News - Pison Public Relations

CCBA invests $8.35 Million in Brand new manufacturing line

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa has officially broken ground for a brand new US$8.35million (UGX 30.7billion) Manufacturing Line to bottle more in Uganda

The new bottling line at the Namanve site operated by Century Bottling Company will have a capacity of producing 24,000 bottles an hour, accelerating the production of natural mineral water to refresh and rehydrate Ugandans.

This multi – billion investment will bring to Uganda the newest bottling line technology out of Germany, enabling the Company to innovate further for increasingly changing consumer demands.

The investment is part of a US$15 Million investment plan Coca-Cola Beverages Africa has for Uganda alone in 2018.

Minister of State for Investment and Privatisation, Hon. Evelyn Anite, officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony after conducting a tour of the Namanve Plant and welcomed Coca-Cola Beverages Africa’s additional investments.

She lauded Coca-Cola Beverages Africa for focusing on Uganda and spending the bulk of the US$8.35million (UGX30.7billion) within Uganda to benefit citizens and support the economy.

“Of this, I am told US$3.5million will be spent inside Uganda on civil works and construction and auxiliary services. That is a very significant amount for many reasons. First of all, that means that the bulk of the investment that we are launching today is going to be spent inside our own country and will directly benefit Ugandans. That fits well within our Buy Uganda, Build Uganda policy and I applaud you for that. Also, your investment in a new Manufacturing Line creates more jobs for very many categories of Ugandans – which fulfills the NRM pledge to create more jobs and wealth especially for the youth of Uganda,” she said.

Ag. Managing Director, Mrs. Martha Munnu Omer assured guests of the investment commitments of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (Uganda), which runs three subsidiaries bottling Coca-Cola products (Century Bottling Company), pure natural mineral water (Rwenzori Bottling Company) and recycling plastic waste taken from the environment (Plastic Recycling Industries).

“We employ about 1,800 Ugandans in our three plants in Kampala, Mukono and Mbarara, and support more than 90,000 businesses across our extensive retail distribution network. Coca-Cola Beverages Africa is proud to make these contributions on top of paying taxes to the tune of more than UGX140billion annually. We are serious about doing business in Uganda and supporting this economy,” Mrs. Omer said.

She added that the investment in the brand new US$8.35million Manufacturing Line was a strong demonstration of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Uganda`s commitment to the development of Uganda despite the tough economic conditions.

“Because of this new Manufacturing Line, our 1,800 employees and hundreds of thousands of other Ugandans involved in selling our high quality products around the country will be assured of ongoing employment because production will increase. As well, the biggest bulk of this investment will be spent inside our own country and will directly benefit Ugandans. This fits well within the “Buy Uganda, Build Uganda” policy that Government is advocating. The new will create more jobs for various categories of Ugandans – which fulfills the Government pledge to create more jobs and wealth especially for the youth. This includes employees during the construction as well as additional employees when the new line is completed. We are happy to be contributing to the development of Uganda,” she said.

CCBA management emphasized that the Company will continue to be a relevant partner with Government and called upon the officials to ensure they work to limit the challenges private sector faces in doing business.

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21st April 2018/0 Comments

News

Coca-Cola, Mercy Corps Celebrate The YES! Initiative

The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and Century Bottling Company together with Mercy Corps celebrated the benefits of the YES! Initiative.

Launched in 2015, the three year program has provided training and links to both employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for over 2000 youth in Kawempe Division, Kampala and parts of Wakiso District.

The project used community-run “YES HUBS” which offered training focused on job readiness, life and technical skills and financial literacy and provided youth with the opportunity to join peer networking and savings groups. Together with other private sector partners, YES! created opportunities for youth to realize new and more secure livelihood opportunities.

