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Last year, MTN Uganda’s youth platform, MTN Pulse partnered with Arapapa by Santa Anzo to mentor the fresh fashion talent in the country. This mentorship program saw young designers getting hands-on mentorship from one of the most respected and seasoned designers in the country.

The young designers were trained in several disciplines such as marketing, product sourcing, design ideation as well as design presentation among others, that would see them carry their fashion businesses to the next level.

23-year-old fashion designer, Kaaku Mickeydaddy of the Mengo hill road-based Mickey designs and who has been in the fashion industry since 2018 says the mentorship program remains his highlight in the industry thus far.

“The mentorship program was very inspiring as I got to learn from the great Santa Azo on how to come up with creative designs and also got a chance to interact with other designers. We were able to share ideas and learn from each other. The program pushed me harder on how to market my business and it’s also increased my confidence as a designer and made so many people believe in me,” said Mickeydaddy who completed the mentorship program in the first position.

25-year-old fashion designer, Judith Kusiima of the Weekend fit designs shares similar sentiments about the mentorship program.

“As a new self-taught designer, I learnt a lot from both Santa Anzo and fellow young designers who have been in the business longer than myself. We are still in touch and still supporting each other, something that was made possible by the MTN Pulse and Arapapa mentorship program,” Kusiima says.

According to Mickeydaddy, the fashion industry is a very challenging industry, despite its glitz and glamor. He however notes that the challenges only push him to work harder and maintains that with synergy across the industry through programs such as the MTN Pulse and Arapapa mentorship program, that bring all designers together, such challenges can be turned into opportunities that can push the industry forward.

The industry challenges notwithstanding, Mickeydaddy has been able to build himself an admirable career over the years. He has dressed up people for events like miss Uganda, miss Tourism Uganda, Y+ beauty, little miss Uganda and little Miss Africa among others. 

Besides winning the MTN pulse fashion mentorship Program, Mickeydaddy won the rising Fashion pearl Africa Award 2018, Designer of the Famous teen Awards 2019, best Designer Vision for Africa 2019. These awards have earned him great positions in the world of fashion such as; the Fashion Director Miss Tourism Uganda, managing Director Toto Awards Ug, country Director, little Mr and Miss Africa Uganda

Mickeydaddy is intent on nurturing fellow younger designers through passing down his learnings from the MTN Pulse and Arapapa mentorship program.

“Not only have you been a fantastic mentor to me, but you have taught me how to mentor other people am so lucky to work with someone (Santa Anzo) who is my mentor and inspiration. Thank you MTN Pulse, for creating that connection,” Mickey says.

 

As a young designer who immensely benefitted from the MTN Pulse and Arapapa fashion mentorship, Judith Kusiima looks forward to building her fashion brand that deals in creating casual weekend outfits for women, while making an impact in the society and beyond the borders of Uganda, a key lesson she learnt from her interaction with fashion icon, Santa Anzo.

“It was an incredible program and I hope more of these are arranged to support many talented designers in this country,” she says.

 

Following 5 years of successfully organising the MTN UG Hip-Hop awards, MTN has today launched the sixth edition of the MTN UG Hip-Hop awards which promise to be superior to those before.

The 2022 Hip-Hop awards which will be held on Saturday, 28th May 2022 with the aim of recognizing accomplished hip-hop artists, will also uplift virgin talent through the MTN Pulse Cypher challenge.

According to Hellen Kirungi, the MTN Uganda youth segment manager, the MTN Pulse Cypher, which allows new and undiscovered talent to showcase their abilities in an online Hip-Hop rap battle has this year been elevated to another level. This year the winner of the MTN Pulse Cypher will take home UGX2million, while the second and third walk away with UGX1.5million and UGX1million respectively.

To take part in the MTN Pulse Cypher and stand a chance to win the prize money, Pulsers are required to download the MTN Pulse Cypher beat from the MTN Pulse microsite, record a one-minute video of themselves rapping to the beat and then upload the video on Instagram or Twitter and tag MTN with the hashtag #MTNPulseCypher

It is based on these submissions that judges will select the top 10 contenders who will face-off in the MTN Pulse studio to later inform the choice of the top 5 finalists whose videos will be shared online for voting by the public.

