Airtel Uganda has today announced and implemented a reduction in the Mobile Money tax from 1% to 0.5 per cent, only applicable to only withdrawals.
This follows the President’s ascension to the Excise Duty (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2018 which provides for the amendment of the Mobile Money tax of 1% on all transactions to 0.5% on withdrawals.
V.G. Somasekhar – Airtel Uganda MD
Commenting about the amendment, Mr. V.G. Somasekhar the Airtel Uganda Managing Director expressed gratitude to the Government, Parliament and other Authorities for being responsive to feedback from mobile money users and agents.
“We welcome this change in revising the tax to 0.5% applicable only on withdrawals,” he stated, adding that Airtel pledges to continue providing reliable and affordable telecommunications solutions, while maintaining compliance to the regulatory procedures of Uganda.
Early this year, the President of Uganda assented to the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill 2018, which placed a 1% levy on receiving, making payments, and withdraws through mobile money transactions.
Following feedback from different stakeholders, the tax on Bank to Wallet transfers and deposits was dropped on July 4, 2018 requiring telecoms to refund mobile money user that had carried out transactions in that season.
“We effected the refund ahead of the industry. The process was seamless,” Mr Somasekhar said. The move is in the right direction and will facilitate growth and penetration of financial inclusion in Uganda.
In case of any queries, customers are advised to contact the Airtel Uganda customer care team on 100 or visit the head office at Clement Hill.
If you are need of furniture, here is a better deal for you. Latest info reaching our desk has it that House of J Forest Mall branch is in stock clearance. Great discount is on offer from now. “We are doing stock clearance and we call upon our customers to come and enjoy holiday discount on the offer,” Jackie said.
House of J has High Quality furniture for every home. The beauty of a house depends on the quality of décor both indoor and outdoor. You want your house to look wonderful and admirable then House of J located on the first floor at Forest Mall has everything.
“Everything at House of J reflects a love for art, beauty, quality and excellence. In addition to selling furniture, we always go an extra mile to ensure that we advise our clients on their interior design needs at no extra cost,” Says Jacqueline Rwivanga the director of House of J.
House of J a furniture store located on Forest mall in Lugogo and deals in an assortment of products, including indoor and outdoor furniture, carpets, flower pots and art pieces.
For more details on stock clearing please contact +256755 684 561 or +256790 388 699
dfcu Bank in partnership with Monitor Publications Limited’s (MPL) flagship brand Daily Monitor and Uganda Investment Authority-UIA, awarded various women entrepreneurs who participated in the Rising Woman Expo which featured over 100 women led businesses. The expo was the peak of the Rising Woman initiative that was launched in July 2018 to recognize, celebrate and promote a culture of mentorship among women in business in Uganda.
dfcu bank recognized and awarded 3 women entrepreneurs with cash prizes of up to UGX 30,000,000 million and an all-expense paid study tour trip to Nairobi after emerging victorious in a highly competitive proposal writing competition. The awards ceremony was presided over by the former Vice President H.E Dr. Specioza Wandera Kazibwe.
The overall winner Krystal Ice Limited took home UGX 15,000,000 million, The cradle care mobile Application group, the first runner up was awarded UGX 10,000,000 million and second runner up Kalaa Mugosi Women Empowerment Limited received UGX 5,000,000 million.
According to dfcu Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Juma Kisaame; “Over 650 women entrepreneurs have benefited from the Rising Woman initiative and we are proud that today, we have showcased some of the beneficiaries of this initiative. The purpose of running the competition was to ensure that women get an opportunity to articulate their business ideas in writing and win funding for the same.”
“The expo has provided women entrepreneurs with an opportunity to showcase their businesses as well as share knowledge with other fellow entrepreneurs.” He added.
As part of the Expo there were also a series of business clinics on topics including; How to effectively sell/market products, embracing digital platforms to grow business and Juggling business and family.
“I would like to congratulate all the great women who took part in this competition as well as the expo. I applaud dfcu Bank, Daily Monitor and the UIA for the work they have done to support, train and guide women entrepreneurs in Uganda. With initiatives like this, we are driving economic development by supporting women who are the backbone of most of our households,” Said Specioza Kazibwe.
Over thirty-five thousand (35,000) women have benefited from the dfcu WiB capacity building sessions since inception of the programme in 2007. They have been trained in matters of taxation, record keeping, investment licenses, importance of business registration and marketing.
Emirates, the world’s largest international airline and winner of the Aviation 100 ‘Middle East & Africa Airline of the Year’ award, showcased its revamped, award-winning onboard products and services to Ugandan journalists during a tour of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Emirates Economy Class
Emirates revamped its products and services across all cabin classes and the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft spots a refreshed interior with a light and modern colour scheme, textured panels, new lighting and design accents.