Speaking on behalf of The Coca-Cola system in Uganda, Maureen Kyomuhendo, the Public Affairs & Communications Manager Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Uganda noted that “Youth employment is the bedrock of long-term economic health, social cohesiveness and sustainability around the world. While 10-12 million young Africans enter the workforce each year, less than half this number of employment opportunities are available. Against this backdrop. The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation partnered with Mercy Corps and other partners in different Countries to launch the Youth Empowered for Success (YES!) Program; a bold initiative that has enabled youth across Africa to access new economic opportunities including jobs, skills training, mentorship and financial services. In Uganda, we are excited to be celebrating over 2000 youth in the 1^st three years of the project.”

In his message, Conrad van Niekerk, the Managing Director Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Uganda commented. “I would like to applaud our partners – Mercy Corps and the youth here in Kawempe & Wakiso that participated in the program for demonstrating to the World that youth empowerment can be achieved. Seeing what the youth have showcased today – a lot of effort was put in through their hubs. The end game, which is about driving economies and promoting a positive narrative around youth as entrepreneurs, innovators, economic leaders, and employers has been achieved! The challenge is to ensure that the empowerment will have a lasting ripple effect across their families, communities, businesses, countries, and globally – which is what Coca-Cola seeks to do”. On our part, we shall continue to identify and embrace opportunities which will empower more youth, he concluded.

On their part, Mercy Corps thanked The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and Century Bottling Company for the partnership. Mr. Sean Granville- Ross, the Mercy Corps Regional Director was overwhelmed about the accomplishment of the youth beneficiaries. He applauded the commitment of all the partners and invited everyone to learn, mingle, network, engage and be inspired by all that can be accomplished when youth, the private sector and communities come together to create a brighter future.

Different youth groups, in their “hubs” showcased their businesses and skills that they attained through the YES! Program.

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19th April 2018/0 Comments

News

Airtel subsidizes data costs

Telecom service provider Airtel Uganda has subsidized data costs with greater and bigger packages following a recent network upgrade to 4G LTE and offering 3G connection in the country.

Aimed at having consumers enjoy the best internet accessibility at the lowest rates and fastest speed. Mobile connectivity has power to transform socio-economic standing for both individuals and communities.

With increasing subscription numbers, consumers will now have to enjoy quick internet speeds and the current offer of upto 200% bonus on purchased data blasta bundles coupled with also large internet packages that can allow them do unlimited browsing and accessing Apps at no additional cost.

Airtel data packages have been tailored to meet the specific needs of various customers and with this offer, subscribers will have the opportunity to do more at the same cost. For example, if you purchase 1GB data blasta bundle, you will receive 2GB extra at no additional cost.

19th April 2018/0 Comments

News

Jambojet takes tray table advertising to the skies

Jambojet has introduced an onboard advertising program that will feature advertisements on the folding tray tables in select aircrafts. The move which is a first on the continent is a joint partnership with leading in-flight graphic and digital advertising company Global Onboard.

The airline has already signed their first client, Safaricom who will be running the Safaricom 4G data campaign on the foldable tray tables on one of the 78 seater Bombardier Q-400.

In-flight advertising has proved to be an additional revenue generator across for many airlines across the globe especially the low cost carriers that are constantly striking a balance between low cost tickets and soaring fuel prices.

Trushar Ketia, CEO of Tria Group, an out of home (OOH) advertising and experiential marketing company, which sold the table-tray advertising to Safaricom says the system provides an average of 40 minutes of “dwell time” during a typical flight. It’s a good medium, a good audience and they’re captive to some extent.

Other than table-tray advertising, Jambojet currently offers airborne advertising on it boarding passes, head rest covers and in-flight sampling of products.

The four year old airline currently operates one of the youngest fleet of four Dash 8 Q400 aircrafts flying to Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi, Mombasa, Nairobi, Ukunda and Entebbe from Jomo Kenyatta Airport. It has flown over two million passengers.

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19th April 2018/0 Comments

News

Saudi Arabia Granted 664 Patents last year April 19, 2018 23 0

Saudi Arabia has ranked 23^rd among 92 countries in terms of patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2017. The vast majority of these patented inventions are scientific.

