season of love. If you are in love, you need to know how to stay in it. Special things should not just be presented on special occasions, everyday deserves an expression of affection to show your loved one that you have them at heart and in mind all the time. And regardless of whether you are loving or being loved, this is a chance for you to experience both at the same time. Expression, however, is not always that simple or cheap. Here is a little help on a less expensive way to say “I love you” without even saying a word

A bag of kisses

 With the right creativity, you can blend the romance of the season of love with every woman’s favorite accessory. Write down every kind of kiss that you can think of (examples: passionate, on the cheek, etc.). Then buy and fill a stylish red purse or bag with your “kisses” and give it to your spouse. Ask your spouse to pull out one of the several pieces of paper from the filled bag, and then give your sweetheart whatever kind of kiss is described. 

The Book of Love

Find a small book or journal and fill it with reasons why you love your spouse and why you are thankful for him/her. Guys, the ladies will definitely love this, as it shows them you recognize appreciate certain things about them

Scavenger Hunt

Discover the fun and games of falling in love. Take your sweetheart on a scavenger hunt. Ask him/her to answer riddles to find the clues to special gift items that you placed strategically around the house. A trail of rose petals is perfect to hint them in the right direction. Remember, the last item should be the most valuable of all the presents, e.g. her favorite pair of heels, or his dream wrist watch.

Candlelit Love

After that little run around the house, running a steamy bath for you and your loved one is the way to go. Fill the tub with foam and incense to relax yourselves. Kill the lights and surround yourselves with the glow of scented candles. You might never want to leave if there is a bottle of bubbly chilled champagne to keep you laughing and reminiscing through the night. Complete the scene with the right selection of romantic songs playing from a pair of portable speakers so you won’t need to move a muscle.

Cupid’s Cook

Do you have kids? Here’s your chance to create a subtle yet intimate post-Valentine’s Day evening at home, without the children. Guys, we all know the ladies love a good cook. But regardless of your cooking skills, this season shows us how it is the effort that counts. It can also present a great bonding experience between you and your sweetheart, as you cook and learn from one another. Myths claim that cooking to soft, romantic music can really be a turn on! Just be sure not to burn the food while you slow-dance in the kitchen. Once the food is ready, settle down for a romantic candle-lit dinner with the same soft, romantic music as the mood-setter. To top it all off, open a bottle of your finest wine to wind down the night. With good food and the right mood, there’s no telling where the night will take you. 

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Following a comprehensive selection process conducted by MTN Group technology division on the prospective bidders to take on MTN Uganda‘s technical team to manage the telecom giant’s mobile networks, Chinese equipment vendor ZTE has been awarded the outsourcing contract. This means ZTE will officially take on the firm’s Operations and maintenance section which is currently part of the technical department.  Other bidders for MTN Uganda’s technical outsourcing project included Huawei and Ericsson.

“Transition is anticipated to take 6 months”

According to a memo sent to employees by MTN Uganda’s Human Resource General Manager Micheal Sekadde, he said;

The final details regarding the transition of staff and Human Resources related issues are being concluded with ZTE and this transition is anticipated to take 6 months from today before the affected staff can move to the new vendor. In the interim, all Network Group staff are still formally employed by MTN Uganda until that process is concluded.

In July last year, it was initially rumored that all the technical team will be outsourced but basing on the latest information, only the managed services section of the technical team will be transferred till further notice. This is not the first time MTN Uganda has outsourced one of its internal departments, they recently did the same for their IT department.

This deal will finally cement ZTE’s relevance as an equipment vendor in Uganda’s telecom industry, as they have only been an equipment vendor for new entrant Smart Telecom.

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Mapula Bodibe is a qualified Chartered Marketer with over 15 years marketing experience, 10 of which have been spent working in the Telecommunications sector. She has extensive experience developing profitable Customer Value Propositions to drive sales and revenue, whilst building long lasting relationships with customers. She was involved in the pioneering World first launch of the MTN Zone product within the MTN Group in 2007 and has contributed to the strength of the MTN brand through the development of highly competitive products and services.