Emirates cabin crew member showing members of the media some of Emirates’ various amenity kits during the static tour
The aircraft which was on display for media at Entebbe International Airport, has a three class cabin configuration, with eight luxurious private seats in First Class, 42 roomy comfortable seats that convert into a fully flat bed in Business Class and up to 306 specially designed contoured seats in Economy Class.
Puneet Kohli Emirates Country Manager to Uganda speaks to the media during the Emirates static tour
The airline also launched a new menu for all its cabin classes for passengers flying from its East African to Dubai. Customers can now look forward to a new selection of their favourite local dishes on the Emirates onboard menu accompanied by a wide range of complimentary wines, spirits and beverages.
Emirates Business Class with electronically operated footrest and lumbar support, adjustable headrest seats
In the Business Class, customers can enjoy an electronically operated footrest and lumbar support, adjustable headrest, 23” HD LCD screen, touch screen controls for the seat and inflight entertainment system, several personal lighting options, shoe storage area, personal mini-bar, USB A for smart phone charging, USB C for data transfer to the screen and a PC power outlet for charging personal devices.
Emirates First Class
This all is complemented by exclusive Bulgari amenity kit bags that include signature Bulgari fragrances and lotions, along with other pamper essentials. Business Class customers can look forward to eight brand new designs. Customers will also enjoy regionally inspired gourmet cuisine as well as some the most exclusive wines, champagnes and spirits.
Emirates offers regionally inspired multi-course meals, prepared by Emirates’ master chefs as well as complimentary wines, spirits and cocktails
In the Economy Class, Emirates’ customers now have spacious seats that create both a relaxing and superior travel experience with a new colour palette of soft greys and blues. The ergonomically designed seats come with full leather headrests that have flexible side panels and can also be adjusted vertically for optimum support. These are complimented with a 13.3” HD LCD screen, leather and fabric combination seat covers, USB A for smart phone charging, USB C for data transfer to the screen and for smart phone charging, PC power outlet for charging personal devices and customers can also enjoy regionally inspired multi-course meals, prepared by Emirates’ master chefs as well as complimentary wines, spirits and cocktails.
Some of the kids amenities that Emirates offers on board
‘’We aspire to constantly innovate and provide the best travel experience for our travelers. Our new brand promise to ‘Fly Better’ resonates with the air travel experience we offer, which is comfortable and enjoyable in every cabin class. For us it’s all about offering our customers value for money by providing World Class products and services when travelling on Emirates, from gourmet meals to the famed hospitality of our multi-national cabin crew, including Ugandan nationals and our award-winning inflight entertainment,’’ said Puneet Kholi, Emirates Country Manager for Uganda.
On all Emirates’ flights, customers can look forward to over 1,000 hours of entertainment on the award winning inflight entertainment ice system, which offers over 3,500 channels in over 40 languages of on demand audio and visual entertainment, from latest movies, music, audio books and games, as well as family friendly products and services for children including complimentary toys, kids’ meals and movies, priority boarding for families and the use of free strollers at Dubai International Airport.
You can enjoy the award winning inflight entertainment system, ice, in comfort with over 3500 channels
Emirates flies daily between Entebbe and Dubai. EK730 flight takes off from Entebbe every day at 4.20pm and lands in Dubai at 10.50pm. To book, or for more information, terms and conditions, please visit www.emirates.com/ug or visit the local Emirates office or your travel agent.
Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Uganda has today announced its sponsorship of the 2018 MTN Kampala Marathon through its brand, Rwenzori Pure Natural Mineral Water.
From inception, Rwenzori Pure Natural Mineral Water has sponsored the MTN prestigious annual marathon and we are very proud of this association.
As part of the sponsorship, the beverages giant will handover UGX 75 million worth of water and UGX 75 million in cash. We shall also deploy 100 people to collect the plastic discarded during and after the run in continuation of their recycling efforts and efforts to remove used plastics from the environment, therefore limiting environmental hazards.
Speaking during the handover of the 2018 MTN marathon, CCBA`s Commercial Director Ivan Oboth said“Coca-Cola is always proud to be part of a good cause and we are passionate about improving maternal health – this year`s marathon theme, both as a Company and at a personal level. This relationship shall continue for many years to come. Ivan Oboth, the Commercial Director at CCBA Uganda. In the true spirit of the partnership, three hundred employees will participate in the Marathon, he concluded.
