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 MTN Uganda in partnership with Ker Kwaro Acholi, has today launched a bicycle racing competition targeting the 8 districts of the chiefdom. The bicycle race competitions were launched in an event held at the Ker Kwaro Acholi headquarters in the northern city of Gulu, where the jerseys of the participants were unveiled to the media and the institution’s administrators. 

MTN Uganda is the exclusive sponsor of the Ker Kwaro Acholi bicycle race competitions based on an ongoing partnership signed in 2019 but delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. The competitions shall traverse the eight districts of Acholi namely; Agago, Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum, Lamwo, Nwoya, Pader and Omoro.

The much-anticipated MTN Ker Kwaro Acholi bicycle races are set to kick off in October 2022 with preliminary competitions at district level, from where the top 10 winners will qualify to represent their districts in the final race that shall be held in Gulu City. The overall winners of the competitions will walk away with assorted cash prizes courtesy of MTN Uganda.

While launching the MTN Ker Kwaro Acholi Bicycle Race competition in Gulu, Phillip Odoi, the MTN Uganda Northern Region Business Manager said that MTN identified and is working with cultural institutions because they are a strong community establishment that fosters shared beliefs and unity of purpose, which resonates with MTN’s #GoodTogether notion. 

“MTN partnered with Ker Kwaro Acholi to foster the socio-economic wellbeing of its people through supporting health, education, and sports initiatives. As such, we are happy to be launching an activity that will further bring together the people of Acholi,” Odoi said adding that while cultural institutions embody our heritage, sport has the power to reinforce the values of unity and teamwork.

Rt. Hon Ambrose Olaa, the Prime Minister of Ker Kwaro Acholi thanked MTN Uganda for rolling out this exciting cycling competition in the Acholi sub region.

“I am happy to note that these exciting bicycle races will bring the people of Ker Kwaro Acholi together for a good cause. I want to reassure MTN that in the chiefdom of Ker Kwaro, you have a reliable partner. We pledge our continued support to the company. We are very excited and look forward to these races,” Olaa said.

Over years, MTN and people of Ker Kwaro Acholi have had a cordial relationship, that was only amplified with the signing of a partnership agreement in 2019. The agreement entails MTN Uganda working together with the Ker Kwaro leadership to support the Chiefdom’s efforts to uplift socio cultural welfare of the people in the Acholi sub region through jointly undertaking health, education and sports initiatives.

While this is the first-ever sports activity, MTN has in the past undertaken initiatives in health and education in the Acholi region such as the refurbishment and kitting of Cwero Health Center III maternity ward in 2019 as well as constructing a classroom block Kuc Ki Gen PEAS high school in Lamwo among other projects.

MTN is keen on working with cultural institutions because they are a strong community establishment that fosters shared beliefs and unity of purpose.

The talented youth that emerged top 5 from the MTN Pulse Hip Hop awards under the cypher challenge category this year have premiered their debut rap song as a group, titled “Bikaaye”. 

MTN Uganda introduced the MTN Pulse Cypher challenge to discover, nurture, and support raw talent in the hip-hop industry by providing young talented artists with a platform to showcase and achieve their dreams

This platform gave the youth an opportunity to showcase their rapping and musical skills which has in turn given them a chance to work with a top industry producer, Benon Mugumbya of Swangz avenue. 

Over the weekend, the five winners namely; Allan Watikha aka the champion, Ibrahim Balunywa, Missy Anena, Lord Thiko and Mootownoh alongside Benon Mugumbya of Swangz Avenue premiered their debut rap single dubbed “Bikaaye” in an exclusive listeners’ party held at the Drop restaurant & bar in Muyenga.

“Bikaaye” which can be loosely translated as “Things have become tougher” was written and produced by the top five winners of the MTN pulse hip hop cypher awards in collaboration with Swangz avenue. The song is a reflection of the everyday hustler’s life, that pushes the youth to brave the challenging times of economic hardships in the country according to Allan Watikha.

“The experience has been massive, I thought after the competitions everyone was going to go their own way but MTN gave us a platform to express ourselves and reach a wider audience. MTN pulse kept us together and tipped us on the new opportunities that can push us to higher levels. Now here we are premiering our own record song” said Watikha.

Missy Anena Ochola alias King Missy, the only girl in the top five winners expressed her gratitude to the organizers of the challenge affirming that this experience has helped her step into her own as a rapper and recognize what she too has to offer in the music industry.

