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Given the high unemployment levels in the country, there is need to break the bias and promote gender diversity across professions by encouraging women to seek opportunities in male-dominated industries.  In support of SDG 5 which advocates for gender equality, MTN Uganda in collaboration with key partners is making strides in empowering women in order to achieve sustainable societies.

MTN Foundation supports Girls with Tools

Prossy Nalunkuuma is pursuing a mechanical engineering certification at Smart Girls Foundation in Wakiso. Garbed in a blue mechanic’s overall shielded by gloves in hand, Nalunkuuma, who is bent over a car’s open bonnet is cognizant of the awkward stares she attracts from the public as a result of her career choice. 

Driven by her passion and unfettered ambition to one day become a renowned mechanical engineer, Nalunkuuma continues to pursue her dream; breaking the bias against women in this male-dominated career.

“Despite girls’ persistent shunning of mechanical engineering, I chose to pursue this line of work because of the passion I have for it plus the need to be unique through penetrating a male-dominated world. My goal is to actively practice in this field through setting up an auto repair and parts shop,” she narrates.

Nalunkuuma just like other girls at the Foundation, sought an opportunity to chase her engineering ambition at Smart Girls Foundation, a non-profit making, girl-centered, development organization that empowers and mentors girls in health and education to mention but a few.  Under the Foundation’s flagship projects, girls with tools, girls are equipped with skills in traditionally male-dominated professions including carpentry, machinery, and automotive mechanics and welding.

Over the years, MTN has supported this cause through donation to the Smart Girls Foundation and more recently, construction of an additional facility that will see the Foundation increase the number of girls trained to about 400 annually. As a result of MTN’s support, already, the organization recorded an increase in the number of girls trained at the facility from 30 to close to 90 in a wide range of programs including mechanical, electrical installations and welding.

Dorcas Muhwezi, the MTN Uganda general manager customer experience, who is also an engineer said it is reassuring to see a significant number of girls showing interest in engineering and having the ability to pursue their interests.

“It is encouraging to see such programs that empower the girls and help them develop practical skills. I was very excited to hear that some girls have already set up shop. As MTN, this success is the embodiment of our vision. We are committed to facilitating a diverse society through generational equality and increase women representation for sustainable societies,” she noted.

 

MTN Supports Women in sports

In the same spirit, MTN last weekend rewarded a group of outstanding women in sports who have played a pivotal role in bridging the gender gap in the world of sport. 

The awards which summed up the telecom’s month long celebration of women following the International Women’s day in March, saw the public nominate and vote for their phenomenal sportswomen of choice in a bid to narrow the gender gap in the sports profession through recognizing and celebrating women in sports.

The top 5 women in accordance with the public votes, each received Ugx.3,000,000 shillings while the other 15 who made it to the top 20 were rewarded with Ugx.500,000 shillings each.

“As MTN we deliberately set out to use the women’s month to shine a light on the greatness of the women in sports. We believe that if we work together in recognizing and celebrating the women who have in no small way upheld our country’s flag far and wide, we shall erase the gap between genders in the sports profession,” Muhwezi said.

Rehema Nanyonga, the Manager of the Suncity United Netball team, a community-based team leveraging Netball to empower underprivileged girls hailing from slum areas in and around Kampala, thanked MTN for the recognition award as well as the sponsorship package to facilitate the team’s travel for the U.S Open Junior championships in Atlanta, Georgia.

“As the Suncity United community, we are humbled to be recognized and supported in our endeavors by the biggest company in the country. This gesture from MTN has motivated us to continue pursuing our goals to continue inspiring more girls in our community through sports,” Nanyonga said.

During the awards ceremony, Suncity Netball team walked away with a community service award and a sponsorship package worth Ugx.30,000,000 shillings in recognition of its efforts towards empowering young girls through sports.

Hon. Lt. Col. Bright Rwamirama commended MTN Uganda and Salam Charity’s Ramadan initiative for supporting the members of the Muslim faith as they embark on strengthening their faith through fasting, which is a critical pillar in the Islamic faith. This was at the just concluded Iftar dinner held last weekend at the Lake View Hotel in Mbarara. 

At the Iftar dinner where Rwamirama was the chief guest, he thanked MTN and Salam TV for helping to nurture the Islamic religion by remembering the Muslims during the holy month of fasting.

