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Women at the centre of Hariss International’s Quality Assurance.

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Our Reporter.

A famous Luganda proverb says that ‘Atanayitayita, Yatenda Nyina Okufumba’. This when directly translated in to English means that one who hasn’t travelled, is one who praises their mother as the best cook.

While this proverb opens a debate on whether my mother is a better cook than yours and vice versa, it nonetheless maintains one major fact; mothers/women are the best cooks everywhere you go.

Further, different studies and observations reveal one major truth; women pay more attention to details.

For instance, a 2017 article by Rebecca Shambaugh, the founder of Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL) noted that “Women tend to absorb more information through their senses and store more of it in the brain for other uses than men do. Therefore, women generally have more interest in details and pay more attention to them than men do.”

As such, it is not by mistake that Hariss International Limited; a leading manufacturer of food and beverages such as Riham Biscuits, Riham Water, Riham Soft Drinks, Oner Fruit Juice and Rockboom Energy Drink has women at the heart of its Products Quality Assurance.

For the record, 55 (52%) of its 106 staff in the Quality Assurance department are women who spend each and every day researching and discussing numerous ways of improving the quality system thus providing Quality and Safe products to the consumers.

On Wikipedia, Quality assurance (QA) is defined as “a way of preventing mistakes and defects in manufactured products and avoiding problems when delivering products or services to customers. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 further defines this as “part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled”.

To meet the ever growing product quality expectations from customers, Hariss International practices a principle of “Quality First, Quality Always” with women playing a key role as Quality Managers, Assistants and Supervisors.

This women-centric strategy has not only guaranteed continuous adherence to local and global quality requirements of products but has also over the years seen Hariss International attracting and retaining millions of customers plus receiving several Quality Awards including the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) Award for Best Beverage Company.

It goes without saying that even though Hariss International was founded by men; women have played and continue to play a pivotal role in its continuous growth. They have chosen to challenge themselves and their male peers to deliver better quality products and thus elevate Hariss International to higher heights.

About Hariss International Limited.

Hariss International Limited is one of Uganda’s leading manufacturers of food and beverages. Since its inception in 2005, its food and beverages production line has been operating under the brand name RIHAM.

RIHAM has grown into a well-known household brand over the years, and has greatly captured the support of the mass market. The brand currently operates a broad product portfolio comprising of Carbonated Soft Drinks, Natural Mineral Water, Juices, Malt & Energy Drinks, Premium & other biscuits.

Harris International Limited is a decorated Ugandan top tax pay, top people investor and a Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU) ambassador.  

RIHAM targets non-Sugar consumers with new Oner Apple ‘No Added Sugar’ drink.

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Our Reporter.

A December 2020 World Health Organisation (WHO) report underlined that non-communicable diseases such as Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Hypertension and Cancers were the leading causes of death in 2019 globally.

As such, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now make up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death, an increase from 4 of the 10 leading causes in 2000.

In Uganda, over 33 per cent of annual deaths by 2014 were attributed to five NCDs; heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and mental health and substance abuse.

Also referred to as Lifestyle diseases, NCDs are largely caused by what we consume. For example, minus genetic susceptibility, the other main causes of diabetes are overweight, high sugar intake and concentration in the body coupled with physical inactivity.

Nonetheless, if we can manage what we consume, exercise regularly and abide to a healthy diet, then we can definitely reduce the burden of NCDs in Uganda and globally.

One way of achieving this is by taking organic foods and juices such as Oner Apple NO ADDED SUGAR drink. 

Manufactured by Hariss International, Oner Apple NO ADDED SUGAR is made from natural apples with no SUGAR added. A 500ml plastic bottle is available in all retail outlets, supermarkets, bars and restaurants countrywide at a recommended retail price of UGX 2,000. 

Oner Apple drink with no Sugar added is tasty, feels natural and is refreshing. It tastes like real apple blended without sugar. I hope Hariss International can keep this up by ensuring that they keep this without sugar additives and extend other ‘no sugar’  flavours to its Oner mango and berry juices,” Becky Nagasha, noted after testing Oner Apple NO ADDED SUGAR for the first time.

Apples contain a high amount of vitamin C also known as ascorbic acid which can help boost the body’s resistance to both infections and damage to body cells.

Like the saying goes, an Apple a day keeps the doctor away. This Apple is now contained in a single 500ml bottle of Oner Apple NO ADDED SUGAR.

About Hariss International Limited.

Hariss International Limited is one of Uganda’s leading manufacturers of food and beverages. Since its inception in 2005, its food and beverages production line has been operating under the brand name RIHAM.

RIHAM has grown into a well-known household brand over the years, and has greatly captured the support of the mass market. The brand currently operates a broad product portfolio comprising of Carbonated Soft Drinks, Natural Mineral Water, Juices, Malt & Energy Drinks, Premium & other biscuits.

Harris International Limited is a Ugandan top tax pay, top people investor and a Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU) ambassador.  

Meet Dorah Bazirake Owiyo, one of the great women you ought to celebrate on Women’s day

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With a passion for customer care, it’s no surprise that Dorah Owiyo Chief Operations Officer of Jumia Uganda has managed to take those customer care skills to the next level by using them to encompass even more stakeholders

Who is Dorah Bazirake Owiyo?

