In an Interview with the telco’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Mr. Somdev Sen, the MTN Marathon proceedings have always been distributed to the health and education sectors as per the edition. By this, the MTN Kampala Marathon has benefited countless Ugandans as Somdev explains.

What is the motive of the MTN Kampala Marathon?

As a corporate citizen, we believe that part of our responsibility is to improve the lives of people in communities within which we operate. We believe that there is a limit to the impact a single company can create, and by such, a marathon was born in order to create more with collective effort.

Through the MTN Kampala Marathon, individuals and other corporate organisations come together to contribute ideas, solutions, and funds that can help address many pressing socio-economic needs in communities.

But How does MTN mobilize these funds?

Funds are raised through corporate companies who come on board as sponsors of the marathon as well as individuals who choose to participate in the marathon.

Over the years the marathon has attracted an average of 20,000 individual runners and corporate companies like Vision Group, Huawei, Stanbic Bank, Rwenzori, Spedag among others coming together to raise a good amount of money to address given challenges in the communities.

So far how many people’s lives has the MTN Kampala Marathon touched?

It is quite hard to quantify the number of lives that the Marathon has touched over the years. For the past sixteen years, very many people in different communities have benefited from proceedings of the Marathon.

As a matter of fact, the marathon has so far raised over 3.5 billion shillings that has all been spent on various charity projects across Uganda in a conscious effort to enable the country achieve sustainable development goals in areas of health, education, and ICT.

Tell us about the projects that have been undertaken using the MTN Kampala Marathon proceeds so far

In terms of projects, we have executed quite many. We started with supporting mothers in displaced people camps with Mama kits, moved on to providing safe water in Amuria and Karamoja regions, constructed biogas toilets in KCCA schools.

Then, reduced cancer exposure among school children by replacing asbestos roofing with iron sheets, and currently, we are complementing government efforts in maternal health across the country. Each of these projects have lasted for a couple of years.

So, how much money does the Marathon raise annually?

Again, that varies from year to year, based on a number of factors. But in a nutshell, the marathon proceeds have been increasing progressively over the years. For instance, when we started in 2004, we raised 20million shillings from 1500 participants.

6 years later when other corporate companies joined to sponsor the event, we were able to raise 190 million. Then, In 2015, we hit the UGX 500 million mark and for the last two years, the marathon has raised at least UGX 600 million in both years.

Talking about the last 2 years, MTN extended the Marathon to other regions in the country. What was the motive?

As you may be aware, the MTN Kampala Marathon has evolved into the biggest athletic event in the region. As such, the number of participants had outgrown our capacity in Kampala, and yet, the need for services was still immense in the communities.

Therefore, in order to give more Ugandans a chance to participate in this philanthropic event, we introduced regional runs, which I’m proud to say have been well-received.

The beauty about these races is that they are rotational, so every major town out of Kampala eventually gets to host the marathon with the region.

It is Mid-November already, are their any signs of a 2020 edition of the marathon?

Due to the Covid19 pandemic, we decided, with a heavy heart, not to have the MTN Kampala Marathon this year. The Covid19 guidelines require social distancing and limit crowd gatherings, yet based on the previous crowds, it is evident that it will be impossible to enforce social distancing and the other SOPs during the marathon.

As such, we have decided to call it off this year. Hopefully, if the pandemic ends by the same time next year, we shall then organize a 2021 edition of the marathon as we have done for the last 16 years.

What does the future hold for the MTN Kampala Marathon anyway?

Even though we have seen progress over the years, there is still more to be done in communities. We recognize the fact that government cannot do this on its own.

Therefore, as a company in the business of connecting people, we are still committed to connecting communities for better socio-economic services through mobilizing fellow corporates, individuals, and organizations to help make a difference in communities across Uganda.

Editor’s note: Part of this story is from an official Interview Release Shared with the Tech Point Magazine

Given the fact that only a pinch of corporate brands deploy CSR campaigns, the need for their involvement would benefit them and their customer base. For instance, In 2020, only MTN has donated through its CSR wing, and no other telco has borrowed the streak.