On his part, Mr. Simon Kaheru, the Public Affairs & Communications Director for Coca-Cola Beverages Africa congratulated MTN upon making 20 years in Uganda. He emphasized the fact the marathon gives us an opportunity to collect plastics and disseminate the message aboutrecycling to all participants so that we limit the environmental damage caused when plastic is not disposed of properly. We shall therefore deploy plastic collection points along the MTN Marathon route,” he added.
MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer Olivier Prentout welcomed CCBA’s sponsorship of the MTN Kampala Marathon. “We are proud to enjoy such a strong partnership with Rwenzori Mineral Water. To rally behind initiatives to cause a better standard of life for our customers and Ugandans at large is what true corporate social responsibility is.”. We know that we cannot do much without hydration and we are grateful for this continued gesture from Rwenzori especially this year when we added the regional marathons that called for more water.
Valery Oketcho, the MTN Communications Manager said the Company was awed by the talent out there in the regions. We are overwhelmed by the support of our partners with whom we have touched lives while dealing with various causes over the years.
In a bid to enhance recycling and waste segregation, Hariss International Limited the manufacturers of the Riham Products have entered into a partnership with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) where they will be providing Two Hundred and Seventy Five (275) Litter Bins to all KCCA schools, and division offices within Kampala District.
Hariss International Limited has a strategic goal to sensitize the youth in Uganda on the importance of plastic recycling. Their aim is to grow and inhabit a culture of recycling among the youth right from an earlier stage. They will invest in awareness initiatives, and easy to learn teaching campaigns that can assist the youth to understand what to recycle, how to recycle, and where to recycle.
Hariss International Limited believes in a spherical economy where recycled plastic bottles can not only be reused for various other purposes but where the act of recycling can also be used as an alternative source of income for our community and wealth creation for the nation.
They will be officially handing over the said litter bins to KCCA at Kawempe Church of Uganda Primary School on Monday, 19th November 2018.
“In order to grow a recycling culture within our nation it is quintessential for us to collectively set a foundation upon which recycling can actually be achieved. It would be somewhat pointless to request an individual to a recycle a plastic bottle when they have to walk over a mile to find a recycling point. Therefore we all have a responsibility not only as manufacturers but as citizens of Uganda, to see to it that we can ease access to recycling especially within schools where we are endeavoring to encourage the youth to inhabit a culture of environmental conservation,” Ms. Racheal Luwedde the Public Relations manager Hariss International Limited noted.
They anticipate to further grow such partnerships in collaboration with more local communities, municipals, and authorities across the country.
Fresh Dairy has also re-branded its ‘Pouch yoghurt’, following a recent re-brand of its ‘Cup yoghurt.’ What is the rationale behind this?
Fresh Dairy produces and packages yoghurt both in Cups and Pouches. We rebranded all our yoghurt as part of our strategy to satisfy the constantly changing needs of our customers while increasing market share both in Uganda and the East African region at large.
Both the Pouch and Cup yoghurt come in five flavours to include Strawberry, Vanilla, Mango, Plain and the latest addition – Mixed Berries. While the Pouch yoghurt only comes in 400gms, the Cup yoghurt is packed in various sizes ranging from 450g, 250g, 150g to 100g cups.
What else has the re-branding of all Fresh Dairy yoghurt come with?
As part of the re-branding process, we have also improved on all our yoghurt flavours. It took us more than a year in terms of research to come up with this recipe to make sure that what we have the most preferred yoghurt in Uganda today.
The rebranded yoghurt has been packaged with the latest technology called IML. We now have the most advanced technology to pack Fresh Dairy yoghurt in Uganda, which technology enhances the product’s security features to curb counterfeits.
Tell us about the new Fresh Dairy yoghurt plant
We recently installed a fully automated yoghurt plant that processes and packs all the yoghurt we produce with minimal human contact. The yoghurt plant is worth an investment of 1.4 million dollars and has a capacity to handle 80,000 litres of yoghurt daily. We believe that there is a huge production of growth for yoghurt in the coming 10 – 20 years in Uganda, the East African Region and internationally.
Does the Fresh Dairy rebranded yoghurt have preservatives to increase on its shelf life?
All our yoghurt is free of preservatives and additives. At Fresh Dairy, we believe that good quality milk products are made from good quality milk. To this end, we have invested in stringent milk testing procedures both upstream and downstream along the entire value chain to ensure that we use high quality milk in all our products.
What are the benefits of consuming yoghurt?
Yoghurt is a healthy and nutritious snack with rich benefits for the consumer. Yoghurt is an ideal nutrition booster rich in Vitamin A, B, D, E, Calcium and Potassium.
What is the recommended retail price for the newly rebranded Fresh Dairy pouch yoghurt?
The 400gm Yoghurt pouches are currently retailing for 1,900 Ushs and can be bought countrywide from Shops, Duukas, Kiosks, Supermarkets and Tricycle Agents.