“I am the Chief Operations Officer for Jumia Uganda, a role I have been in for the past 3 years.

My job entails a lot, operations starts from the moment a customer places an order all the way up to when delivery is made. My job is to make sure all the stakeholders in between are happy, including the vendors. So for that I work closely with all departments to make sure everything is running smoothly.” she says

Dorah started off building a career in customer care for over 6 years – first in banking where she started as a customer service executive, worked in customer service for over 6 years. She specialized in making customers always cared for and happy.

“ After I left the bank, I decided to pursue one of my other passions – fashion & design. I enjoy all things that involve art & design so I got into making dresses as well as interior design. While I enjoyed being an entrepreneur, I decided to pursue a career with Jumia because I wanted to have a better understanding of the start up industry having just started one myself.” Dorah added.

At Jumia, she started off by doing what she loves – customer experience. As the head of customer experience she was in charge of making sure customers had an all round great experience when shopping on the app, from the shopping experience on the app, down to the prices of products before she worked her way up to her current role – Chief Operations Officer.

Like every job, it has its challenges, you have to be flexible, quick on your feet to make sure things happen effectively & also to guide the teams. But my passion and experience keep me going.

On what it means working as a woman in a role, she says she strives everyday to challenge stereotypes people have about the role.

“E-commerce is one of those industries where your mind and work speaks for itself – we still have to bridge the gap in terms of women challenging themselves more and being more outspokenHowever I am glad that I have been given a place on the table to make changes and be part of the problem solving.

Day in, Dorah works to challenge any stereotypes & boost the confidence of the women that work with her because it is important to make sure they never feel less than or doubt their skills and capabilities.

Career advice for young women

As women we have more expectations put against us, to take care of ourselves, our homes, our careers but we are naturally graced with the skill to multitask so my advice would be to stay focused, know what you want and don’t be afraid to to challenge the status quo.

CMA, UMA sign MOU to increase access to financing from the Capital Markets

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The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will enable Uganda’s manufacturing sector to take advantage of customized training on the various options for raising long-term capital to bolster their uptake of non-bank, market-based financing that best fits their needs.

Mr. Keith Kalyegira, the CMA Chief Executive Officer said the MOU will enable the CMA and UMA to consult, exchange information, and cooperate closely to expose UMA members to alternative means of meeting their financing needs, by tapping into both private and public markets.  

“Following the signing of this MOU, the CMA looks forward to building the capacity of UMA members to increase access to market-based financing. Non-bank financing can drastically bring down the cost of raising capital which is relatively high and negatively impacts manufacturing. This will hasten Uganda’s socio-economic growth and transformation,” he said.

Mr. Deo Kayemba, the Vice-Chairman, Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA); said that this partnership will offer industrialists insight into the various financing options available through the Capital Markets.

“The succession of businesses in manufacturing entities in Uganda; both at governance (board) level and shareholding level is largely focused on families with little or no interest to include more members outside their families. This partnership, therefore intends, through collaboration and research, to establish hybrid financing options, as well as identify and influence changes in law that allow for offering financing without requiring significant changes in shareholding structures,” he said.

Mr. Daniel Birungi, the Executive Director, UMA, said that that the collaboration will explore the promotion of market-based financing for manufacturers as a means of reducing the cost of capital that currently negatively impacts manufacturing as a priority sector for Uganda’s socio-economic growth and transformation.

“Manufacturers in the Scholastic materials, the beverages sector among others who have suffered from a slow-down in business due to the guidelines that were instituted by the World Health Organisation to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. “Therefore, the MoU with CMA is a move towards better Capital Markets solutions for SME financing; a solution that will also catalyze recovery from the crisis occasioned by the pandemic,” Mr. Daniel added.

Since 1998, industrialists such as Kakira Sugar Limited, Uganda Clays, Cipla Quality Chemicals, British American Tobacco have turned to the capital markets for financing through corporate bonds – which have all been well subscribed.

Kakira sugar issued a 10 year, $30million (about sh76 billion) corporate bond in 2013.

Other firms that have issued corporate bonds include East African Development Bank (EADB), the Trade Development Bank (TDB), MTN, Uganda Telecom Limited, Standard Chartered Bank, Housing Finance Bank Limited, Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited, African Development Bank (AfDB).

Even more firms, such as; Umeme, Vision Group, Uganda Clays, Stanbic, Bank of Baroda, Dfcu, National Insurance Corporation (NIC), East African Development Bank (EADB), the Trade Development Bank (TDB), MTN, Uganda Telecom Limited, Standard Chartered Bank, Housing Finance Bank Limited, Stanbic Bank Uganda Limited, African Development Bank (AfDB)have listed equity on the Uganda Securities Exchange.

Mr. Dickson Ssembuya, the CMA director for research and market development pointed out that in addition to providing much-needed capital to expand the operations of the manufacturing industry, non-bank financing also offers a clear path for succession, ensuring that manufacturing firms continue in operation even after their founders have left.