Henceforth, at the forefront of running CSR campaigns, MTN Uganda’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wim Vanhelleputte, through an Interview shared his beliefs and take on why CSR is a win-win for both companies and communities alike.

Please tell us about MTN’s rationale for taking part in CSR

At MTN our vision is to provide a modern connected digital life to every customer. However, we understand that as a business, MTN can only flourish when the communities and ecosystems in which it operates are healthy.

In all we do, we strive to leverage our core capabilities to enable the socio-economic development of the communities within which we operate. I think of CSR as a win-win. It is a big win for the company and even a bigger win for the community.

How does MTN execute its CSR? 

CSR is fully embedded in our overall strategy. Every year we donate a certain percentage of our profits through the MTN Foundation. The money is dedicated to improving the lives of people in the communities in the most pressing areas of education, health, and national priority areas such as youth empowerment among others.

 We endeavor to maintain an emphasis on addressing National priority areas aligned with the National Development Plan of each of our markets.

This is why we have strong working partnerships with the health and education sectors, and it is also the reason why we are always quick to come in when there are natural disasters like it was with COVID19, floods in different parts of the country.

It is also a known fact that all the money from the MTN Kampala Marathon goes towards charity. Please tell us more about it.

The idea of the MTN marathon has really been about mobilising the population and other corporate bodies to rally together behind specific causes that require urgent attention in our communities. It has helped us draw attention to very important issues in the community such as maternal health, basic needs like water in some parts of the country.

We take pride in our association with partners like Stanbic Bank, New Vision, Huawei and Rwenzori among others who donate selflessly towards the Marathon and to all the participants who take part in the Marathon to make a difference in people’s lives.

We believe that our vision to build sustainable societies can be achieved through partnerships and collaboration, helping in the realisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Why is MTN passionate about giving back to the communities?

As explained in the beginning, MTN Uganda can only flourish when the communities and ecosystems in which it operates are healthy. In all we do, we strive to leverage our core capabilities to enable the socio-economic development of the communities within which we operate.

The MTN Marathon is just one tool through which we make our contribution. We also have a foundation whose focus is to carry out our CSI agenda and through it we have been able to do a lot in the community.

Since it is part of MTN’s vision, we expect to see more MTN Initiatives in the community. Briefly tell us about the future of MTN CSR

Definitely just like we have a business plan, we have a solid plan for our CSR. As the communities we work with advance, their needs also evolve. Our CSI program currently focuses on National Priority Areas (Education, Health, women empowerment, disaster relief) and Employee volunteerism and more recently we are adding youth empowerment to the agenda.  

This will focus on empowering them with the relevant skills required in the current times so as to systematically address job creation, enhance competitiveness and drive inclusive growth.

Why particularly the youth?

Youth account for over 60% of the population across our markets.  If we can address the issue of job creation in youths and enable them to be contributors to the growth of their country, this will drive inclusive growth as well as positively impact communities’ standards of living. This strategic move is to really unlock the potential of youths in building the economy.

What are your final remarks to the public regarding giving back to the community?

First of all let me thank everybody out there, whether individual or organisation that is involved in giving back and supporting communities. Development in any form is not a preserve of the government.

It is a collective effort that everybody should get involved in their own little way. As MTN we strongly believe that we are good together, that way we can achieve a lot more.

Editor’s note: Part of this story is from an official Interview release shared with the Tech Point Magazine team

Before mobile money operators headlined by MTN put a start to a new generation powered by Mobile Money, Money transfer was not just informal but also risky in Uganda.

In the presence of Banks, transferring money involved lining up in a queue and making sure the receiver account details are correct dot by dot or else the transaction would bounce. This has come to change and the continued growth of mobile money has not only changing lives, but also made money transfer easier.

In an Interview with Stephen Mutana – the General Manager MTN Mobile Financial Services, he shared his views on how mobile money penetration has expanded access to modern financial services to the rural and remotely unbanked (No access to banks) population.