Lastly, how is Fresh Dairy supporting the local farmers?
We are currently working with over 30,000 dairy farmers in Uganda who are supported through periodical trainings in cattle feeding, disease control, proper record keeping and clean milk production. All farmers whose milk is accepted are registered and paid immediately.
Video is driving the demand for data services as a key revenue generator for telecoms operators. At AfricaCom, the largest telecommunications event in Africa, global ICT giant Huawei highlighted the importance for carriers to focus on the end user experience and building a video ecosystem that will fully release new growth potential.
Huawei held its 3rd Video Forum at AfricaCom to discuss the evolution of video services, latest Telco video ecosystems and design of video-oriented business and network strategies.
“The strategic window for the video business opportunity is now open for Telcos. If video traffic proportion is doubled from 30% to 60%, DOU (Data of Usage) increases 5 times. The key is to enhance the user experience. As Huawei, we foresee a four hundred billion dollar market globally in video services for carriers over the next five years. Huawei hopes to strengthen the ability of operators to enhance the user experience and is committed to enabling operator success through video and experience-based network construction,’ said David Chen, VP of Huawei Southern Africa Region, during his opening remarks.
During the Video Forum, Huawei said video business potential should be realised through an all-round strategic partnership between various video industry role-players especially, OTT video service providers. More than 100 delegates from African Telcos and the video industry, including TikTok, Viskit, Harmonic and Hisense participated in the forum to discuss the evolution of video service, Telco video ecosystem and video-oriented business and network strategies.
David Chen’s remark echoed by Mr. Bobby Ramsoondur, Chief Marketing Officer of Mauritius Telecom at the forum. Ramsoondur said to ensure the best video experience, Mauritius Telecom deployed a nationwide pure fiber network and a 4K ready IPTV platform, in partnership with Huawei.
“Mauritius Telecom, with a 100% fibre coverage to households and the right TV content positioning strategy, has set the momentum to ensure the best video experience for its customers. Video network capabilities, being a crucial aspect of the video industry, Mauritius Telecom in partnership with Huawei has invested in a 4K ready IPTV platform. The company is aiming to provide its customers with a topnotch service quality and a Next Generation TV viewing experience,” Bobby says.
Wanda Mkhize, Executive Content and VS Gaming at Telkom SA said, entertainment content is the biggest driver of internet usage and the genetics of a successful video product should at least include compelling content, a unique proposition in the market and an ability to reach scale.
“Entertainment usage is determined by connection type and data accessibility. This is where the biggest need for upgrade lies. Telkom has chosen to be an open enabler for both content provider and viewers. With services including FREEME and LIT, we provide always-on data connectivity, we aim for a 3-way-win business model between Operator, consumer and OTT.” Wanda said.
The Minister for ICT and National Guidance Hon. Frank Tumwebaze has today paid a visit to Young Engineers Uganda to check on their learning.
The minister said he was very impressed by their STEM model to learning and very wonderful innovations. Hon. Frank said he has been challenging the country’s innovators to come up with local alternative social Apps to challenge WhatsApp, Wechat etc. He said he is happy about the breakthrough which is in sight.
“This bucks social app i saw at Young Engineers Uganda does everything (messages text & audio, videos, money). I am happy that our ecosystem is advancing. Government will continue to support these efforts. We shall work with @YoungEngUganda & other innovators with ready apps to get them patents. @URSBHQ will help in this. Let us keep our digital journey focused, leverage our connectivity investments and sell our young people intellectual property (innovation). I thank comrades Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Maureen Rugyendo and others who are in charge at Young Engineers Uganda for the great work,” Frank said.
As Bryan White Foundation under its architect Bryan White continue to change lives of street gang affected members, seven members who recently denounced the criminal activities have started a new life under the guidance of Bryan White Foundation (BWF).
On Monday, Bryan White welcomed seven members who told appalling stories of grabbing and stealing of people’s property along Kampala streets and surrounding towns.
The members said they have started a fresh life free from criminal and were pleased with the help Bryan White and his foundation are giving them.
Bryan White while receiving the youths at his foundation makeshift offices, said there is need for people with authorities and platform to engage the young generation into proper direction.
“I call upon every Ugandan who has the authority or platform to talk to the youth to change their ways of living. They lack direction and need help for sure, we must change their mindset and instill hope in them that there is life after street gangs,” Bryan White.
“These youths don’t want to know and all they are looking for is life… we need to talk them and explain what is on the ground by giving them proper direction. Our children need a sorted future free from criminals and if we don’t talk to these street kids then we won’t have a secure future for them (children),” he added.