“To us, religion is an important part of the society as it shapes families. I applaud Salam TV and Salam Charity for doing such a commendable job of reaching out to communities at such a time,” Rwamirama said. 

Rwamirama also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fully operationalizing Islamic banking in Uganda, in conjunction with the Turkish government.

Present at the dinner was the Ankole kigezi Regional Qadhi, Sheikh Abdallah Katamba who thanked MTN and Salam Charity for the great initiative.

“Thank you for considering us this year. I want to urge you to be hard workers so that we can honestly portray who we are as Muslims at heart. May Allah bless MTN, Salam charity, and all the people involved in this great act of kindness,” Sheikh Katamba said.

The dinner was preceded by a series of several handovers of alms to the Muslim communities in Nakivale refugee camp in Isingiro district and to the refugee Muslim community in Kisoro district. Prior to this, MTN Uganda alongside Salam Charity delivered alms to the Luzira Prisons Muslim community and the Imams’ Forum in Kampala mid-last week.

Since 2017, MTN Uganda has worked with Salam Charity to reach out to the Muslim fraternity across the country during Ramadan. This year’s Ramadan project is being executed under the theme; “A giving heart”, as a way of fostering benevolence as the country recovers from the effects of the nearly two-year-long Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. 

MTN Uganda’s Western Region Business Manager, Ibrahim Ssegujja said that; “This years’ Ramadan alms are specifically targeting the less privileged and refugee communities across the country to support them with food items as they fast during the month of Ramadan.”

The alms include; Sugar, rice, baking flour, cooking oil, salt and soap among other assorted food items.

Ssegujja noted that through this execution, MTN is standing with the Muslim faithful to reinforce its oneness with them as they undertake the fasting period. 

In this week’s alms handovers that start tomorrow, MTN Uganda and Salam Charity will deliver alms to the refugee Muslim community in Elegu in Northern Uganda. On Thursday, the team will deliver alms to the refugee Muslim community in Yumbe before hosting the northern region Muslim community to an Iftar dinner in Gulu City.

As was the case last year, MTN has brought back the special Ramadan bundles offer to ease communication during the fasting period. At only 500/=, all its customers will get 30 MTN minutes and 100MBs valid from midnight to 5am. This offer is open to all MTN customers; Muslims and non-muslims alike.

 

As part of initiatives aimed at alleviating the perils of climate change, MTN has pledged its commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.  

In this commitment, MTN has set science-based targets to achieve a 47% average reduction in absolute emissions (tCO2e) which stands for tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent for scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2030.  

Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by the reporting company. Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain.

According to the UN, increased emissions that cause climate change will continue to rise temperature levels well beyond 1.5°C to levels that threaten the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere.  In the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries committed to limiting the global average temperature rise to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to aim for 1.5°C.

According to Reuters, already, the world has heated to around 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. Each of the last four decades was hotter than any decade since 1850. Scientists have said crossing the 1.5°C threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change effects on people, wildlife and ecosystems.

Therefore, the commitment by MTN underscores the telecom’s strategic pillar of achieving shared value and growth embodied in ensuring protection of the lives of the people in the communities it serves.  

The net zero commitment further underpins the core of MTN‘s Environmental, Social and Governance principles hinged on the belief that the company’s growth and success should not come at the expense of the future of the planet.

Wim Vanhelleputte, MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer said MTN is strategically aligned with the global call to action focused on deliberate transitioning to a net-zero world.

“The net zero commitment is part of our responsibility to the people of Uganda rooted on our promise to improve the livelihood of the people in the communities by creating a clean and healthy environment today, for a bright future tomorrow,” he explained.

Vanhelleputte went on to say: “Environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles are at the heart of our revised strategy, ambition 2025, in which we articulate the  ESG practices in accordance with our sustainability framework envisaged to drive economic value sharing.”

To achieve the net zero commitment as stipulated in its sustainability framework, MTN aims to improve energy efficiency in its operations, reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, and improve its water and waste management. 

At the group level, MTN has partnered with Ericson to leverage the latter’s latest and most advanced sustainable technologies to enable MTN realize its energy use and carbon management efforts in line with its commitment to reach Net Zero emissions by 2040.