“Being the only girl in this challenge has built my confidence and esteem. I feel encouraged and hope that I can inspire many young girls out there who think rapping is only for boys. I thank MTN and Swangz avenue for encouraging me and considering my creativity in the hip hop industry, I can’t wait to grow big and better,” said Anena.

Faiza Fabz Salima the MTN Pulse Ambassador, said that one of the best opportunities MTN has given to Ugandan Youth is a platform that speaks to their ambitions and dreams and allows them to prove they too can make it out there in the world.

Balunywa thanked MTN for giving them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the gravity of their talents as rappers and be able to show the world what they can do.

“It is such an honour and delight to see young people do what they love and work towards making their dreams a reality,” Salima said.

MTN Uganda is committed to providing the benefits of a modern connected world and harnessing the youth’s potential to reach their desired goals through its youth platform, MTN Pulse.

Additionally, MTN Pulse has Dope Deals and Dope Life for the youths. Simply download the MTN Pulse App and join Pulse Nation where you get discounts on an array of MTN products and services as well as those from their partners such as Safe Boda, Jumia, KFC and Cake nation among others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The MTN-Bunyoro sponsored bicycle races took off in an exciting manner on Friday morning at Buyanja secondary school playground in Kibaale district with 60 participants at the beginning line.

The bicycle races being the first of their kind in the region started off in the Kiryandongo district earlier this month and have now progressed to the second race of the first edition of the Bunyoro Kitara kingdom championships.

The MTN-sponsored races are giving both women and men the opportunity to participate in bicycle races using ordinary day-to-day bicycles. The races will cover 20km in distance and allow 5 winners to compete for attractive cash prizes.

The race route started off at Buyanja SS playground through to Karuguuza town council, Katerera roundabout, Busaana-Kibingo hakabanda, Matale-Kajuma-Kisojo road, Kayanja igomero, Kahyoro-Kibaale town council, Busaana-Bujuni parish, Katerera-Kakumiro road then turned off to Hon. Kasaija’s home up to Karuguuza-Kikangaara road before rounding back to Buyanja SS playground where it started off.

One of the winners receives a cash price after the race in Kibaale

According to the Bunyoro kingdom prime minister Andrew Byakutaga one of the many kingdom officials present at the event, the bicycle competitions this year are aimed at identifying and uplifting the talent of cyclists in the Bunyoro kingdom.

“We are enjoying a fruitful and harmonious relationship with MTN which also supports the annual coronation anniversary of the Omukama Solomon Gafabusa Iguru” he said 

“As a kingdom, we appreciate the support MTN has offered to us as a partner and their big role as the sole sponsors of these bicycle races which will take place in all the counties of the kingdom,” added Byakutaga 

Cyclists asssembling for take off in Kibaale disstrict

The winners for the day were Jackson Kamara in the first position with a cash prize of UGX 500,000, William Kugonza in the second position with UGX 400,000, Stephen Tayebwa in the third position with a cash price of UGX 300,00, James Musiime in fourth place who won UGX 100,000 same as Clovis Kwesiima who came in the fifth position.

One of the participants, Julius Musinguzi praised MTN saying that in the past years they have not had bicycle races before and that this will be an opportunity for new talent identification and development.

Cyclists riding to the finish line in Kibaale for the Bunyoro bicyccle races

“We appreciate the support that MTN has given to our people and we pray and hope that all races will be peaceful and that we will even perform better at the grand finale in Hoima” concluded Musinguzi

The Bunyoro bicycle races are aimed at bringing the Bunyoro community together and also discovering new talent and harnessing it through friendly competitions.

MTN Uganda also supported the Bunyoro kingdom in organizing the third cultural festival that took place in June this year at the Booma playgrounds in Hoima city and also successfully organized other sports events such as the Amasaza football tournament, Empango Marathon, Omugo netball tournament, Enganda football tournament & boat racing competitions.

 

The first edition of the MTN-sponsored Ker Alur Kingdom bicycle race competition dubbed “MTN Ker Alur Bicycle Races” was concluded on Saturday in the West Nile District of Zombo. The 100 participants were flagged off by the King of Ker Alur His Royal Majesty Ubimu Phillip Rauni III.