“We want Ugandan manufacturers to increase their uptake of non-bank financing such as through acquiring private equity, listing shares on the two licensed securities exchanges and/or by offering corporate bonds privately or publically. Our experts will train UMA’s members on the various ways to raise capital and the steps they need to take to participate in non-bank financing,” Ssembuya said.

 About the CMA

The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) is a statutory body, established in 1996 by the Capital Markets Authority Act (Cap 84) as amended, to promote, develop and regulate the capital markets industry. CMA is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

About Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA)

The Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) represents small, medium, and large manufacturers in every industrial sector. The UMA is a powerful voice of the manufacturing fraternity and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the national, regional, and global economy.

Uganda Business Facilitation Centre to be opened in July 2021

Completion works on the Uganda Business Facilitation Centre (UBFC) in Kololo are now at 75% with the building expected to be completed in July 2021. The development was revealed during a guided tour of the facility by URSB Board led by the Chairman Ambassador Francis Butagira accompanied by the Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho. The 12 floor-storied, four-basement facility will house the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), Capital Markets Authority and Uganda Investment Authority to work in an integrated manner in providing the business community and investors with the necessary documents they need to facilitate business and investments process in the same building.

Addressing a meeting that comprised the contractors, board members and other officials, Ambassador Butagira said the excellent work culture prevailing at URSB has contributed significantly to the remarkable achievements the organization has achieved and the credit goes to the officers and staff for these unwavering efforts.

The initiatives taken by the URSB with support from the Government & other stakeholders towards transformation have become a model to emulate for many other organisations, he said. “As the board, we have made remarkable achievements together with management. it is now time to concentrate on development of infrastructure to meet the expectations of our clients. The Uganda Business Facilitation Centre will offer URSB with better stature to cement their mandate. The fact that the facility also houses other partner agencies involved in the ease of doing business which will enable faster transaction times in service delivery across all services” Butagira added

With the construction now in the completion stages, he reiterated that work is not yet over. ‘ ‘We have to deliver world-class services that match the standards of this new office building in order to satisfy our clients’ needs’ Butagira said

Commenting on the progress of the construction works, the Registrar General, observed that the new offices are much more spacious and that they evidently present a good working environment for staff. “The new offices look fantastic. We hope that this environment will provide staff with facilities that will make their work more enjoyable and productive,” Kainobwisho said.

The move to a permanent head office is a major milestone for URSB as it will save on the enormous amounts of money spent on renting facilities while giving the organization a stable repute and comfortable working conditions. “The new office provides a more conducive environment for staff and for our work. It also provides enhanced security since access to the office is controlled by finger imaging. We thank the Board, Government of Uganda and the World Bank for support in approving resources that facilitated this construction,” noted the Registrar General

The building will also house a One Stop Centre with over 15 service points which will improve service delivery to the private sector by ensuring that less time is taken in registering and starting a business. The country’s business ranking improved by 11 positions from 127th to 116th out of 190 economies on the backdrop of reforms geared at making it easy for investors to start a business.

The UBFC is being undertaken under the Competitiveness & Enterprise Development Project (CEDP), as a Government of Uganda project funded by the World Bank and coordinated by the Private Sector Foundation.

URSB and Stanbic Business Incubator announce partnership to support MSME growth & sustainability

An exciting new partnership was announced today between Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), a semi-autonomous Government agency charged with formalization of businesses and registration of intellectual property, and the Stanbic Business Incubator which provides training, mentoring and business development services for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The main aim of the joint collaboration is to support and drive economic growth in Uganda through enabling formalization for MSME’s, training them to overcome some of their challenges while nurturing innovation through protection of intellectual property and commercialization of creations. “URSB is proud to welcome the Stanbic business incubator to the growing number of support entities that are keen on enhancing the business growth environment. Our core focus is not to only support businesses to formalize, but we also ensure that they thrive, get commercial value from their innovations and grow. This partnership that is geared towards creating innovation hubs presents a truly transformative approach for growing our economy through business’’ Mercy K Kainobwisho, the Registrar General said.

URSB has over the years been involved in efforts to formalize business operations for the bulk of MSMEs who form over 80% of Uganda’s business sector and has front-led collaborative efforts to stimulate innovation, accelerate ease of doing business and continuously provide support services to keep entrepreneurs in business. Tony Otoa, the Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic Business Incubator said the partnership would help support and nurture MSMEs to prepare for and harness business and growth opportunities. “We are always looking towards partnering with entities that have similar interests in supporting businesses to thrive. Our intensive training in entrepreneurial attitude, financial literacy, business analysis and planning as well as compliance and corporate governance are a timely addition to URSB’s services that promote the ease of doing business and nurturing of innovations”

As part of the announcement, the collaboration will also will focus more on the creative industry leading to the creation of an innovation hubs to attract, nurture and support innovative entrepreneurs protect their creations, besides helping them attract financing using their intellectual property as collateral.

Another exciting aspect of this new partnership is that URSB and the Stanbic business incubator programme will offer MSME mentorship and training programmes across the country to encourage nation-wide business support. The two will also explore opportunities how to onboard Local Governments who have been identified as fertile grounds for starter innovators that need mentoring.