During the launch of the collaboration recently, Nompilo Morafo, MTN Group Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer said: “It’s about doing for tomorrow, today – realizing a Net Zero future is critical to our commitments towards sustainability, and we know that we can only realise our ambition through collaboration with our partners. With Ericsson joining our pledge, we hope to inspire our other partners, the telecommunications industry and other stakeholders to take meaningful steps towards decarbonization.”

The commitment by MTN comes as the impact of climate change becomes increasingly visible around the world.

The South African High Commissioner to Uganda, Her Excellency Lulama Xingwana, recently addressed youth about the opportunities in agriculture during a one on one session organized by the MTN Youth Skilling Program under the theme: Business Relations for Sustainable Partnerships. Below are the excerpts.

Uganda is among the leading producers of coffee in the world, hence my surprise to discover that there is no Ugandan coffee in South Africa.  I would like to believe that currently, coffee is Uganda’s best kept secret. I don’t know if you are able to sell or export it, but I think there is an opportunity for you to do more. For instance, we do not produce coffee in South Africa but we love drinking it.  Therefore, there is a ripe market for coffee farmers in Uganda to take advantage of in South Africa.  However, to do that, Ugandan coffee farmers must evolve beyond subsistence farming and into commercial agriculture with the ability to undertake agro-processing. Young famers must look at opportunities in agro-processing, which will help them grow their markets from local or regional to International. Selling fresh fruit and vegetables has its limitations, but selling processed fruits and vegetables is more profitable as fruit juice or tomato paste which lasts longer and can reach a bigger export market hence making your products more profitable through value addition. 

I am cognizant of the challenges of limited capital that hinder farmers’ ability to scale their operations to large scale farms and the heavy capital requirement for agro-processing.  

Start Small dream Big

However, it is important to remember that Rome was not built in a day. We all start small, but we must have the vision and ambition to start from small but to grow big and ultimately move to commercial agriculture and the export industry. This will greatly contribute to Uganda’s economy.

More importantly, the need to grow your business underpins the significance of building business relations for sustainable partnerships. I am aware that MTN is interested in supporting agriculture and especially agro-processing businesses. It is up to you therefore, to take up this opportunity as young farmers.

Business Relations for Sustainable Partnerships

Strong partnerships with banks, such as Stanbic, Absa and multinationals are important and can help grow your business. Donors can also assist in this regard. It is for those reasons that keeping good reports and audited financial statements is vital and will help you develop trust and confidence of your donors or partners (e.g Danida, Sida etc).  Partnerships are not designed for companies only, you can also harness a relationship with individuals. The introduction of agreements such as the Africa Continental Free Trade Area has opened a 1.4 Billion market (i.e. the African population) for African Farmers. Currently, African countries predominantly export to Asia, Europe and other continents, yet trading between Africans is still at 15%. Intra-Africa trade is still very low, which presents an opportunity for harnessing sustainable partnerships among African farmers. It is up to our youth to seize this opportunity. I know that Ugandans love goats, nyama ye mbuzi. We too have lots of goats in South Africa, so Ugandans can buy goats from South Africa and we can buy your pineapples, pawpaws or coffee. This is how we can start these partnerships. Farmers in Uganda can partner with farmers in South Africa such that we import and export between our countries, thus increase Intra – Africa trade and grow the economies of our countries and the continent. Through these same partnerships, young Ugandan farmers can benchmark from South African farmers who are already working in agro-processing and have experience and equipment or machinery needed for such projects.

Agritourism

There is also a direct correlation between commercial agriculture and other sectors. Commercial agriculture can be the springboard for other sectors for example tourism and ICT to prosperity.  Through agritourism, a concept defined as a tourism programme that covers agricultural and farming areas where tourists can see local products and often participate in farm activities, Uganda can increase the number of tourists visiting the country. A common phenomenon in South Africa, providing additional income to farmers and contributing to our economy, agritourism particularly in wine production has proved profitable to local farmers in the country and the tourism sector.  In Cape Town, we have turned the grape and wine farms into great tourist destinations. People want to see where this bottle of wine from South Africa was produced. They go to Stellenbosch or Franchoek for wine tasting, they buy wine and stay there and experience lifestyle in the wine farms. Wine farms and wine tasting have contributed a great deal to tourism and to our economy. Why can’t we have coffee tasting and farm holidays in the coffee farms of Uganda? This way more people will buy and import Ugandan coffee. Therefore, I appeal to you my dear youth who have been trained in nourishing your entrepreneurial spirit to move from subsistence to commercial Agriculture. 