According to StatNano, which publishes at the beginning of each year a report on the status of nanoscience, technology and innovation in the previous year, Saudi Arabia was granted 664 patents last year, compared to 517 in 2016 and 409 in 2015. What’s more, the latest number is double that of all Arab countries combined during the same period.

This year, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals ranked seventh among the top 10 universities in the world in terms of the number of patents granted. “The university achieved 183 patents in 2017, surpassing Johns Hopkins University, Harvard College and California Institute of Technology,” said Dr Khaled bin Saleh Al Sultan, president of the Dhahran-based University.

“The university has been granted more than 800 patents so far, and this number is over 60% of the total number of patents registered by all Arab countries’ universities, which number about 300,” he added.

Together with the university, Saudi Aramco – which was granted 233 new patents in 2017 – secured more than two-thirds of the total number of patents last year. In 2016, Aramco was awarded 175 new patents and filed for 285 new patents.

The latest news about patents comes at a time when Saudi Arabia has put focus on digital transformation and improvement of opportunities in diverse fields – from technology and tourism to arts and entrepreneurship.

Saudi Arabia has, for the first time, also claimed a spot among “Top Ten Countries in Nanotechnology Patents in 2017”, according to a StatNano report last month. The report says “the reason is the growth of 128% in the number of nanotechnology published patent applications of this country in 2017.

The number of nanotechnology published patent applications in USPTO in 2017 shows a growth of 3.2% in comparison with 2016.”

The significant rise in the number of patents is one indicator that Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan has already started to bear fruit.

19th April 2018/0 Comments

News

Abu Dhabi Launches Six Historic Oil and Gas Licensing Opportunities

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced Abu Dhabi’s first ever block licensing strategy and on behalf of the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC), the details of the initial round of six geographical oil and gas blocks open for bidding.

This follows the announcement last month by His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO that Abu Dhabi was to launch its first ever competitive exploration and production bid round.

The licensing strategy represents a major advance in how Abu Dhabi unlocks new opportunities and maximizes value from its hydrocarbon resources. It is also consistent with ADNOC’s approach to expanding its strategic partnerships across all areas of its business. The successful bidders will enter into agreements granting exploration rights and, provided defined targets are achieved in the exploration phase, be granted the opportunity to develop and produce any discoveries with ADNOC, under terms that will be set out in the bidding package.

The UAE is the world’s seventh largest oil producer, with about 96% of its reserves within the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Located in one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon super-basins, there remains undiscovered and undeveloped potential in the numerous stacked reservoirs. Based on existing data from detailed petroleum system studies, seismic surveys, log files and core samples from hundreds of appraisal wells, estimates suggest these new blocks hold multiple billion barrels of oil and multiple trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Some of the blocks already have discoveries, and within the combined area there are 310 targeted reservoirs from 110 prospects and leads. In addition to the country’s conventional oil and gas accumulations, some of the offered blocks also contain significant unconventional resource potential.

The six blocks open for bidding, two of which are offshore and four are onshore, cover an area of between 2,500 and 6,300 square kilometres, which, by comparison, is up to three quarters of a U.K. North Sea quadrant, consisting of 30 blocks. In total, Abu Dhabi’s six blocks comprise an area of almost 30,000 km².

ADNOC has established a dedicated website – www.adnoc.ae/Block-Bid – where the company provides information on the blocks and which has a portal where interested bidders can register to participate, subject to a strict prequalification process undertaken by ADNOC.

The website also provides details of a global roadshow of technical and commercial information on the new blocks. After the roadshow, bidders will confirm their participation through an Expression of Interest and will be able to purchase a comprehensive data package on the six blocks. The data package will include full bidding instructions and regional geological information, in addition to well and seismic data, in both raw and interpreted form, on all six blocks.

Registration is open to companies with suitable expertise and technology that can contribute to accelerating the exploration and development of new conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon opportunities in Abu Dhabi.