Launched two months ago, the races that are part of the ongoing partnership between MTN Uganda and the Ker Alur kingdom were a build-up to the upcoming 12th Coronation Anniversary of the King of Ker Alur. Under this partnership, MTN Uganda seeks to socioeconomically uplift the people of Ker Alur through health, education and sports initiatives.

As suggested by the King of the land, the bicycle races that were launched two months ago were held under the theme “Ending child Pregnancies and Marriage” in Alur land.

In his keynote speech at the grand finale of the bicycle racing competition, His Royal Majesty Philip Olarker Rauni III urged parents for good parenting of their young girls for better futures.

Charity-Kwiyucwiny-Holding-dummy-cheque-the-1strunner-up-in-the-womens-race-poses-for-a-photo-with-some-of-the-Ker-Alur-leaders

“The kingdom is working hard to ensure that early child marriages come to an end. We are striving to get rid of the cultural practices that fuel teenage pregnancies,” said his Royal Majesty Pjillip Olaker Rauni III.

The highly engaging bicycle races attracted 100 participants of all genders including women, men and differently-abled people from the three Ker Alur sub-regions of Pakwach, Nebbi and Zombo districts. 

Each of the 3 districts was represented by their top cyclists; The male participants rode a distance of 30 Kilometers while their female counterparts covered a distance of 15 Kilometers. The differently-abled people and children also took part in the race that saw all winners of the day walking away with assorted cash, among other prizes.

Charity Ayikuru from Nebbi district secured the first position in the women’s race category, a victory that saw her win the grand cash prize of Ugx.1,500,000/= and a brand-new bicycle. In the second position was Charity Kwiyucwiny from Zombo district. She walked away with Ugx.700,000/= while Magritte Agita from Nebbi, who came third won a cash prize of Ugx.300,000/=.

In the men’s category, Zombo district’s Nickson Asiimwe scooped the grand prize of Ugx.1,500,000 after emerging the winner. In second position was Pakwach’s Stephen Kumakech who won Ugx.700,000/= while Zombo’s Stephen Oboth who came third won Ugx.300,000/= all courtesy of MTN Uganda.

The King of Ker Alur waves to the masses during the MTN Ker Alur bucycle races finale that was held in Zombo over the weekend

Speaking at the event, Phillip Odoi the MTN Uganda Northern Region Business Manager thanked the King of Ker Alur for the great partnership that exists between MTN Uganda and the Kingdom.  

“This bicycle race has been very successful and it has clearly demonstrated what can be achieved if companies unite with communities for the greater good of society. We are happy to note that the partnership between MTN Uganda and Ker Alur is growing stronger. We pledge to keep supporting the Kingdom in its pursuit of socioeconomic growth and development.,” Odoi said.

Odoi further thanked the people of Ker Alur for embracing the races and for using the competition as an opportunity to sensitize the kingdom against early marriage and teenage pregnancy in the region. 

The King of ker Alur (C) alongside MTN and Ker Alur officials at the just concluded MTN Ker Alurbicycle races finale

Based on the 2019 agreement between Ker Alur Kingdom and MTN, the Telecom company has been working with the kingdom to enable the socio-economic upliftment of its people through sports, education and health.

In accordance with the agreement, MTN Uganda is set to officially launch a maternity ward at Pakwach Health Center IV that it refurbished and re-equipped in a bid to extend better maternal services in the region.

As a corporate company that is keen on promoting the notion of shared value, MTN is committed to working with Ker Alur Kingdom for the socio-economic upliftment of its people.

Below is the list of the MTN Ker Alur Final bicycle race winners and the prizes that they won. 

Women – 15 Kilometers
Position County Cyclists’ Name Cash Prize
1st Nebbi  Charity Ayikuru 1,500,000 and a bicycle
2nd Zombo Charity Kwiyucwiny 700,000
3rd Nebbi Magritte Agita 300,000
Men – 30 Kilometers
1st Zombo Nickson Asiimwe 1,500,000 
2nd Pakwach Stephen Kumakech 1,500,000
3rd Zombo Stephen Oboth 300,000

 

Friday 23rd September 2022-Kampala Uganda: The MTN MoMo Hackathon has come to an end with the top three teams of developers walking away with assorted cash prizes to further invest in their ideas that are set to accelerate financial inclusion in the country. 