ICT

Growth of the agriculture and tourism sectors can also directly spill into the ICT sector. There has been a proliferation of innovations in the technology space created with the aim of  bridging gaps such as lack of market for agricultural produce and need for critical knowledge in agriculture.  There are also vast opportunities for ICT in the tourism sector such as travel apps, links to accommodation in the country, marketing the agricultural farms and the local experience to the outside world.

 It is even better now that the AU has adopted the Forth Industrial Revolution led by our President His Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa.  MTN and Multichoice are major players in this sector, and will support such projects. I also know that, as young people, you love this sector. I therefore appeal to all our youth to look into this area and develop projects that will empower young people and, create jobs in the country.

Kyaka FC has sealed their victory by beating Bunyangabu FC 1-0 in a highly contested final match that brought the first edition of the Tooro Masaza Tournament to an exciting end yesterday.

Kyaka FC’s Richard Mugume scored the only goal of the match in the 20th minute of the game that was held at the Buhinga Stadium in Fort Portal City

With this win, Kyaka FC has walked away with prize money of Ugx.5million shs as the title winners. Bunyangabu FC, the runners-up took home Ugx.3 million shillings while the 3rd place and 4th teams walked away with 1.5 million and 0.5 million respectively.

The King of Tooro Kingdom, His Majesty, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV along with the Queen Mother of Tooro, Queen Best Kemigisa attended the match that fell on the eve of the King’s 30th birthday. 

A birthday bash complete with fireworks and exciting performances by a lineup of top artists marked the end of the feverish football tournament as the King marked his new age, surrounded by his subjects and well-wishers.  

According to King Oyo, this championship match is an apt crescendo of the month-long tournament of spirited matches played amongst the 9 counties of Tooro Kingdom. 

“This tournament has generated a lot of excitement in our kingdom and has further brought the people of Tooro together. We thank MTN for organizing and funding this first-ever tournament and we look forward to the next season of this thrilling experience,’ King Oyo said.

The Tooro Masaza tournament is part of MTN’s sponsorship package to the Kingdom following a partnership between the Telecom and the Kingdom in an endeavor to uplift the people of Tororo through leveraging sports alongside other social-economic engagements in health and education.

Andrew Tusubira MTN Uganda’s head of commercial services in the western region congratulated all the participants of the tournament

“The real winners of this tournament are the people of this kingdom. Football is not just a game to the people. It sits at the heart of their culture. As MTN we feel very proud to have been part of this tradition together with the people of Tooro. We promise to continue this journey and thank the Kingdom for embracing MTN as a friend and a partner for years to come,” Tusubira said.

The MTN Tooro Masaza Tournament grand finale that doubled as King Oyo’s 30th birthday celebration attracted thousands of people who paid 2,000/=via MTN MoMo and 4,000/= cash. The money was handed over to the kingdom to support development projects in Tooro Kingdom.

Tooro Kingdom has nine counties that include, Ntoroko, Kibale, Bunyangabu, Kitagwenda, Mwenge North, Mwenge South, Kyaka, Fort Portal, and Burahya. All the counties participated in the tournament that has proven to be the hottest sporting activity in the Kingdom thus far.

In a market with too many applicants and not enough jobs, getting experience is a catch-22; you need it to get jobs, you need a job to get it.  It is not once that employers in Uganda have voiced their grievance of employing youth armed with theoretical knowledge and no practical experience.

It gets worse when the lack of experience blocks job opportunities for the youth, further exacerbating youth unemployment in the country. 

In an effort to curb youth unemployment, MTN has taken a deliberate effort to equip youth with practical knowledge that is required in work places.

Graduate trainee program

Through the MTN Graduate trainee program, hundreds of youth in Uganda have undergone on-job training that has elevated their knowledge beyond the theoretical education attained at learning institutions. The program seeks to fast-track the career aspirations of youth in Uganda. 