The closing date for the receipt of bids will be in October, after which ADNOC will evaluate the bids, using the criteria set out in the bidding instructions, and the SPC will award the successful bidders. The first bid round is planned to conclude this year.

16th April 2018/0 Comments

News

Beirut Arab University Signs a Partnership with Cambridge Assessment English to Adopt Cambridge English Qualifications

Students at Beirut Arab University (BAU) will now be able to gain prestigious Cambridge English certificates, thanks to a new agreement. BAU will be formally recognizing Cambridge English Qualifications, in addition to working with Cambridge English on several research and leadership programs.

Students will be encouraged to prepare for Cambridge English’s B2 First exam, a high level qualification which is recognized by universities, employers and government bodies in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other English-speaking countries. The qualifications are valid for life and will help students, who wish to immigrate, further their studies or enhance their employability globally.

Ramiz Haddadin from Cambridge Assessment English explains that ‘successfully passing the B2 first exam indicates that the student has achieved high standards in English for listening, speaking, reading and writing and can use the English language in different contexts and are prepared to take the C1 Advanced qualification’.

Haddadin added: ‘Reliable English language exams are more important than ever to individuals and institutions. Cambridge English Qualifications don’t just show how much English you know – they prove that you can use the language to communicate in the real world. This can have huge benefits for individuals looking to further their studies and careers, as well as institutions wanting to ensure they are attracting candidates with the right levels of English language skills’.

Cambridge Assessment English is a department of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge English exams are taken by more than 5.5 million people a year, in over 170 countries. They are recognised by over 24,000 universities, employers, and governments around the world, a number which is rapidly increasing.

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16th April 2018/0 Comments

News

QNB Group releases three months Financial Results

QNB group, the and leading largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, announced its results for the three months ended 31 March 2018.

For the three months ended 31 March 2018, Net Profit reached QAR3.4 billion (USD0.9 billion), up by 7% compared to previous year. Total assets increased by 12% from March 2017 to reach QAR834 billion (USD229 billion), the highest ever achieved by the Group.

Key driver of growth in total assets was from loans and advances which grew by 12% to reach QAR598 billion (USD164 billion). Also QNB Group was successful in attracting funding, which resulted in increased customer funding by 12% to reach QAR604 billion (USD166 billion). This enabled the Group to maintain its loans to deposits ratio at 99%.

The Group’s prudent cost control policy and strong revenue generating capability helped to improve the efficiency ratio (cost to income ratio) to 27.8%, which is considered one of the best ratios among financial institutions in the region.

The stock of non-performing loans ratio of 1.8% as at 31 March 2018 has been witnessed on a consistent basis, year on year, reflecting the high quality of the Group’s loan book and the effective management of credit risk. The Group’s conservative policy in regard to provisioning continued with the coverage ratio maintained at 110% as at 31 March 2018.

Total Equity increased by 2% from March 2017 to reach QAR73 billion (USD20 billion) as at 31 March 2018. Earnings per Share reached QAR3.6 (USD1.0), compared to QAR3.3 (USD0.9) in March 2017.

Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) calculated as per the QCB and Basel III requirements stood at 16.0% as at 31 March 2018, higher than the regulatory minimum requirements of the Qatar Central Bank and Basel Committee.

As part of QNB Group’s continued drive to enhance its status as a global financial institution, the Board of Directors have recommended to the Extraordinary General Assembly Meeting of shareholders (to be held on 17 April 2018), to approve the increase of non-Qatari ownership limit from 25% to 49% as well as increasing single ownership limit to be increased from 2% to 5%, in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.

QNB’s successful funding from the international markets during the first three months of 2018 which mainly included capital market issuances of AUD700 million with a 5 and 10-year maturity in Australia, USD720 million Formosa bonds in Taiwan, private placements totalling USD2.5 billion with two – three year maturity and a three year senior unsecured syndicated term loan facility of USD3.5 billion in February 2018.

QNB Group serves a customer base of more than 22 million customers with more than 28,000 staff resources operating from 1,200 locations and a network comprising more than 4,300 ATMs.