The two months long Hackathon executed by MTN MoMo Uganda Limited in partnership with the Outbox hub attracted 149 applications who went through various checks and tests bringing the number down to 12 applicants from which the top three winners were selected today following a pitch to a panel of seasoned judges from MTN MoMo and Outbox hub.

Team e-wage, Team MpaMpe and Team M-Pay had the top 3 innovations that emerged as winners of the Hackathon that was concluded today at the Outbox hub in Kampala under the theme “Innovative financial and transactional applications”. 

Team e-wage that came first walked away with the grand cash prize of 5,000 USD, Team MpaMpe which came 2nd won 3,000 USD while the 3rd team, M-Pay won 2,000 USD courtesy of MTN MoMo Uganda Limited. The money will be used as seed capital for the winners to invest in their innovations.

Speaking at the event, Richard Yego, the MTN MoMo Uganda Ltd Managing Director said that with more people appreciating digital financial services, such applications will further bridge the financial inclusion gap and deliver more seamless customer experiences.

“Tech-based financial solutions and applications are becoming increasingly necessary as more people are beginning to appreciate the use of such life-changing innovations. It is against this background that MTN decided to give third parties access to its mobile money programming Interface to enable them develop such vital solutions without facing the cost of building and maintaining new APIs,” Yego said.

Yego further noted that as MTN Uganda grows its service offering, they aim to create a marketplace that supports cashless and digital economies through affordable, inclusive, understandable and comprehensive financial services. 

 

Outbox’s Richard Zulu (L) and MTN MoMo’s Richard Yego at the awarding ceremony of the Hackathon winners

In his remarks, Richard Zulu, founding member and team lead at Outbox emphasized the importance of hackathons for playing a role in creating interest and providing a foundation for software engineers and developers. 

“Our mandate is to link developers and aspiring entrepreneurs to opportunities that expose them to learn about what other developers across MTN’s footprint and beyond are doing to inspire innovations that will drive Africa’s progress. I implore developers to utilize such opportunities to network as that is how learning and growth happens”, Zulu said. 

In addition to the cash prizes, the three selected teams will utilize the MTN MoMo open API to integrate their product into the current MTN MoMo offering, which will create a wider range of digital financial offerings for MTN’s customers.

However, all the twelve teams that participated in the pitch day will get access to the MTN Global Community Developer group where they will have first-hand experience on how to code for projects on a wider market. 

Summary of the Top Three Winners ideas

1st Position- E-wage App

e-wage will be an online payroll system for casual workers that uses the momo API disbursement service to send wages to the mobile account of casual workers which will replace how many companies pay casual workers which involves standing in long queues to get weekly wages. The application will also keep records, process payments and ease the work of processing weekly payrolls for casual workers.

 

2nd Position- MpaMpe App

MpaMpe will be a hybrid crowdfunding application that seeks to bridge the gap between the needy/beneficiaries/campaigners and funders/sponsors/donors to support their ideas through a transparent model and accountability of funds. MpaMpe locally means ‘Give Me I Give Out’. It is a financial and digital inclusion web app created to tackle local community needs in Uganda post-covid-19 pandemic.

 

3rd Position- M-Pay

M-pay will be an online platform that enables users to create a wallet, deposit funds directly onto it and then have the wallet balance paid out to a number of multiple subscribers with a single transaction.  

Vocational education in the Albertine region has received a major boost following the handover of a fully furnished ICT laboratory to Millennium Business School today. The facility jointly established by MTN Uganda and Enabel is aimed at facilitating ICT-enhanced learning.

Enabel Resident Representative Tom Vanneste says that given the importance of ICT skills in today’s world of work, the laboratory will play a key role in preparing young people for employment.

“ICT in education has been reduced to learning basic ICT skills, including word processing and working with spreadsheets. To bring vocational education into the 21st century, ICT will need to find its way into the workshops e.g. by utilizing car diagnostics apps for motor vehicle maintenance in the practical instruction workshops,” Vanneste says.

He however reveals that many vocational training institutes lack adequate computers, trained ICT staff, and ICT content and programmes.

To address the challenge, MTN Uganda provided computers and servers. It also supported the production of audio-visual learning teaching and learning content. MTN will additionally provide Millennium Business School internet for at least one year.

“The internet is full of relevant online Open Educational Resources that could help to boost technical and vocational training and keep learning up to date with the latest technology,” Vanneste says.