According to Michael Sekadde, MTN Uganda General Manager Human Resource, there is need for employers to provide opportunities for youth to attain the much needed experience that organisations require.

“At MTN, we believe in creating opportunities that will elevate the standard of living and improve the livelihood of the communities we serve. Through our graduate trainee program, we aim to achieve shared growth by passing on the knowledge and experience attained over the years to the young people who are also the future generation,” he said.

 Sekadde also underscored the significance of partnerships in tackling youth unemployment noting that it requires collective effort in order to make progress. 

It is with that context that MTN has also engaged like-minded partners determined to combat youth employment.

 

Victoria University experiential learning

MTN at the beginning of the year partnered with Victoria University (VU) to award 10 scholarships to youth.  The education programs at Victoria University are uniquely designed to provide youth with work experience prior to graduation.

Speaking during a recent interview on television, Christine Nabayise, the Victoria University marketing executive said the University is the technologically enabled university of the time, driven by its authentic and experiential learning programs through Work-Integrated Learning.

“Victoria University and MTN have the same passion of enabling young people’s dreams come to life.  Experiential learning means that by the time the youth graduate, they have two to three years’ work experience due to attachments made to companies during the course of their education at the university,” she explained.

The partnership between MTN and VU is a resounding determination by the telecom to extend experiential training to youth with the aim of curbing youth unemployment.

 

Nsindika Njake entrepreneurship show

Similarly, in partnership with Makerere University Business School, MTN Uganda recently launched a captivating youth entrepreneurship television show dubbed Nsindika Njake. The show aims at equipping youth with business skills envisaged to drive them to set up their own establishments thus creating more jobs.

The show which airs at 8:30pm every Wednesday on NBS TV involves practical utilization of skills on members of the public in accordance with training facilitated by MUBS such as customer care, sales and business ideation among others. 

At the launch of the Nsindika Njake program recently, Somdev Sen, MTN Uganda’s Chief Marketing Officer said that the show would go a long way in addressing unemployment amongst the youth.

“Given the high rate of youth unemployment, many youths have taken the right path of starting small businesses but sadly, majority of them have not had the opportunity to get the skills required to effectively operate a business. We believe that this show will teach them how to navigate the day-to-day challenges that they face in their businesses and set them on a path to becoming better entrepreneurs,” Somdev said.

 

Youth skilling program

In the thick of the pandemic and massive job losses in 2020, MTN launched the MTN Youth Skilling Program through which youth were equipped with business technical and digital skills. The goal of the program was to empower youth to become job creators. By the end of 2021, about 100 youth had been trained, with some having already started their own businesses.

                       

 MTN Uganda rewarded a group of outstanding women in sports, including a community Netball team, following a campaign that was launched last month, in celebration of the women who have broken societal norms by shining in the male-dominated world of sports.

In a ceremony held yesterday at the Serena Hotel in Kampala, a total of 20 outstanding women and members of the Suncity United community Netball team were awarded cash prizes and a sponsorship package respectively, in appreciation of their efforts toward the country’s sports scene.

Suncity United is a community-based netball team leveraging Netball to empower underprivileged girls hailing from slum areas in and around Kampala. The team received a community service award accompanied by a Ugx.30,000,000 shillings sponsorship package in recognition of its efforts. The money will go towards facilitating the team’s travel to the United States where the team has been invited to compete in the U.S Open Junior Netball Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, later this month.

The top 5 winners namely; Jane Asinde, Janet Mbabazi, Frankline Najjumba, Peruth Chemutai, and Halima Nakaayi were each rewarded with Ugx.3,000,000 shillings. The rest of the 15 ladies who made it to the top 20 received Ugx.500,000 shillings each. Details of the winners are here.

Speaking at the rewarding ceremony, Somdev Sen, the MTN Uganda Chief Marketing officer said that the effort to pay respect to the women in sports is hinged on MTN’s deliberate efforts to erase the gap between genders in the world of sport by recognizing and celebrating the women who have upheld the country’s flag as far as sports is concerned.

“Like in many other professions, women in sports still do not receive the same recognition and appreciation as their male counterparts. As MTN we deliberately set out to use the women’s month to shine a light on the greatness of the women in sports. We believe that if we work together in recognizing and celebrating the women who have in no small way upheld our country’s flag far and wide, we shall erase the gap between genders in the sports profession,” Somdev said.