What is your take on Fintech as far as financial inclusion is concerned?

Financial technologies promise to increase efficiency in delivering financial services and promote financial inclusion. Currently, mobile penetration in the country is higher than banking, which provides telecoms with an edge for marketing financial products to their clients through greater reach.

The service has been a major driver of financial inclusion in the last decade. Mobile money currently allows the unbanked people to use their phones as a bank account, to deposit, withdraw, and transfer money with their handset. People can also use mobile systems to pay utility bills and pay for goods in merchant shops.

Will the integration of Fintech and banks solve Uganda’s current financial inclusion paradox?

MTN believes that the power of partnerships should never be underestimated. As the central bank finalizes the National Payment Systems Act regulations, we foresee more possibilities for partnerships between banks, Fintech, and Mobile Network Operators that will further drive financial inclusion.

We improve on partnerships focusing on leveraging on existing infrastructure such as distribution systems sides for cost-effective operations. Partnerships that aim to drive innovation by exposing prebuilt APIs. For instance, access to accounts, transaction history, know your customer, or metadata enhancements. 

How has MTN managed to develop a seamless Digital payment Solutions system?

As a leading telecom operator on the continent, MTN has taken a global view on developing platforms. We are focusing more on solutions that enable many players or stakeholders to come on board or simply plug into our system.

 MTN launched the Open API (Application Programming Interface) two years ago to enable digital payments and collections. An API is a computing interface that allows two applications to talk to one another. For instance, when you go shopping online and use mobile money to settle a payment, you are using an API.

We have over 100 partners on the API platform. Active MTN Mobile Money users have grown to over 7.4 million. MTN Mobile Money services have grown to include bill payments, group salary payments, and school fees payments.

As the biggest Fintech in the country, what does MTN think about the National Payment Systems Law?

The National Payments Systems Act, 2020 (Act), effectively became law when it was assented to by the President in July this year. The law regulates operators of payment systems, payments service providers, issuers of payment instruments and issuers of electronic money.

We think the law seems to be comprehensive enough to plug some of the regulatory loopholes that have been prevalent among players in the payments space.

As the novel COVID-19 continues to spread, the race is on for innovators to design products that will add another layer of safety to support how payments for goods and services are settled.

Therefore, clear regulation and legislation are key in defining a sustainable approach within which payment service providers and consumers interact, exchange data, and make payments.

Give us your thoughts about how this law might impact the smaller Fintech in the country

With regulations in place, smaller Fintech firms which have enabled value addition on our products and services will find it a lot easier to integrate into MTN API platforms.

There will also be deliberate support from MTN to Fintech partners that work in areas of national development plan priorities such as healthcare, agriculture, job creation, and education.

Although we welcome the move to regulate these smaller Fintech firms a tiered regulatory approach will spur the innovation space. Innovation and technology have always moved faster than regulations.

What is the way forward for the smaller companies as far as the law is concerned?

We encourage our regulators to have a light touch to a regulatory approach that can improve access to technologies but also spur innovations. Most importantly though, regulating the sector will drive confidence and trust in Fintech products and services.

Customers and suppliers, both local and foreign will have greater clarity on products and safeguard customer funds. As a leading player in the Fintech sector, we think this will allow us a greater scale.

What are your final remarks?

The transformative role of mobile financial services will depend largely on whether stakeholders private, government or international organizations invest in approaches to solve everyday problems.

Also, partnerships are key if we want to progress. Behind the success story of mobile money, MTN has had partnerships with a number of Fintech firms that have enabled the technological capabilities needed to make the financial services a success.

Editor’s note: Part of this story is from an official Interview Release Shared with the Tech Point Magazine team.

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

With a Smart health feel, the fourth industrial revolution has already set a backward trend for ordinary pharmacy ques and diagnostics bringing to book automated apps and systems taking over the complicated task.

Its to this fact that startups like BreastIT and Matibabu have acquired enough funding to fuel their development and overall progress to solve complicated tasks using the power of ever evolving AI algorithms.

