The E-Trade Association, an umbrella organization that converges companies and organizations that use the power of the internet to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in Uganda, has called for a removal of the motorcycle (Boda) ban after 7 pm to enable access to affordable transportation mobility for all Ugandans. The current difficult 7 pm curfew restriction has left many asking hundreds of questions, these include:

How will the majority of Ugandans who rely on boda bodas get home at 9pm after work? How will factory workers who work the late shift get home? Will supermarkets stay open late? Less than 1% of Ugandans own a car so this is not an option and Matatu (Taxi) coverage past 7pm is very limited and unsafe for users to walk from a taxi stage and reach the door of their home late hours after work.

The answer to these questions is clear; boda boda transportation provides a safer, efficient, affordable, convenient, last-mile and door-to-door, service country-wide. Banning Boda Bodas after 7pm will therefore make the journey back home on foot at night very dangerous for all Ugandans especially women, the elderly, and disabled.

As a representative of businesses large and small, the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry makes a statement on this concern:

“The Boda-Boda Industry is the second largest employer in Uganda after Agriculture and it provides a livelihood for close to seven million citizens in Uganda who would otherwise be engaged in illegal and illicit activities…It is also largely considered one of the cheapest and most effective modes of transport that facilitates business engagement. Research has indicated the Boda-Boda industry has revolutionalised the economy through bridging the gap of unemployment especially in the youth today.

Keeping the Industry under restricted movement (curfew) when the economy has finally opened up after two years is a disservice to the Business community that heavily relies on it as a primary facilitator for their business engagement in regards to the ease of movement of goods, services and personnel from one place to another.

The government should therefore reconsider its directives and instead train and emphasize the good practices on motorcycles operations in addition to the establishment of a well-updated database on commercial motorcycle activities for their sustainability and a regulated legal framework to the aspirations of the operators, customers and other road users” says Owomugisha Blessing Immaculate, Ag. Secretary-General – Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In Uganda, motorcycles enable millions of people to have the chance to participate in the economy everyday – getting to the market, delivering supplies, getting home after work, visiting a friend, getting to a meeting on time.

The sector is very important, directly employing over 1.2 million people. Boda bodas enable many small and medium scale businesses such as restaurants, bars, gyms and supermarkets to stay open late because employers are assured that there is an affordable last mile means of transportation that their employees can use to get home safely.

“Ever since the curfew was imposed, the best I could do was get daily food for my family, which many times has been quite difficult with the curfew restrictions. Now that schools and the economy have reopened, I still do not know how I am going to take care of my two sons and little daughter when the situation has not changed for me. I was hopeful when the President announced that the economy would be open this year.

I knew all would be well because I would go back to making some money from my customers. especially the party goers. Now I am left wondering where will I get money to support my family? I wonder what boda bodas did to the government,”

says a boda-boda rider in Kawempe division.

Whereas matatus or taxis remain a key transport service in Uganda, they are unable to go to the last mile, and cannot get people directly home. A 7pm curfew for boda bodas therefore means that businesses that could have stayed open longer will close earlier for the safety of their employees. This fact alone defeats the purpose of reopening the economy if people can not stay a little longer to make the money they have missed to make for the last two years.

E-Trade Association together with its partners calls upon the business community, regulators and general public to participate in the petition to end boda curfew through signing the petition.

We seek to engage Government decision-makers to consider allowing economic growth and prosperity by lifting the ban on transportation. As an association with a deep understanding of business and employment, we believe this can only be achieved if the Government removes the 7 pm Boda curfew to enable access to affordable transportation mobility for all Ugandans.

Much as Safeboda drivers are currently allowed on public roads, many have been heavily affected in terms of income and livelihood attracting attention from SafeBoda which has partnered with Yuvraj TVS to donate food supplies to over 3000 active drivers.

TVS contributed over 500 bags of 5kg maize flour to this cause, and the donation event was held at the SafeBoda Academy in Kyebando where eligible drivers have received a package of maize flour, beans, and additives for themselves and their families.