Organized by UG Hip-Hop Awards with support from MTN and co-sponsors including Mountain Dew and Magic TV, the MTN UG Hip-Hop awards seek to celebrate and amplify the growth of the hip-hop music industry which is predominantly comprised of the youth in Uganda. In the same spirit of supporting Uganda’s Hip-Hop industry, MTN in 2020 sponsored the first televised rap battles that saw several rappers pitched against each other culminating into the discovery of new talent in the country.

Win UGX. 2M with the MTN Pulse Cypher Competition. Download the beat here.

 

Today, MTN joins the rest of the world to celebrate World Health Day, as a reaffirmation of its commitment to support the health and well-being of communities in Uganda.  World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, which also doubles as the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organisation.

Over the last 5 years, MTN has invested UGX5.4billion in interventions aimed at improving the health sector in Uganda. The interventions largely focused on improving maternal health care, healthcare services for Persons with Disabilities, refugees, tackling mental health illness and easing accessibility to quality health care services in rural areas.

Some of these initiatives have included the renovation and furnishing of maternity wards in 8 health facilities such as Aroi HC III Arua, Cwero HC III Gulu, Amach HC IV Lira, Naboa HC III Budaka, Kigorobya HC III, Kijura HC III and Kamukira HC IV Kabale.

In the past three years, MTN equipped and refurbished 24 health facilities including health centre III and IVs across the country.

In an effort to support the large refugee settlements in Uganda, MTN in 2017 fulfilled UGX 1 billion pledge to the Office of the Prime Minister which saw the upgrade of 10 refugee serving hospitals in Uganda.

More recently, MTN supported Butabika Hospital through the construction of sanitary facilities in an effort to support delivery of health services at the mental health institution.

It is worth noting that MTN believes strongly in the power of collaboration to create meaningful impact; which is why over the years, the telecom has worked with the Ministry of Health, Red Cross, UNHCR, USAID and UNFPA to realise the success of its interventions.

Bryan Mbasa, the senior manager MTN Foundation said health of the people in the communities is something close to the heart of MTN’s business.

“Health is one of the key pillars of Corporate Social Investment for the MTN Foundation because at MTN, we believe that we are only as good as the communities we serve,” he noted.

 

2022 Planned projects

Mbasa also reaffirmed MTN’s commitment to investing in Uganda’s health sector with the aim of achieving SDG 3 which focuses on health and well-being noting that the MTN Foundation intends to commission even more impactful projects this year.

Key among the interventions MTN is undertaking this year, is the upgrade of Ibakwe health Centre II in Parolinya refugee settlement located in Moyo district and Bwizi health centre III in Western Uganda to mention but a few.

 

 As has become custom over the years, MTN Uganda together with Salam TV have kicked this year’s effort to support vulnerable communities with alms to enable them fast through the Ramadan season. Under the theme, “A giving heart”, MTN and its partner Salam TV will go around the country to handover alms – a vital pillar of the Muslim faith observed every year during the holy month of Ramadan. MTN together with Salam charity, will distribute alms specifically targeting the less privileged and refugee communities across the country.

The country-wide delivery of alms will be crowned with iftar dinners in the various regions of Uganda in the towns of Mbale, Mbarara and Gulu as MTN further seeks to cement its relationship with Muslim communities across the country.

The month-long donation activities kicked off with an all-embracing dinner, also known as iftar, at Hotel Africana. Present at the dinner, whose objective was to demonstrate unity and commitment to the ideals of the holy month, were Muslim leaders and notable members of the Islamic community including business partners, ambassadors, customers, and the media.

Since 2017, MTN Uganda through Salam TV (Charity) has reached out and supported less privileged Muslim communities with alms, including food and other household items to carry them through the holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking at the dinner held at Hotel Africana in Kampala, The Iftar dinner chief guest, Hon. Misa Kabanda, the Kampala Member of Parliament thanked MTN for its kind gesture and urged other companies to emulate MTN and Salam Charirty.

The MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer, Wim Vanhelleputte said that: “We are very pleased to spend this time with you as you begin this holy month of Ramadan, which is a very special time of spiritual reflection and renewal. On behalf of MTN Uganda, we wish you the very best as you undertake this spiritual journey,” Vanhelleputte said.

As was the case last year, MTN has brought back the special Ramadan bundles offer to ease communication during the fasting period. Every time an MTN customer buys airtime or buys a bundle worth 500/=, they will get 30 MTN minutes and 100MBs to be used between midnight and 5am that night. This offer is open to all MTN customers.

Salam TV Chairman, Hajji Kin Ibrahim Kariisa, expressed his desire to keep working with MTN Uganda based on its cordial relationship that has fostered a strong bond with the Muslim community.

“On behalf of the Muslim community, I thank MTN Uganda for partnering with us again and standing one with the Muslim community during this holy month of Ramadan. We are also happy to note that MTN is partnering with us to send off our brothers and sisters who will be embarking on a pilgrim to Mecca a month after Ramadan. MTN is indeed a steadfast partner that we are blessed to be associated with,” Kariisa said.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam with the fast beginning at dawn and ending at sunset.

itel and MTN Uganda have jointly launched the itel P17 series today following the recently launched partnership between the two companies.

The itel P17 and P17 Pro are the latest addition to the itel range of smartphones.  Both phones have an impressive 5.5” screen and a long-lasting battery, whose single charge can last up to 3 days. The itel P17 which comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM retails at Ugx.235,000/= while the P17 Pro which features 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM will roll out into the market soon.

Based on the ongoing partnership between MTN Uganda and itel, MTN will provide a free 3GB monthly data bundle for the P17 devices which will latch onto the MTN network, for three months. In addition to the 3GB, all devices will enjoy 100% data bonus on every data bundle purchased for the first 3 months on the MTN network. The same offer applies to the rest of the itel devices currently on the market.

While speaking at the itel P17 launch press conference held at the MTN headquarters in Kampala, Ms. Thurraya Nakayima, itel Uganda’s Executive Trainer said that the partnership has enhanced the value of itel’s smartphones by making access to the internet more affordable and exciting.

“The itel P17 and P17 Pro are designed with close attention to our consumers’ needs. These phones, equipped with very durable battery lives, impressive features and attractive data offers from our partner will surely be appreciated by any consumer out there who needs a great smartphone at a friendly price.” Said Ms. Thurraya.

Somdev Sen, MTN Uganda’s Chief Marketing Officer noted that this partnership further demonstrates MTN’s commitment to championing digital inclusion.

“Our partnership with itel is showing great results. We recently launched the itel A58 which is doing well on the market and today, we are unveiling two more series of the itel P17. With such a diversity of itel smartphones on the market, we believe there is something for everyone. And what is even better is that all these itel devices come with attractive MTN data offers that enable customers to do more with their itel smartphones,” Somdev said.

itel, a leading mobile phone brand committed to providing budget-friendly yet high-quality entry-level devices partnered with Uganda’s Telecom giant, MTN, early this year in February to accelerate smartphone penetration. In this strategic partnership, itel provides affordable smartphones while MTN avails its best-in-class internet data offers with a common goal of bringing more Ugandans online.

This is but one of the many customer-centred device partnerships that MTN has undertaken to enable smartphone penetration and digital inclusion with a vision of delivering a bold new digital world to all its customers.

MTN Uganda, in partnership with the Makerere University Business School (MUBS) has today unveiled a youth-centered entrepreneurship TV show dubbed Nsindika Njake, aimed at supporting the youth with business-related-skills to efficiently operate businesses. The overarching goal of the show is to inspire and stimulate the entrepreneurship acumen among the youth as one of the ways to alleviate the high youth unemployment rates that are prevalent in the country.