Mapula Bodibe started her Marketing career in 2000 as Customer Marketing Representative at Unilever South Africa.   In 2003, she became an Assistant Brand Manager at Yum Brands Inc., one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies with over 41,000 outlets in more than 120 countries. In 2005, she joined MTN South Africa as a Market Segment Manager looking after the Mass and emerging market segments, where she worked her way up to eventually take up the role of General Manager for Consumer Marketing in 2010; a position she held for 4 years until her recent appointment as the Chief Marketing Officer for MTN Uganda.

In her current role as Chief Marketing Officer, Mapula’s primary responsibility is to define and execute the organization’s overall marketing strategy, build the brand and drive market share growth and generate revenue through the development of successful marketing initiatives. Her areas of expertise include Strategic Marketing, Market research and Segmentation, Pricing, Product development and Management, Business Intelligence, Customer Relationship Marketing, Marketing communications, Advertising, Public relations, Sponsorships and Trade marketing across the Consumer and Enterprise sectors.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics, a Postgraduate diploma in Marketing as well as a Master’s in Business Administration, all from the University of South Africa.

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Partnership shines spotlight on Africa, via infographics-based series and special news app 

Africa’s leading mobile operator, MTN, is the commercial partner for CNN International’s multi-platform initiative ‘Africa View’, which tells the story of Africa’s diversity, dynamism and role on the global stage.

Through its integrated television and digital sponsorship campaign, MTN is proud to partner with CNN International on its programme to showcase Africa’s social and economic progress. The advertising and sponsorship campaign is focused on the ‘Africa View’ infographics series, which runs on CNN International’s highly popular television and digital platforms. Consumers will also have access to a dedicated news app for ‘Africa View’, when it’s launched later in 2015. 

The ‘Africa View’ vignette series airs within CNN’s flagship news and current affairs programme ‘Connect the World with Becky Anderson’. The series provides background and context to trends, figures and initiatives shaping the African continent.Dynamic, entertaining, modern and inspirational in style, the insert showcases topics and influential sectors driving African countries, from education and energy to technology and innovation.

MTN’s campaign around ‘Africa View’ marks the latest development in a long-standing commercial partnership between the two companies, dating back many years. This successful legacy includes a cross-platform advertising campaign around a flagship Africa-focused business programme, exclusive sponsorship of the ‘2010 South Africa World Cup Updates’, and brand advertising campaigns on the international network.

The new, bespoke campaign sees the MTN brand feature prominently across CNN platforms in Europe, Middle East and Africa, positioning MTN amongst CNN’s upscale audience. The latest EMS figures released by Ipsos in July 2014 show CNN as the undisputed number one international news brand in the Middle East and Africa, reaching a larger audience than all direct news competitors in every metric across both regions on TV, digital and cross-platform.

Antonio Canto, Vice President, Advertising Sales, CNN International said: “We’re delighted MTN and CNN’s long-standing relationship continues to develop and grow. The development of the ‘Africa View’ segment is perfectly suited to reach a global audience, providing dynamic content and insights about the continent. We are proud to partner with MTN on this exciting new venture.”

Jennifer Forrester, MTN Group’s Executive for Marketing said: “CNN reaches an important segment of customers and key stakeholders in our markets and globally. This partnership provides an important platform for MTN to be associated with CNN telling the story of how people in Africa are taking advantage of the technology boom and favourable economic conditions to change their lives and take the continent forward. As MTN, we feel privileged to have the opportunity to be commercially associated with CNN bringing these special stories its viewers.”

Notes to Editors:

About CNN International

CNN’s portfolio of news and information services is available in five different languages across all major TV, internet and mobile platforms reaching more than 385 million households around the globe. CNN International, awarded “News Channel of the Year” by the Royal Television Society in 2013 and 2014, is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America. The CNN digital network is consistently one of the top news and current affairs destination on the web. CNN has 42 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

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 September 2014, MTN recorded 219,2 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.comand www.mtnmmo.com

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Qalaa exits its full 80% stake in leading national investment bank in sale to group of investors led by Pharos’ chairman and founder; Pharos grew to top-five broker and a leading advisory, asset management, research, private equity and bookkeeping firm during the period of Qalaa’s investment

Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Exchange, formerly Citadel Capital), an African leader in infrastructure and industry, signed today a sale and purchase agreement to divest its full 80% shareholding in Pharos Holding in a deal valuing 100% of Pharos Holding at c. EGP 40 million(approx. $5.2million).