The donations have been done with strict observation of SOPs. Riders are called in different groups to pick up their donation (food). This process will be done in the form of a drive-through where there will be no physical contact between parties making sure all SOPs are observed. The SafeBoda is advised to leave as soon as he receives his package.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has left so many in our community struggling. When our people are affected, we also need to come in and help. This program will provide relief to the drivers who need it the most.”

says Ricky Thomson Rapa, SafeBoda’s Co-Founder and Director.

He adds that the donations are part of SafeBoda’s commitment to its value proposition of safety and well-being to its community of both customers and drivers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We shall continue to support our SafeBoda drivers in this trying moment. We urge everyone to keep observing the SOPs put in place to halt the spread of the virus.”

The E-pass app is intended to help the Ministry of Health track and geo-fence movements of COVID 19 patients under home-based care in a bid to reduce the number of non-critical patients that get admitted to Hospitals. By standard, the app helps the ministry know where a quarantined patient is moving to, their status, and avail needed health support due to limited resources in hospitals.

At the height of the pandemic, many people would be rushed to health centers including those that were not in critical conditions. With such situations, health centers were overwhelmed with high-walk in patients and also stretched the already limited resources in hospitals.

So, the Ministry of Health decided to introduce a home-based care policy in which non-critical patients would be cared for and monitored from the comfort of their homes or other safe locations outside hospitals. Now, with the E-Pass app developed by MTN Uganda in partnership with NITA-U, patients will be tracked down easily and reached out to when need be.

Speaking at the launch of the app, MTN Uganda General Manager for MTN Business Ibrahim Ssenyonga said the new app will go a long way in helping the government better manage resources as non-critical patients will be monitored remotely from their locations of isolation.

“This new app will alert the ministry of health designated officials, if in case a patient under surveillance goes outside of the planned location boundaries. That way, the ministry can minimize further spread, but also be able to locate some of the contacts in the areas where the patient might have veered off to,”

Mr. Ssenyonga said.

Development of the E-Pass App cost about UGX 460 million and the contributed tracking package includes 400 smartphone handsets that come pre-installed with the app and will be used for monitoring by the Ministry of Health officials. Aside that, the App can be accessed via MTN Uganda’s designated shortcode *260# that will best allow support for COVID19 Paeitnts and health care officials alike.

The NITA-Uganda Executive Director Dr Hatwib Mugasa inked that they are pleased with the solution as it serves as a game-changer in the overall management of the COVID19 pandemic.

“We are very proud because of the local capacity we have to quickly develop an app of this kind that will change the way we manage the COVID 19 pandemic in the country. This coming at a time when the vaccine is already in the country is a big boost in government efforts to curb and minimize the spread of the pandemic,”

Said Dr. Hatwib – The Executive Director NITA-U

In addition, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine thanked MTN Uganda and NITA Uganda for the new intervention saying that it takes collective effort from everyone to be able to defeat the COVID19 pandemic effects.

“It is true that management of patients was quite a nightmare for government and the health centers. We were having many people coming to hospitals that didn’t need to be there. And these were taking space for those that needed to be there the most. So this solution is very welcome and it is a win for us as a country in the management of this pandemic,”

Said Diana Atwine

Statistically, MTN Uganda has stayed in the support light for the Ministry of Health’s activities to help COVID19 Patients and lives affected due to the pandemic effects by donating money, cars, and subscribing their data bundle prices to favour all audiences. By this fashion, other telcos like Airtel, Africell also followed suit by donating to the COVID19 task force, and now, a new App has risen from MTN Uganda’s engineering wing to track down patients which is a WIN-WIN for customers and the Yello telco.

The Huawei O&M Autin grid-based operations solution won the prize, which recognises organizations and initiatives that have successfully deployed technology solutions in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Huawei was chosen as the winner from a shortlist of five initiatives on the continent. 

The AfricaCom Virtual Awards acknowledge the contributions of Africa’s tech community in fields including corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, connectivity, pandemic response, and building a more accessible, inclusive digital world.

Huawei developed the Autin grid-based operations solution for network operations and maintenance (O&M), using new technologies such as blockchain, grid-based transformation, and the intelligent station of operations to enable decentralized network management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About 170 million mobile subscribers in Nigeria – the most populous country in Africa – are served by four main operators from around 30 000 sites nationwide. Maintaining these large infrastructures requires hundreds of field technicians and 24/7 monitoring.