Uganda currently has the second youngest population in the world with over 78% below 30 years. Youth unemployment in Uganda stands at between 64% and 70%, with up to 400,000 young people entering the job market annually for a mere 9,000 jobs.

Based on the above statistics, entrepreneurship remains the most viable way to provide immediate employment and job creation opportunities. Unfortunately, majority of the start-ups don’t make it through their second year due to a number of reasons including the lack of entrepreneurial skills.

While launching the Nsindika Njake program in a press conference held today at the MTN Uganda Headquarters in Kampala, Somdev Sen, MTN Uganda’s Chief Marketing Officer said that the show would go a long way in addressing the unemployment issue that the youth are currently facing.

“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.

Somdev Sen, MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer launches Nsindika Njake, a youth entrepreneurship TV program that aims at equipping youth with business-related skills.

Nsindika Njake is a TV show featuring budding entrepreneurs running small enterprises commonly referred to as ‘hustles’. The show targets both the educated or skilled and the unskilled, with the goal of equipping them with the requisite business skills to successfully run their hustles.

The 12 participants (small business owners) of the show will be mentored and trained by the MUBS entrepreneurship and small business center and thereafter engage in solving business-related challenges based on what they will have been taught for a period of 12 weeks.

Dr Diana Nandagire Ntamu, the Director MUBS Entrepreneurship Innovation and Incubation Centre said the Nsindika Njake program is a very unique initiative focusing on both classroom and experiential learning aimed at harnessing the youths’ entrepreneurial potential.

“92% of the young people that join the workforce in Uganda go to the informal sector and a lot of them are running SMEs yet they have no experience. As MUBS, we pride in supporting those young people through capacity building and mentorship so I must say that I am very excited to have worked with MTN. While MUBS fosters entrepreneurship, MTN Uganda wants to support young people,” she noted.

Dr Ntamu further lauded MTN Uganda for this effort noting that tackling youth unemployment is a collaborative effort.

While the top 3 winners will walk away with assorted cash prizes, the grand winner will get a cash prize of 60 million. The prize money will be issued over a period of one year upon the achievement of key milestones.

The Nsindika Njake Show will air every Wednesday 8.30 pm on local TV stations with a repeat on Sundays at the same time.

Follow the show and tune in to Galaxy FM, Radio Simba, Radio Buddu and CBS2 FM to participate in the Nsindika Njake moment and win instant Mobile Money.

Last week, on 22nd March, MTN joined the rest of the world in celebration of World Water day under the theme: “Groundwater, making the invisible visible”, a theme aimed at spotlighting the importance of underground water in curbing water scarcity around the world.

Increasingly, different countries around the world are facing water scarcity as a result of climate change, which poses a threat to the future of human and animal life in those countries.

Closer to home, there has been great concern about water shortages resulting from climate change in the East African region. In a 2022 report, Oxfam International warned that as many as 28 million people across East Africa could face severe hunger if lack of rain persists through March.

News reports in Uganda indicate that some areas of the country such as Nakasongola and Gulu are challenged by water scarcity due to prolonged drought in those regions. In some cases, people have resorted to using dirty water from the lake for cooking which is a recipe for water-borne diseases.

On the other hand, research documented by WaterAid and the British Geological Survey in 2022 reveals that there is enough groundwater in Africa for most countries to survive at least five years of drought – and some, more than 50 years.

However, investment into tapping these groundwater sources to provide clean and safe water to communities remains limited.  Ground water in Africa is commonly sourced from beneath the land surface for instance through boreholes, springs and wells.

In a statement released recently, Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive of WaterAid in the UK, said: “There are vast reserves of water right under people’s feet, many of which are replenished every year by rainfall and other surface water, but they can’t access it because services are chronically underfunded. Tapping into groundwater would ensure millions of people have access to safe, clean water no matter what the climate crisis throws at them.”  

To bridge this gap, there is need for collaboration between both non-profit and profit organisations geared towards increasing access to clean water in the country.