Rehema Nanyonga, the Manager of the Suncity United Netball team thanked MTN for the recognition award as well as the sponsorship package to facilitate the team’s travel for the U.S Open Junior championships in Atlanta, Georgia.

“As the Suncity United community, we are humbled to be recognized and supported in our endeavors by the biggest company in the country. This gesture from MTN has motivated us to continue pursuing our goals to continue inspiring more girls in our community through sports,” Nanyonga said.

Penina Kabenge, the Vice President of the International University Sports Federation thanked MTN for always reaching out to the sports fraternity as well as looking out for and celebrating the women in sports.

Following the International Women’s Day celebrations last month, MTN ran a digital campaign across its online platforms asking the public to nominate outstanding women from different sports disciplines including Athletics, Basketball, Football, Gymnastics, Hockey, Javelin, Kabaddi, Netball, Rugby, Shooting, Volleyball and Woodball among others, through the MTN Sports website (www.sports.mtn.co.ug).

Between 15th March 2022 to 4th April 2022, 100 nominations were received, backed by insightful profiles of the nominated women. Subsequently, the public cast their votes for their favorite sportswomen who were rewarded by MTN Uganda.

Since it started its operations in Uganda over 20 years ago, MTN’s proactive role in sports has positioned the brand as the biggest supporter of local sports through its sponsorships, partnerships and active engagements with the various sports disciplines including football and athletics among others.

Harriet Nakkungu, a businesswoman based in Namataba town in Mukono district had for over 12 years, desired a smartphone to boost her business but she could hardly afford one due to the high cost of genuine smartphones.

Last year, her odds changed following a partnership between MTN and fintech platform M-KOPA. She was able to secure a smartphone that she could pay for slowly, for 12 months. Additionally, she gets free mobile data from MTN during the one-year smartphone financing period.

“I always wanted to post my business on social media platforms to get more customers but I didn’t have a smartphone,” Nakkungu recalls.

Now equipped with a smartphone and free MTN data, she is able to share her work with a wider base of customers.

“Every time I install glasses, I post photos of the work on my WhatsApp groups for my friends to share with their contacts. Within four months of doing this, I got over 20 customers through WhatsApp alone. Within a year, I will get even more customers,” says Nakkungu.

Beyond the availability and affordability of data, digital inclusion requires access to internet-enabled devices that enable people to connect to the internet in order to enjoy the benefits of being online and to use technology confidently to improve their day-to-day lives.

For many people in Uganda, smartphones, which are the most affordable internet-enabled devices, remain unaffordable. Only one third of the population own smartphones, leaving a huge gap to be filled as the country embarks on a digital inclusion journey.

In a past interview, Ali Monzer, the MTN Chief Technical, and Information officer noted that Smartphone adoption will not only improve the network experience but also improve people’s lives as well.

“We understand that the devices pose an affordability challenge; that is why we started our device financing program to avail affordable devices with ease, just to push the user to experience higher technology,” Monzer said.

Brenda Nambalirwa, the M-KOPA Uganda spokeswoman says: “Stories like Harriet’s emphasize the success of the partnership and the importance of accelerating smartphone penetration in Uganda to close the digital gap.

“By applying affordable payment terms to 4G devices,      customers instantly connect to a world of services that improves their everyday lives and also create opportunities to boost their income,” Nambalirwa says.

Like Nakkungu, many people have been able to turn around their lives by harnessing the power of the internet.

So far, over 100,000 smartphones have been sold through the MTN and M-KOPA partnership with several thousand smartphones sold through other partners.

MTN has also partnered with companies such as Tecno and itel to support smartphone customers with free data for up to three months as a way of supporting them to connect to the internet with ease.

Additionally, MTN has over the years worked with manufacturers to sell internet-enabled devices such as Kamunye and Kabode devices with the aim of narrowing the digital gap in the country.

The Manjiya MP, Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe commended MTN Uganda and Salam Charity’s Ramadan drive for fostering unity among all religions through their Ramadan charity drive. This was at the just concluded Iftar dinner held last weekend at the Wash and Wills Hotel in Mbale. 