This is the second phase of the partnership between MTN and Enabel. In the initial phase, the Belgian development agency worked with the telecommunications provider to establish similar ICT laboratories at Amelo Technical Institute (Adjumani), St. Simon Peter’s Vocational Training Centre (Hoima), and St. Daniel Comboni Polytechnic (Moroto).

This second phase targets another set of three institutions including Millennium Business School. Other beneficiary institutions include; Uganda Technical College Kyema and Kasese Youth Polytechnic.

“MTN Uganda is intently committed to delivering the benefits of a modern connected world to everyone. We believe in creating leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress and accelerating the achievement of this vision through strategic partnerships such as the one with Enabel ” said the Senior Manager MTN Uganda Foundation, Bryan Mbasa.

Enabel through the Support to Skilling Uganda project is upgrading the institutions receiving the ICT support to Centres of Vocational Excellence through various initiatives including integration of ICT in teaching and learning, infrastructure development, private sector-led vocational training, etc.

MTN Uganda in partnership with Busoga Kingdom has today launched an MTN-sponsored bicycle racing competition in the Eastern Kingdom of Busoga. This bicycle racing competition launch comes only days after the kingdom concluded a four-month-long MTN sponsored football tournament dubbed the Busoga Masaza cup that engaged all the counties of Busoga Kingdom.

The launch of the MTN sponsored Busoga Kingdom bicycle race competitions dubbed “Obugaali Bwa Masaza” took place at the Busoga Kingdom administrative headquarters in Bugembe, Jinja, where the bicycle racing jersey was unveiled to the press and Kingdom officials ahead of the competitions that are set to start on the 30th of this month.

Speaking at the launch of the Busoga Kingdom Obugaali Bwa Masaza, Jimmy Isaraza, MTN Uganda’s Eastern Region Business Manager confirmed that the bicycle races are part of the agreement that was signed between Busoga Kingdom and MTN back in 2019.

“Under our agreement with Busoga Kingdom, MTN Uganda pledged to support the Kingdom in the realization of its aspirations by undertaking projects particularly in the areas of education, health, and sports. We are happy to note that we are delivering our promise and we remain committed to being part of the initiatives that the Kyabazinga prides in,” Isaraza said.

Isaraza further noted that the Obugaali Bwa Masaza competitions will continue strengthening the bond between MTN and the people of Busoga.

Owek. Osman Noor, the 2nd deputy Prime Minister of Busoga Kingdom thanked MTN Uganda for taking such a beneficial social activity to the people of Busoga and for recognizing the role cultural institutions play in mobilizing and rallying communities to important social causes.

“These bicycle races will yet again bring our people together and offer a fantastic opportunity for our people to engage constructively,” observed Noor.

The 11 counties that shall participate in the Busoga Kingdom Obugaali Bwa Masaza are; Bugabula, Kigulu, Luuka, Butembe, Bukooli, Bunha, Busiki, Bulamogi, Bukono, Bunhole-Munahumba and Bugweri. Each of the 11 counties shall hold county level competitions to identify 10 outstanding cyclists who will represent their counties at the finals where the top counties shall win assorted cash prizes courtesy of MTN Uganda.

MTN Uganda is strongly grounded in the belief that businesses and communities are good together; Businesses only succeed if the communities in which they operate, succeed.

Besides sports, MTN has also undertaken strategic health initiatives in Busoga such as revamping and equipping of the maternity ward at Mother Kevin health center III in Kamuli district as well as improving palliative care for cancer patients at Rays of Hope Hospice in Jinja, among others. Under education, in 20….. MTN Uganda rolled out a project to light up 30 schools in Kamuli district in a bid to improve the learning outcomes of the students in the area.

MTN Uganda in partnership with Busoga Kingdom has today launched an MTN-sponsored bicycle racing competition in the Eastern Kingdom of Busoga. This bicycle racing competition launch comes only days after the kingdom concluded a four-month-long MTN sponsored football tournament dubbed the Busoga Masaza cup that engaged all the counties of Busoga Kingdom. 

The launch of the MTN sponsored Busoga Kingdom bicycle race competitions dubbed “Obugaali Bwa Masaza” took place at the Busoga Kingdom administrative headquarters in Bugembe, Jinja, where the bicycle racing jersey was unveiled to the press and Kingdom officials ahead of the competitions that are set to start on the 30th of this month.