Luckily, we got in touch with one of the promising Smart health Startups providing a unique approach to solving health tasks by simply using a Smartphone app.

Julius Sseninde a 22 year old pharmacy student at Uganda Institute of Allied Health and Management Sciences-Mulago is the main brain behind the E-Pine pharmacy Smartphone App.

E-Pine not only breaks the chain of bringing prescribed medicine drugs closer, but also borrows an E-Commerce streak that allows medical personnels to easily buy tangible equipment. With less of his background, here is what transpired during a brief interview with him.

What is E-Pine Pharmacy?

E-Pine Pharmacy is an online pharmacy that sells medicines and medical equipment’s both at prescription and over the counter, retail and wholesale with over 1500 products available currently.

How to get access to E-Pine Pharmacy?

E-Pine Pharmacy is available on the google play store and someone can simply download it at only 6.5Mbs.

What inspired you to start up E-Pine Pharmacy?

As a pharmacy student at Mulago, I saw patients struggling to get access to medicines prescribed to them by doctors and to solve that, I thought of starting something where they could get access to all medicines.

Secondly, the prices of medicines in some retail pharmacies are slightly higher and tats how E-Pine Pharmacy was started to see that patients get medicines at a lower prices.

Some people have got busy schedules which have not been favorable to them to get their medicines hence coming up with a platform to solve that problem.

Lastly, self-employment as a youth inspired me to start up E-Pine Pharmacy.

How do you operate?

On E-Pine Pharmacy, when a person downloads our app, he or she creates up an account with us, interacts with the medicines, orders and we deliver.

What’s your current state?

Currently, we have gone into partnerships with several pharmacies as our suppliers and we have made some deliveries to a few clients who have ordered.

What’s your future?

We are planning to come up with an IOS version of the app to also cater for our clients using iPhone plus the website which is under development.

Secondly, our target is to serve the all country through getting established in the newly approved cities.

What challenges have you faced so far?

The main challenge I have forced is the lack of funds which has hindered my progress and am calling up development partners for support.

My last word to the youth is that they should take off their fears, and start by solving problems around them because it’s what will give them the future they are looking for.

Last year, we managed to grab the collar of SafeBoda’s first ever driver nicknamed as Moses Namba Emu. This time around, we landed on his next in line driver Juma Katongole. The driver is another interesting ride-hailing expert currently teaming up with the mother brand to promote safety as a driver associate in the 2 wheel industry and here is a snippet of an interview with him.

Tell us about yourself

I’m Juma Katongole, 40 years old and Married with 4 children. I joined Safeboda in 2014 & was assigned SB02. I started out as a community leader representing SafeBodas & ensuring my colleagues are obeying the code of conduct and traffic rules. Because of my hard work & commitment, I was offered a full time job at the company but I still ride my bike most evenings after work and weekends.

What is your current role at SafeBoda?

I currently work as a driver associate at SafeBoda handling, phone repairs, troubleshooting & setting up new phones for SafeBodas. I also maintain & record info pertaining to the phones.  When I joined SafeBoda, I couldn’t even operate a smartphone but now I’m troubleshooting them. I have learnt a lot; I can now use a computer & use Excel among many other skills.

What do you like the most about your job?

I have acquired very practical computer skills, improved on my English and also been able to learn from other people.

Achievements

• I’m able to pay school fees for my children because I earn more money
• I have also gained amazing computer skills.
• When I joined, I gained a lot of respect because of identification because of the reflector names and I earned my customer’s trust.

What do you do in your free time?

I love to listen to music and play with my children.

In case you follow SafeBoda’s SB001 Moses on Twitter, you can barely tell that the tweep is a Boda hailing driver with massive impressions per tweet sent out. Its the exact same way that SafeBoda’s Juma beefs up with his current slot at the company and focuses on flying the orange flag higher. So, we shall be detailing more SafeBoda idols that have made the service what it is today beating the competition by a milestone ahead of the new timely trip fares.