Lockdown and mobility restrictions during the pandemic placed additional challenges on operators, with increased traffic and restrictions on the number of workers permitted at network operations centers (NOCs).

To address these challenges, Huawei developed the Autin grid-based Operation, which decentralises network management by empowering field technicians with digitized tools to proactively monitor network quality indicators and respond to any degradation before subscribers are affected.

The solution not only provides a contingency for operators’ NOCs – essentially working as a “portable NOC” – but expands network monitoring capability with a grid-based operation.

A cloud-based, big-data digital platform is at the heart of the solution, leveraging machine-learning/AI, prediction algorithms, and knowledge-based intelligent rules.

A monetary incentive mechanism linked to network quality indicators motivates the field workers to embrace this mindset change. Finally, an intelligent command center – a “magnifier in the sky” – provides real-time visibility of network status, staff geolocation, and incident-resolution tracking.

“Grid-based network operation improves prediction capability and increases the agility of operators in responding to network incidents,” said Leo Lu, Huawei’s VP Global Technical Services for Southern Africa. “Field workers shift from being passive-reactive to being proactive thanks to cloud-based technology that gives them visibility and access to a knowledge database to resolve network faults.

“Intelligent dispatching and a network quality-based incentive plan are additional mobile features that improve field workers’ wellbeing and reduce their exposure to the pandemic,”

Concluded Leo Lu

In 2020 alone, Huawei has been at the forefront of helping countries in which it operates to handle the COVID19 Pandemic period swiftly than normal. In Uganda, the company donated IT equipment before resuming its annual ICT Academy competitions by leveraging elearning opportunities.

Hence, the COVID19 response award to Huawei may further inspire the company to deliver more community-driven projects on the African continent.

With an annual timeframe, recognition awards to foreign companies will attract more big tech companies to embrace Africa as a land of opportunity in a fashion similar to that of Huawei.

In fact, the telco confirmed that all its September marketing efforts will be dedicated to the campaign to save more lives. At this standard, we had a sit down with the MTN Uganda General Manager Corporate Affairs Ms. Enid Edroma on the goal and aims of the Wear it for me campaign.

QTN. Tell us about the new #WearItForMe mask campaign that MTN launched last week.

#WearItForMe is the next phase in MTN’s COVID-19 response under its Y’ello   Hope umbrella programme, which has been set up to provide much-needed support during times of societal need and aims to create a better outcome for all we serve.

 That said, the #WearitforMe campaign is a call to action for all the people in the countries within which we operate to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus through wearing face masks, which has been proven to be one of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of this deadly virus that has ravaged nations since the beginning of this year.

This campaign is running across all the 21 MTN markets in Africa and Middle East. I would like to clearly state that although the #wearItForMe mask campaign that is running under MTN’s Y’ello Hope focuses primarily on the importance of wearing a mask.

MTN is by no means advocating that this is the only action needed to win the war against COVID-19. We should by all means continue practicing the

We have observed that MTN is using mothers to drive the wearing of masks. Why mothers?

It is a well-known fact that mothers have great potential to inspire behavioral change in society. Many people will listen to what their mothers have to say.

There has been a general reluctance by many people to observe SOPs since the lockdown was lifted which is dangerous for us as a nation. So we thought let’s bring in the mothers to drive this much needed change in behavior among the children of. 

What motivated MTN to develop this campaign?

Ever since government lifted the lockdown, people have gone about their lives with great abandon. Most of them neither wear masks, nor observe social distance and washing hands has been forgotten.

As a result, we have started seeing the number of infections growing in the community. We have also witnessed some deaths. This negates the gains we had made as a nation in the beginning of this pandemic.

So as the number one corporate citizen in Uganda, we felt that we should add our voice to already existing efforts from government and other organisations, hence the WearItForMe campaign. Like I mentioned, this campaign has been launched across the MTN footprint in Africa and the Middle East.

Why the Masks and not any other intervention?

There is increasing evidence, from WHO indicating that masks can prevent the spread of the virus, there are equally a number of reports and surveys that reveal that many people still refuse to wear masks, wear them incorrectly, or feel they are not important.