Companies such as MTN are making progress in this initiative. The telecom company over the years has dedicated proceeds from MTN Kampala Marathon towards construction of boreholes in water-scarce areas of Northern Uganda including Amuria and Nakapiripirit.

The boreholes have extended access to clean water to more than 4000 people including refugees in the country.

During the thick of the pandemic in 2020, MTN Uganda partnered with National Water and Sewerage Corporation to provide 23 bulk water points to water stressed areas of Kampala to mitigate the spread of the virus due to of lack of water.

According to Wim Vanhelleputte, MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer, the volatile climate conditions today underscore the significance of groundwater in the survival of the human race.

“We cannot afford to ignore the significance of groundwater today because it poses a solution to some of the water scarcity challenges around the world. And as investment into exploration of this water source gains momentum, there is need for collective responsibility in guaranteeing water conservation,” he said.

Explaining MTN’s effort in extending access to clean and safe water across the country, Vanhelleputte also added: “The goal behind MTN’s investment in this initiative is fuelled by our belief that MTN can only flourish when the communities and ecosystems in which it operates are healthy. In addition, as part of our Ambition 2025 strategy, MTN Group commits to further drive efforts to create shared value, with Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) at the core.”

 

 

MTN Uganda has awarded the artistes with the most downloaded CallerTunez in 2021 across different music genres in a colourful event held at the Kampala Serena Hotel last evening.

The 2021 MTN CallerTunez awards were a culmination of the six-month-long award journey during which different artists with the most downloaded ring back tune and lucky customers who downloaded and used the tunes on their phones were rewarded with cash prizes on a monthly basis since July last year.

The artist with the most downloaded CallerTunez in a month from July to December 2021 was rewarded with Shs 2 million while the artiste in the Rising star category would take home Shs 1 million.

Pallaso, Spice Diana, Liam voice, Martha Mukisa, Pia Pounds among others, are some of the artists that were rewarded in the previous months.

The 2021 MTN CallerTunez categories comprised of; Kadongo Kamu (Band), Afro Beat (Pop), Hip Hop (Lugaflow), R&B, religious and dance hall (raga & reggae).

The 2021 MTN CallerTunez winners for each category include; Chosen Becky’s Nesiimye, for the Kadongo Kamu (Band) Category, Pallaso’s Mallamu for the Afrobeat/Afropop category, Fik Fameika’s Lock won in the Hip-Hop/Lugaflow category.

Liam Voice’s Omwooyo took the mantle for the RnB category while Martha Mukisa an Kenzo’s Sango held the top position under Ragga/Dancehall.

Under the religious category, Miracle Music Ministry’s ‘You have been faithful to me’ was the most downloaded gospel callerTune for the year 2021. Each of the winners walked away with 2.5Million shillings.

To ensure that customers also take part in the 2021 MTN CallerTunez awards grand finale, MTN introduced the People’s Choice Award which comprises three categories namely, the best male artist, the best female artist and the rising star to allow customers to vote for their favorite artists of 2021.

Liam voice scooped a second award having emerged as the Best rising star as chosen by the 8,858 people who voted for him.

Spice Diana was voted as the best female artiste under the people’s choice awards having garnered 33,461 votes.

Pallaso also bagged a second award after beating other male artistes to get named the best male artiste by the 25,672 people who voted for him. They each walked away with 3Million shillings in addition to the awards.

Customers voted for their favorite artists by simply dialing *170*70# and via the MTN website www.mtn.co.ug/CRBTAwards

Lorna Otieno MTN Uganda’s Senior Manager for Consumer Segments said the MTN CRBT awards seek to recognize the effort and work created by the local entertainment industry throughout 2021.

“We are glad to have successfully achieved our goal of honoring the talented artistes and content creators who have continuously spiced our lives with great music and messages that we enjoy as our caller ring back tunes. This is our way of saying Thank you. We hope to cultivate more digitization, appreciation, and consumption of our local content through recognizing and rewarding the artists’ efforts,” Otieno said.