As much as Safeboda’s Number 1 driver is as scarce as a train in Kampala. He is an experienced professional boda hailing driver you might fail to notice by first sight. However, with his professional deeds, the Safeboda path was always a giantic move he opted to undertake from the start till a time when the Orange drivers have become ultimate rescuers during traffic peak hours. More so, here is our brief interview with the legendary Safeboda driver

Who is Moses Musinguzi, Tell us a little bit about yourself

SB01: My name is Moses Musinguzi. I was born in Kasese, and I am 29 years old. I completed my senior six at City High school in 2009, but couldn’t continue with further studies because university tuition was very high. I could not manage to support myself, so I instead decided to use my savings to start a business, and I later ended up as a bodaboda rider. I am the first ever SafeBoda rider, so feel free to call me SB01

What were you doing before SafeBoda?

SB01: I joined the Boda industry in 2007 as a motorcycle mechanic. I also used to monitor my father’s Bodaboda business; he used to give out motorcycles on lease, and I was in charge of collecting the payment.

I later opened up my own motorcycle spare parts shop. But, in 2013, the business collapsed and that’s how I ended up as a Bodaboda rider with my very first stage at Acacia mall.

How did you end up with SafeBoda?

SB01: Early 2014, I ran into a former client of mine for whom I used to repair motorcycles, who also happened to be the co-founder SafeBoda, Ricky Thomson. He told me about his idea, and I liked it because he told me that it would improve the image of the Bodaboda industry.

He told me that we were going to be provided with two helmets and reflector jackets, and then we would build a community of like-minded riders, gain people’s trust, and make it a premium service.

Having dropped out of school, I wanted to associate with a brand that would make me proud among my former colleagues hence I decided to work with safeboda.

What has the journey been like for you?

SB01: It has been as exciting as it has been challenging.

I joined safeBoda in 2014 as the onboarding officer and was charged with interviewing, training and recruiting riders. In 2015, I became the Driver Technology manager and was helping troubleshoot any problems riders had with using the SafeBoda platform. I later went on to join the driver engagement and support team which is about maintaining riders on the platform. But because the numbers have grown, we split up driver engagement and support and I am now leading the driver support team.

All this time, I have been a part-time SafeBoda rider and also a staff in charge of driver support. But I am finally resting my motorcycle to become a full time employee with my last 50 trips journey stating next week

I will miss being an active Bodaboda rider. I used to love meeting all those amazing people, but I have to specialize now and work on my personal goals. Although I will not be in the field, I will still continue to serve them indirectly.

What has been your biggest challenges as a SafeBoda rider?

SB01: My biggest challenge so far has been harassment from other riders who have not embraced the platform. Mostly the harassment has been verbal. For instance, when we stop at the traffic lights they hurl insults at you as they tell you to get out of their way. They see us as traitors because we offer low fares to customers.

What have been your biggest achievements as a SafeBoda rider?

SB01: With SafeBoda, I have learnt to be more professional. For instance, I have be trained on how to handle customers better, received first aid training and also learnt how to interact with technology.

Because of SafeBoda, I also no longer have to hide from my former school colleagues because I am no longer seen as a failure and this makes me proud.

Finally, I have also managed to construct a fully furnished 3-bedroom house, and I am also paying school fees for my kids.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

SB01: I am planning to go back to school and complete university where I will pursue a Bachelor’s degree in data science or project planning and management. My dream is to become a renowned data analyst.

My second goal is to re-establish my old business, which I will run parallel with my new position at SafeBoda.

What is your advice to  SafeBoda customers and what benefits can they gain by sticking to the service?

SB01: Unlike other boda hailing firms you’ve seen in Kampala, Safeboda is a professional movement with the best drivers to take you all around for less. Additionally, Safeboda credit is a gamechanger that allows you to save more for less. Imagine a situation where you don’t have any cash, but you have a time-lapse meeting in a few hours? Safeboda credit would save you in that particular moment.

My general advise to Safeboda riders lies in them enjoying more for less with the credit option and also the professional treat by drivers who are always willing to go an extra mile for the best trip satisfaction on a motorbike.