 As such, through this campaign, MTN is encouraging every individual to wear a mask at all times when in public spaces.

In addition to wearing the mask, we are encouraging everyone to still observe the other SOPs such as social distancing, hand washing or sanitizing, and only leaving home when extremely necessary. That is why most of our staff are still working from home.

Isn’t this campaign rather late, considering that there are  already infections at community level?

We are of the view that it is not too late to reinforce the message around the importance of masks as many countries in Africa are predicted to potentially see a peak in infections starting this month. In addition, there is also growing concern about the risk of a second wave of infections, so now would not be the time to be complacent.

With infection rates predicted to reach a peak by September 2020, MTN felt that it is now more important than ever to put the weight of the brand behind driving this much-needed change in behaviour at the onset of September.

It was for this reason we chose a single-minded approach that focuses on the importance of wearing a mask and doing what is right during this time to save lives.

The campaign messaging does, however, make it clear that wearing a mask is not the only preventative measure needed to flatten the curve and accelerate recovery.

How long will this campaign last and what happens after that?

A.The campaign will run for a month. That’s the whole month of September. Meaning, MTN as a company will only communicate the importance of wearing masks in the fight against Coronavirus.

This isn’t the first time we have complemented government efforts in the fight against this pandemic. When government announced the first COVID 19 case in Uganda, we introduced a number of interventions.

 For instance, we slashed any fees relating to sending of Mobile money of any amount. This was to reduce the need to use cash as it was considered one of the ways in which the pandemic spreads.

We donated three brand new cars to the government task force to ease transportation of logistics. We also partnered with NWSC to put up water points in water stressed areas around Kampala and its surroundings. Water is very essential for washing of hands.

We zero-rated educational websites for both primary and secondary schools as well as universities to enable students continue studying from home. And to enable people continue working from home, we introduced work from Home internet bundles.

So this mask campaign is just one of the series of initiatives we have put in place. I don’t think it will be the last.

MTN has introduced an umbrella organ called Y’ello Hope through which we shall respond to natural disasters such as COVID 19. So expect MTN to come up with other initiatives depending on the need at the time.

We understand that you are putting all of your marketing resources behind this campaign. Can you explain in real terms what that means?

That’s right. Throughout the month of September, we as MTN shall not run any of our commercialadverts pushing products. MTN is dedicating all its TV, Radio, social media, print and outdoor resources towards pushing the wear the mask campaign. As you can imagine, that is in excess of shs1billion that we are dedicating towards driving this communication.  

What are your last remarks?

I would like to remind everyone that Corona virus is a real threat to our lives and livelihoods.  MTN as a corporate citizen cares for the lives of everyone wherever it operates.

It is against this background that we have dedicated all our efforts and leveraged our brand strength, and reach to encourage everyone to prevent the spread of the virus by wearing a mask and also observing the other SOPs. We believe that together we can all fight Corona virus.

Editor’s note: Part of this story is from an official Press Release

Announced by the Huawei Uganda Public Relations Manager Ms. Lina Cao. The 2020 Seeds for the Future program will be held online through e-learning platforms.

While Ecnouenraging Universities to recommend ICT students to take advantage of the world-class training program. Ms. Cao confirmed that the 2020 Program will expose students to cloud computing and 5G concepts contrary to previous year versions of the program. 

Launched in 2016 by H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the seeds for the future program has been ongoing since then. Every year, the top 10 university students in ICT related courses are selected for a study trip in China. Since its launch, over 30,000 students have benefited directly from the program globally.

However, due to the current COVID19 Pandemic, the program will take charge of a new plan aimed at equipping and nurturing students through equipping exposing them to latest Technology trends virtually as Ms. Chao said:

“The Seeds for the Future will be carried out online. It’s called the Huawei Sky Seeds for the Future. Just as the previous years, we have always had several activities such as student selection, interviews, closing ceremonies, two weeks training programs in China in the latest technology, it shall continue the same way this year but online. We are excited to add that the program this time round is open to more than 100 students. They will, among other things take part in training and exposure to 5G and cloud computing,” Ms. Lina Cao, the Public relations Manager of Huawei Uganda, explains.