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16th April 2018/0 Comments

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MTN Uganda hands over 20 Billion towards Rural Communications Development Fund

Mr. Ebenezer Asante, the MTN Group Vice President of Southern & East Africa and Ghana (SEAGHA) region, has handed over a cheque worth UGX 20bn to the Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Cabinet Minister of Information Technology and Communications (ICT), that will go towards the work done by the Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF).

Speaking at the handover that took place at the offices of the Ministry of Information, Communications Technology and National Guidance, Mr. Ebenezer Asante stated that whereas it was a regulatory requirement to contribute to the RCDF, MTN Uganda was more than pleased to be part of the advancement of the ICT sector in the country.

“We are extremely happy with our contribution to the RCDF which has been able to achieve progressive penetration of ICT infrastructure into previously un-served and under-served areas of Uganda”, said Mr. Ebenezer Asante of MTN Group. The RCDF is a Universal Service Fund (USF) established in 2003 that is managed and administered by an independent board set up by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). The main purpose of the RCDF is to address issues of Connectivity, Access, Affordability and Equity within the ICT sector. UCC retains the roles of oversight and policy over the RCDF. Some of the projects implemented by RCDF include; Internet points of presence, Internet Cafes, ICT Training Centres, Public Payphones, District Web Portals, Multi-Purpose Community Tele-centres, Postal Services, School ICT laboratories, Health ICT facilities, Voice Network Sites, Content Development Projects and Local Governance Projects.

Hon. Frank Tumwebaze reinstated the Governments position in advancing ICT opportunities to Ugandans irrespective of their social, physical or economic background. “The Government strongly believes that no one should be kept out of the ICT space; everyone should be able to exploit the opportunities that arise within the ICT sector irrespective of their location, physical inability, age, gender, level of literacy, technology literacy, or language. That is
why the RCDF is very important in advancing the benefits of the ICT sector to the larger Ugandan population; we therefore thank MTN Uganda for their continued dedication in meeting their obligations towards this fund” said the Hon. Minister. Frank Tumwebaze.

Prior to his appointment as VP of the SEAGHA Region, Mr. Ebenezer Asante was the CEO of MTN Ghana and MTN Rwanda. For both operations, he was responsible for providing sound human resource leadership and ensuring financial and organizational profitability and sustainability of the operating units. The MTN SEAGHA region comprises the mobile operations in Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, South Sudan, Botswana and Swaziland, as well as the MTN Internet service providers in Kenya, Namibia and Botswana.

“We have been known to be the only telecom operator that always complies and consistently contributes towards the RCDF. Since 2003, MTN Uganda has contributed over Ugx 121 billion to UCC towards the RCDF. This, in addition to being the top tax payer in Uganda contributing over Ugx 3.9 trillion shillings, makes us very proud of our leadership role towards the development of the country and also investing in the ICT sector. This is in line with our strategic vision of leading the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers and the markets we operate in” continued Mr. Ebenezer Asante of MTN Group.

The visit by the MTN Group VP of SEAGHA is part of a two day working visit. While here, he will meet and engage with various stakeholders within the ICT industry including UCC and also meet MTN senior management and staff.
The Minister of ICT and the MTN Group VP of SEAGHA discussed at length on various pertinent issues affecting the ICT sector and the larger telecom landscape. The meeting ended on a high note with both parties agreeing to work closely together towards the advancement of the ICT sector in Uganda.

The MTN Group VP of SEAGHA was accompanied by MTN Uganda’s CEO Wim Vanhelleputte, MTN Uganda General Manager for Corporate Services & Chief Legal Counsel Mr. Anthony Katamba and ‎ MTN Uganda Senior Manager in charge of Corporate Affairs Ms. Justina Ntabgoba. Director Legal Affairs. Mrs. Susan Marian Atengo Wegoye, UCC Secretary and Director of Legal Affairs, represented the regulatory body at the event.

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16th April 2018/0 Comments