The CallerTunez service is an offering of MTN where customers download their favorite songs or audio skits as ring back tunes that callers listen to while waiting for the customer to answer the phone.

Customers can get a CallerTune by simply dialing *170# and follow the prompts or SMS the word ‘TUNE’, followed by a space then the CallerTune code e.g., ‘TUNE 5151415’ to 170. Each callertune is charged at UGX 700 and is valid for a period of 30 days.

If you are a mobile data user, it is apparent that from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep, you do quite a number of things online. And now, with the latest repackaging of the MTN daily data bundles, you can do twice as much using your mobile data for the same old prices.

This year, MTN set a downward trajectory for data pricing by repackaging its data bundles to offer customers up to 100% more data on the most popular daily bundles at the same old prices. 

Somdev explains that the MTN data bundles were repackaged to offer more value to the customers at the same old prices, starting from as low as UGX.250/-

Based on the new changes, at UGX 250/-, MTN data customers now get 30MBs, instead of 15MBs and for UGX 500/-, they get 80MBs instead of 40MBs, signaling a 100% increment in the data volume. For UGX 1000/-, subscribers get 180MB instead of 100MBs, which is 80% more. For UGX 2000/- the customers get 400MBs instead of 300MBs, which is 50% more than before, at the same old pricing. These prices are permanent. These bundles can be purchased via the MyMTN app or by dialing *150*10#.

With data evolving as the most precious commodity of the 21st century, its availability bucked by its affordability is key for driving digital inclusion in Uganda where internet penetration stands at 26.2%, (Digital 2021 Report: Uganda) signaling the future runway for growth available in the country. 

Over the years, MTN Uganda has continuously taken bold strides aimed at steering digital inclusion by not only investing in its network but also making it more affordable for the masses.

“While commodity prices in other industries are increasing, we are swimming upstream to ensure that we democratize our mobile data services,” says Somdev Sen, MTN Uganda’s chief marketing officer. 

“It is twice as much data as I used to get for the same price. I can now stay online longer and market my business even more,” says Josephine Ninsiima, a fresh food trader who has harnessed digital marketing for her business. 

Like Ninsiima, more mobile data customers are taking advantage of the repackaged MTN daily data bundles to do more online, ranging from education, work and e-commerce among many other things that come with the availability of affordable data. 

MTN Mobile Money Uganda Ltd (“the Company”) has noted with great concern a message circulating on social media in which an anonymous person claims the disappearance of Ush 2.7M (Two million and seven hundred thousand Uganda shillings) off their Mobile Money wallet, alluding to insiders in the company having access to customers’ secret PINs.

MTN Mobile Money Uganda Ltd would like to assure all its thirteen million active customers, that their Mobile Money PIN (Personal Identification Number) is secret information inaccessible to anybody inside or outside the company, except the customer.

We appeal to all our customers to follow the golden rules of security when transacting using MTN Mobile Money:

  1. Under no circumstances should a customer share their PIN, code or the One-Time Password (OTP) with anyone.
  2. Do not use simple PIN combinations that can easily be guessed; e.g., 0-0-0-0-0 or 1-2-3-4-5; if a customer is currently using one, we urge them to change the PIN immediately.
  3. MTN will call its customers using Telephone number 031 212 0000 only. Should anybody call a customer on behalf of the Company with an alternative number, please consider them to be a fraudster and call our customer care helpline 100 for confirmation.

If our customers follow the above 3 golden rules, nobody can have access to their Mobile Money wallet without the customers entering the 5-digit secret PIN into their phone themselves explicitly or unconsciously.

MTN Mobile Money Uganda Ltd is regulated by the Bank of Uganda and is managed to the highest international standards of good corporate governance with zero tolerance to fraud. The company has invested heavily in state-of-the-art secure mobile money platforms and robust cyber security IT-systems to ensure safety and security of our Mobile Money system and customer data.

We ask all our customers to remain vigilant and immediately contact us via our customer service helplines in case of any attempt by fraudsters to access their Mobile Money wallets.