Who can participate in the 2020 Huawei Seeds for Future Program

According to Ms. Cao, Priority will be given to outstanding undergraduates and graduates who have a strong passion for ICT. Additionally, Female students will get an upper arm in nurturing their skills as strongly encouraged to apply.

Previously, over 22 Uganda students have directly benefited from Job opportunities and Internships at Huawei Uganda. In 2018, a Female Student Cleopatra Ajambo won in the year’s round of the Program and has since risen from just a computer science student to a Networks architect with a career at Huawei Uganda. 

“As a Computer Science Student, you are expected to dig deep into programming as a major which was not, and is not most girls’ passion, so I found myself relying more on getting good grades than building a career as a problem solver, my career changed when I joined the Seeds for Future Program”

Testified Cleopatra

Hence, the COVID19 Pandemic may have dismantled businesses in all parts of the world, but the period has since attracted a new wave of Integrating online/virtual operations, a model that Huawei’s 2020 Seeds for the future program will trail.

With merit, 52% of the world’s mobile devices currently support 4G as their default network technology. Through the same fashion, a majority of mobile telecom operators support 4G as the fastest network band available for customers, and as such, 4G is the lifesaving network technology supporting communities through theCOVID19 Pandemic.

Although 5G technology will be the default networking technology for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) with automation as the key mover. 4G LTE (Long term Evolution) continues to serve for atleast the next 5 years as Henry Calvet inked during the 2020 GSMA Summit.

“Until 2025, LTE will continue to do the heavy lifting,” said Henry Calvert, head of the Network 2020 future network programme at the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), “Our 4G networks will remain key… They will continue to be important for the next five-to-seven years,” he said.

 The Role played by 4G in the COVID19 Pandemic

Adding to his presentation at the 2020 GSMA LTE Summit, Calvert added that, LTE was coming to the fore in the provision of telehealth and telemedicine even before the Pandemic, as well as expanding wireless network services to support the human resource in hospitals and other healthcare services.

Even with health as a key role supported by 4G, the network band has also made new lifestyles currently taking shape due to the current COVID19 Infucned lockdowns, these include Scientific weddings and now Scientific Elections in Uganda.

Calvert said operators report that data usage has increased by more than 70% per customer during the pandemic, and mostly driven by online services and on-demand video services like Netflix, which recently reported adding 15.8 million subscribers since 2019 – more than double their expectations.

“There has even been a call to on-demand video providers to reduce the quality of video they’re deploying and encourage people to use standard-definition rather than high-definition TV to preserve the capacity in the networks for online education, online health and online businesses,” he said.

“As transformation continues it’s been focused on expanding 4G capacity,” he said. “But the 5G transformation is clearly going to be needed in the future to meet online demands.”

During COVID-19, 4G networks have also been instrumental in supporting contact-tracing apps, which can locate and notify the contacts of infected individuals remotely, while still protecting the privacy of users in countries like China and the USA.

Hence, 4G LTE is still a great network technology further utilized in the new COVID19 Normal. And so, it must remain a priority infrastructure over the short term before 5G is officially rolled out to several countries.

“Our GSMA intelligence groups show that there will be a short-term dip in 5G deployment,” said Calvert. “But that will quickly recover to normal levels. We still see launches of 5G networks, as we now know that delivering on the data demand that has been met by our LTE networks can only get better with 5G.” – Calvert Concluded

Exemplary businesses that were previously not online, have now acquired a digital presence in order to reach, and serve their clients. This has seen more businesses become digital-centric to offer flexibility to their workforces, as well as adopt new systems to support their nature of work.

Last Week, MTN Uganda hosted a Webinar to discuss the new and emerging business models amidst the COVID19 Pandemic.

The Webinar was hosted by Dennis Musinguzi-The MTN Uganda senior Manager for products and services, Christopher Ssali -MTN Liberia Mobile Financial Services General manager, and the Eversend Fintech App CEO, Stone Atwine.

During the Webinar, Dennis Musinguzi said that, although businesses suffered a lot at the beginning of the Covid19 lockdown, they have ensured their continuity by going digital, and serving their customers through social media channels.