Speaking at the launch of the Busoga Kingdom Obugaali Bwa Masaza, Jimmy Isaraza, MTN Uganda’s Eastern Region Business Manager confirmed that the bicycle races are part of the agreement that was signed between Busoga Kingdom and MTN back in 2019.

“Under our agreement with Busoga Kingdom, MTN Uganda pledged to support the Kingdom in the realization of its aspirations by undertaking projects particularly in the areas of education, health, and sports. We are happy to note that we are delivering our promise and we remain committed to being part of the initiatives that the Kyabazinga prides in,” Isaraza said.

Isaraza further noted that the Obugaali Bwa Masaza competitions will continue strengthening the bond between MTN and the people of Busoga.

MTN’s Jimmy Isaraza (2L) and Busoga Kingdom’s Osman Noor (3L) launched the MTN Obugaali Bwa Masaza alongside Busoga Kingdom officials.

Owek. Osman Noor, the 2nd deputy Prime Minister of Busoga Kingdom thanked MTN Uganda for taking such a beneficial social activity to the people of Busoga and for recognizing the role cultural institutions play in mobilizing and rallying communities to important social causes.

“These bicycle races will yet again bring our people together and offer a fantastic opportunity for our people to engage constructively,” observed Noor. 

The 11 counties that shall participate in the Busoga Kingdom Obugaali Bwa Masaza are; Bugabula, Kigulu, Luuka, Butembe, Bukooli, Bunha, Busiki, Bulamogi, Bukono, Bunhole-Munahumba and Bugweri. Each of the 11 counties shall hold county-level competitions to identify 10 outstanding cyclists who will represent their counties at the finals where the top counties shall win assorted cash prizes courtesy of MTN Uganda.

MTN Uganda is strongly grounded in the belief that businesses and communities are good together; Businesses only succeed if the communities in which they operate, succeed. 

Besides sports, MTN has also undertaken strategic health initiatives in Busoga such as revamping and equipping of the maternity ward at Mother Kevin health center III in Kamuli district early this year and improving palliative care for cancer patients at Rays of Hope Hospice in Jinja in 2020, among others. Under education, in 2019, MTN Uganda rolled out a project to light up 30 schools in Kamuli district in a bid to improve the learning outcomes of the students in the area.

 

MTN Uganda’s bold decision to list its shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange last year has propelled it to the league of Africa’s most valuable companies.

The latest premier annual survey by South Africa’s African Business Magazine on Africa’s Top 250 Companies, ranked MTN Uganda in the 105th position, with a market capitalisation of US$1.124billion and a net income of US$87million.

MTN Uganda’s biggest shareholder, MTN Group soared from the 13th position to the 4th position on this year’s ranking after more than doubling its market capitalisation from US$ 11.1bn in 2021 to US$24.5bn, with a net income of US$930million. 

The telecom company raised cash by listing its operations in Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, and other countries, and investing in new networks, infrastructure, and data centres.

African Business magazine has been running its ranking of Africa’s Top 250 Companies for the last 16 years, taking the top listed companies from national and regional stock exchanges across Africa.

The African Business Top 250 Companies charts the rise of innovative, strategic, and resilient African businesses that straddle the continent, make huge profits, and invest billions into Africa-wide strategies to seize future opportunities.

Commenting on the ranking, MTN Uganda’s acting Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Bugembe, said they are excited that the telecom company emerged as one of the most valuable companies on the continent.

“Our maiden appearance in the ranking is a big achievement for MTN Uganda, moreover in this tough operating environment,” he said. 

Bugembe said the ranking demonstrates that the company has the right strategy, the right leadership, and the right investment direction to facilitate growth.

This comes at a time businesses including telecoms are facing an unprecedented tough operating business environment characterised by high commodity prices including fuel amidst a weakening local currency.

The African Business Top 250 Companies survey focuses on the biggest companies that are listed on an African stock exchange, with the ranking determined by the market capitalisation (total value of the listed shares) on 31 March 2022. The market capitalisation is converted into US dollars on the same date. 

The survey excludes companies that have African heritage and roots but no longer earn at least 50% of their revenues in Africa.

It also excludes companies that earn more than 50% of their revenues from Africa but are not listed on an African stock exchange; real estate investment trusts (REITs), and other real estate investment and finance companies.

Incorporated in 1998, MTN Uganda operates through a network of over 170,000 Mobile Money agents, 200 service stores, and 13, main distributors.  The telecom company has more than 16.3 million subscribers, 9.8 million MoMo users, and 5.7 million active data users.