At the Iftar dinner where Nambeshe was the chief guest, he thanked MTN and Salam TV for not only reaching out to the Muslim community but for also extending a caring heart to people of all faiths as the Muslim fraternity observes the holy month of Ramadan through fasting and sharing.

“I was pleasantly challenged by the fact that MTN Uganda and Salam Charity are not segregating any community or group of people. I really thank you so much on behalf of my people from Bududa, they are so appreciative, and the district Khadi was overwhelmed by your kindness. we pray that you keep it up,” Nambeshe said while making his remarks at the Iftar dinner in Mbale.

The dinner followed a handover of alms to the Muslim communities in the Eastern districts of Mbale and Busia. Prior to this, MTN Uganda alongside Salam Charity delivered alms to the office of the Supreme Kadhi in Ndeeba where all the county Sheikhs and Imams in Kampala took part. The team also reached out to the district Khadi in Kawempe.

Since 2017, MTN Uganda has worked with Salam Charity to reach out to the Muslim fraternity across the country during Ramadan. This year’s Ramadan project is being executed under the theme; “A giving heart”, as a way of fostering benevolence as the country recovers from the effects of the nearly two-year-long Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. 

As has been the norm, MTN Uganda and Salam Charity launched this year’s Ramadan season with a dinner at Hotel Africana at the beginning of the fasting season to reaffirm their unity with the Muslim fraternity as they undertake one of the crucial pillars of their faith.

MTN Uganda’s Ian Mugambe said that; “The alms handover is specifically targeting the less privileged and refugee communities across the country.”

The alms comprise assorted items including; rice, baking flour, sugar, salt, cooking oil and soap among others. 

In this week’s alms handovers that start tomorrow, MTN Uganda and Salam Charity will deliver alms to the Luzira Prisons and the Imam Forum in Kampala before moving to the Isingiro and Kisoro refugee camps in western Uganda. Another dinner shall be held at the Lake View hotel in Mbarara for the Muslim fraternity in the region.

As was the case last year, MTN has brought back the special Ramadan bundles offer to ease communication during the fasting period. At only 500/=, all its customers will get 30 MTN minutes and 100MBs valid from midnight to 5am. This offer is open to all MTN customers; Muslims and non-muslims alike.

As the highly contested first-ever Tooro Masaza Football Tournament comes to a feverish crescendo, Kyaka FC and Bunyangabu FC will face off in the finals that are slated for this Friday 15th April, at 3 pm at the Buhinga Stadium in Fort Portal City.

In the just-concluded Semi-Finals, kyaka beat Burahya 2-1 to qualify for the finals while Bunyangabu beat Kibale 3-2 to make it to the headlining match of the tournament.

This championship match is a befitting culmination of a month-long series of heated matches played amongst the 9 counties of Tooro Kingdom.

The tournament is part of MTN’s sponsorship package to the Kingdom following a partnership between the telecom and the Kingdom in an endeavor to uplift the people of Tororo through leveraging sports alongside other social-economic engagements such as health and education.

While Kyaka FC and Bunyangabu FC will be tussling it out for the first and second place, another match will be held between Burahya and Kibale FC, on the same day to determine the 3rd and 4th place.

In this highly anticipated championship match, the winning team will walk away with Ugx.5 million shillings and a trophy, while the runner-up will get Ugx.3 million shillings. The third-placed team will get Ugx.1.5 million shillings while the fourth team will be given Ugx.500,000 shillings.

Hon. Peace Regis Mutuuzo Bunyangabu county woman Representative, who doubles as state minister for gender and culture who graced the Semi-Finals last weekend applauded MTN Uganda for providing a platform for the youths in Tooro region to showcase their soccer skills.

“Apart from showcasing their skills in soccer, this tournament has also provided a platform for the leadership of Tooro to interact with the youth and sensitize the masses who turn up for the matches on all pertinent issues pertaining to their welfare,” Mutuuzo said.

Tooro Kingdom has nine counties that include, Ntoroko, Kibale, Bunyangabu, Kitagwenda, Mwenge North, Mwenge South, Kyaka, Fort Portal, and Burahya. All the counties participated in the tournament that has proven to be the hottest sporting activity in the Kingdom thus far.