Fresh food markets suffered the most during lockdown. However, they went digital and started doing home deliveries. They are now in business.

Dennis Musinguzi – Senior Manager for Products and Services, MTN Uganda

New Business models relying on the Cashless evolution

Likely, Christopher Ssali noted that, there has been an observed change in payment habits over the last months as people are opting for contactless payment options more than ever before.

“Covid19 brings a new opportunity; previously more people felt more secure with cash. But after the pandemic, more people feel secure with payment options such as Mobile Money

Christopher Ssali – Acting General Manager Financial Services, MTN Liberia

He further noted that, the paradigm shift in the forms of payment has led to a Mobile Money evolution, and as such, significantly reduced the need to use cash in the business value chain.

In resonance with Ssali, Stone Atwine inked that, the increase in mobile money usage has kept businesses afloat by enabling them to transact during the pandemic. Not only through transaction free payments with services like Momo Pay and Airtel Money Pay, but also the rise of Smartphone App-based channels.

Borrowing credence from his company ‘EverSend’, Atwine said that companies should embrace new operational models in order to survive the adverse effects of the pandemic.

“We are trying to do things that have not been done yet. For instance, we are now doing cross-border eCommerce, changing our product designs to include items such as donations and causes to help people raise funds for specific causes especially during these hard times,” Atwine said.

Stone Atwine – CEO, EverSend Payments App

With the COVID19 Pandemic shaping the business sphere with new operation models. It’s now clear than ever before, that digital is the way to go for businesses to not only communicate better, but also leverage the fate of emerging technologies as discussed during the MTN Webinar.

Due to the current COVID19 Pandemic, Uber has only resumed its Taxi-hailing wing and continues to mute its Boda wing. However, if the Lockdown continues south and 2Wheel Motorbikes meet an open terminal, Uber Boda will also be resumed.

Unlike Safeboda which has continued to operate by utilizing its Food delivery and parcel delivery wing, UberBoda only operates with the newly launched UberConnect that allows customers to send packages in Uganda.

With Uber Taxi trailing as the only resumed option, the option has also been trimmed to only Uber X leaving Uber XL in a ditch. This is due to a 2Passengers directive by Government, further clarified by Uber through its Notice:

During this period you can still access the UberX option which will continue to be available on the Uber app. Please note that The President has directed that no more than 2 passengers can be transported at once – so please bear this in mind if you are requesting with a group of people.

During normal operations, Uber X is limited to 4 passengers due to car specifications. But with the new limitation, each car will be authorized to carry only 2 passengers to respect the social distancing policy.

As Uber takes its operations live, we expect rival providers like Bolt (Formerly Taxify), Little Cab and Mondo ride to borrow the lifted Lockdown streak to resume normal operations in Uganda.

In a mini chatter, all websites and University learning platforms have been zero-rated by the telco and don’t require any MBs to access. This will help both students and lecturers access university resources without worrying about data usage.

In Uganda, all Universities were officially closed on March 20 after a presidential directive to suspend mass gatherings as a model to prevent the further spread of COVID19 with social distancing in play.

List of the Free to Access Uganda Universities platforms

Previously, MTN Uganda zero-rated all websites on the Makerere University domain root to allow students get access to university resources and quality material while at home.

The University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe shared his excitement through a Facebook post urging students to utilize the new open opportunity.

“Our negotiations with MTN Uganda yielded a lot of fruit as the telecom company has accepted to zero-rate six of our online learning platforms. We applaud them for this. I now urge our students and lecturers to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said in a Facebook post. 

In the light of the current lockdown, MTN Uganda also zero-rated a chunk of e-learning platforms for primary and secondary school students. With the free to access websites, students get access to quality education material to grow their learning curve while at home.

Free to Access educational resources Websites

According to the telco’s CMO Sen Somdev, the Zero-rating of Student and University most-used websites is part of the telco’s commitment of standing together with customers on every move they make as he concluded: 

“MTN Uganda will continue to look at ways of supporting our communities and government, to ensure that together, we do everything feasible to get through this difficult time,”

Sen Somdev, Chief Marketing Officer – MTN Uganda