 

Focus for Life Development Link (FLDL), a community-based organization located in Bwaise-

Bukasa Zone, Kawempe Division, has acquired a new technological advanced method of briquette production called the honeycomb all thanks to the MTN Uganda staff support.

Founded in 2019, the group has been working to protect the environment whilst also generating income to support their families. Initially, it started with10 members who have since increased to 25 members dealing in briquette-making. A Briquette is a compressed block of coal dust or other combustible biomass material used to make a fire.

In the case of FLDL, they are making biomass briquette as they have access to plenty of waste material. This idea was born out of the nature of the Bwaise area which is a slum neighborhood with a high population that has a waste challenge due to over population. What was meant to be only a disadvantage has prompted the youth in the area to think out of the box and turn the waste material into their gold.

The group also is engaged in the provision of health-related services such as HIV/AID sensitization and end to creating awareness around gender-based violence in the communities and how is can be stopped.

Inspite of all these ingenious ideas and forward-thinking initiatives, the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic left a huge gap in the plans of FLDL. The pandemic triggered the government to impose numerous restrictions including a total lockdown to control the spread of the killer disease, leaving such innovative businesses at a stand still with reduced production rates and low demand for their product.

However, in the wake of the lockdown lift, the group has since returned to business as usual doing their best to make up for lost time. This resilience was one of the qualities that captured MTN Uganda’s interest in supporting FLDL.

MTN Uganda in a bid to champion economic recovery reached out to several groups in the community with the guidance of KCCA to identify impactful businesses and help them get back on their feet. MTN Uganda donated UGX 8 million to FLDL that enabled them to acquire new production equipment such as 2 honeycomb machines, a carbonizer, lighter machines and cleaning materials. They were also furnished with a desk phone, 4 computers and internet access in order to help the group digitalize their business and stayed connected to the world..

The contribution from MTN Uganda has permitted FLDL to double its briquette production capacity in the past two months to 1,000 kilograms of briquette per week. Each kilogram of briquettes is sold at UGX 2,000 for the honeycomb variety and UGX 1,500 per kilogram for the domestic. This boost has aided the group to satisfy the customers and help increase availability of their product on the market.

Daniel Kiwanuka, the group chairperson said the briquettes are produced from sawdust, ash, banana, and potato peelings – an innovation that is now helping nearby communities reduce reliance on charcoal that was previous a negative impact on the environment through forest degradation.

The MTN support has also enabled the organization to diversify its products by including fire lighter materials and brooder stoves to boost their incomes.

“We are now receiving so many invitations from community-based organizations to help carry out youth training concerning commercial briquette making and related products,” he said.

Kiwanuka said the group is also embarking on training more youths and women in briquette making, crafts from plastic waste and skills in information and communication technologies.

He said the group also intends to venture into biogas production to increase the share of the energy mix and reduce over-reliance on wood fuel.

The 2016-2017 Uganda National Household survey indicates that the east African nation heavily relies on forest-produced energy sources including charcoal and wood for cooking, accounting for more than 90 percent. The surge in demand for charcoal has increased pressure on the remaining forests worsening the effects of environmental degradation.

Kiwanuka said that the group intends to spread the message to the rural areas concerning conserving the environment.

Bryan Mbasa, senior manager at MTN Uganda Foundation said they are excited that the campaign has created a positive impact on the communities in which the company operates.

“We consider sustainability as a very key part of our initiatives both a Corporate

Social Responsibility and as a business in general,” he said, adding that they look forward to reaching out to more communities for skilling, work readiness, and innovation culture for start-ups and Small and Medium Enterprises.

Other groups that received MTN support during the campaign include; the Tesobar deaf carpentry group in Lira, the Masaka Diocese Youth, Jinja-based Tabulera Kawuma deaf carpentry, the Disabled Association of Fortportal, the Bunusya Abarema Twetungure Association in Mbarara, the Glorious widows of Makindye, Missionaries of the poor in Rubaga and the Nakawa Market Vendors association.

The MTN’s 21 Days of Y’ello Care is an annual MTN staff volunteerism campaign observed by all MTN employees across all its markets to make a difference in the lives of the communities within which they work. The campaign that dates back to 2007 is always executed within the first 21 days of June every year.