Pharos is a leading full-service investment bank based in Cairo with thriving investment banking, private equity, asset management, securities brokerage and bookkeeping operations backed by a global-quality research arm.

The acquiring parties are a group of investors led by Pharos Holding Chairman and Founder Dr. Mohamed Taymour. The Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA), which was executed through Qalaa Holdings subsidiary Finance Unlimited, covers the sale of 100% of shares owned directly and indirectly by Qalaa Holdings in the share capital of Pharos (representing 80% of Pharos’ issued capital).

“The exit of Pharos is part of executing our strategy to divest non-core businesses in a timely manner at the right valuations as we narrow our focus on core subsidiaries in sectors including energy, cement, agifoods, transportation & logistics and mining,” said Qalaa Holdings Co-Founder and Managing Director Hisham El-Khazindar.

“Management buyouts are entirely too rare in Egypt. It is a fantastic feeling for all of us at Qalaa — where we pride ourselves on our entrepreneurial spirit — to return full ownership of Pharos to a group led by the visionary entrepreneur who founded it,” said Ghada Hammouda Qalaa Holdings’ Chief Marketing Officer.

Taymour on his part added: “We’re delighted to have concluded this transaction with Qalaa, which has been a trusted partner since our founding. We are looking forward to serving Qalaa as a client as we continue to build on an outstanding track record and capture the upside presented by the ongoing economic recovery in Egypt.”

Pharos’ professional practices include one of Egypt’s five-largest securities brokers and a highly sought-after advisory practice with particular expertise in M&A, equity and debt transactions. The investment banking advisory division has closed landmark transactions across sectors ranging from chemicals and fertilizers to consumer finance, education and telecommunications. Transactions closed in 2014 include service as independent financial advisor to Orascom Telecom, Abu Soma Development Company and Global Telecom Holding as well as to Arabian Cement Company on its 18.5x oversubscribed IPO, the first such equity offering in Egypt since 2011.

Pharos’ asset management practice controlled AUM in excess of nearly EGP 900 million at year-end 2014, comprehensively covering equity, balanced, Shariah-compliant, fixed-income and capital-guaranteed portfolios. Management expects the transaction to close during February 2015. 

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MultiChoice Uganda’s leading pay television provider today unveiled its latest HD decoder product with the launch of its first single view High Definition HD decoder, the DStv Zapper. The new decoder which delivers the very best high quality picture and sound quality available on the market will replace the existing standard definition single view decoder which is being phased out.

“The launch of the Zapper bears testament to our continued investment in technology as a tool for providing our subscribers with the very best television viewing experience in Africa said Brian Muwonge Marketing Manager DStv Uganda.

The decoder only will be at UGX 160,000 only however the full kit is at UGX 309,000 which is very affordable for a decoder of its quality. He stated ‘the DStv Zapper will guarantee a lot more subscribers have the possibility of accessing DStv’s ever expanding HD channel offering which currently includes sports, movie, documentary and news channels”. High definition creates a far superior television viewing experience in terms of picture quality and the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound adds a new dimension to the audio experience. The DStv HD Decoder will open up a whole new world for many DStv subscribers.”

Speaking about some of the functionalities and features Ronald Ogwal MultiChoice Uganda’s Customer Service Representative compared The DStv Zappers user interface as similar to the DStv Explora, “most functions can be performed from DStv Central, accessed through the blue DStv button on the remote control. This user interface makes for easier navigation through the HD menus and helps customers discover great DStv content available via multiple search options directly from the remote control”.

Talking about some of the optional extra’s he noted that the Zapper is XtraView capable meaning it can be paired with selected XtraView compatible decoders (excluding the SD PVR), allowing a cost effective and flexible option for clients who wish to enjoy dual viewing environments.

In conclusion Brian Muwonge encouraged Ugandans to purchase the Zapper decoder in the build up to the digital migration which is scheduled to take place in June this year because “HD television represents the best picture and audio format currently available and as such it is a natural promoter of the migration which will result in an overall improvement in the quality of television globally”. “This is the reason MultiChoice has been championing its widespread uptake in Uganda and the rest of the continent” He added. .

The DStv HD Decoder is currently available at all MultiChoice offices, dealers and agents throughout Uganda and will cost UGX 160,000 for the decoder only.