News - Pison Public Relations

Brussels Airlines reveals Aerosmurf

For 7 months, 1415 submitted ideas and 14 painting days after the start of the Belgian Icon contest, Brussels Airlines’ fifth iconic plane is ready to carry out its Belgian colors around Europe and beyond. The Smurfs design by the Italian Marta Mascellani, chosen by the public, will represent Belgium on a Brussels Airlines A320 named Aerosmurf.

As a proud ambassador of Belgium, Brussels Airlines continues its series of Belgian Icons, aircraft with special designs dedicated to iconic Belgians. Saturday, in the presence of winner Marta Mascellani and finalists of the contest, Brussels Airlines revealed Aerosmurf.

The Smurfs, who celebrate their 60^th birthday this year, are one of Belgium’s most loved comic characters and are sure to be the perfect flying ambassadors for Belgium. As of Sunday 25th, Aerosmurf is bringing the world to Belgium and the best of Belgium to the world, just like the four other Belgian Icons Rackham (Tintin), Magritte, Trident (Red Devils) and Amare (Tomorrowland).

The name Aerosmurf is the title of a Smurfs comic album which tells the story of a little Smurf whose dream is to fly. The little Smurf tried several ideas, but none of them work, until he builds a plane. Since then, the little Smurf is known as Aerosmurf.

The design

The designers of studio Peyo adapted Marta’s design to fit the round fuselage of an aircraft. The result is a plane with 19 smurfs, passengers as well as crew, interacting with each other.

In the cockpit we find Smurfette as the captain and Papa Smurf as co-pilot. The design contains Belgian details, representing the many other ideas that were submitted during the contest. On the left hand side Harmony Smurf is playing the Belgian national anthem on the saxophone – a Belgian invention – together with another smurf who is playing the harmonica, referring to the famous Belgian musician Toots Thielemans. On the crew smurf’s trolley we find a miniature Atomium.

On the right side of the plane a crew smurf is serving Belgian fries and waffles to the smurf passengers. Aerosmurf also has two secret passengers, Gargamel and Azrael, trying to escape through a hatch in the belly of the plane. A treat for plane spotters, since they are only visible during takeoff and landing.

For passengers flying with Aerosmurf the experience continues inside. Little smurf footsteps on the carpet are leading the Aerosmurf guests to their seats, while a Smurfs video and adapted boarding music complete the Smurfs experience.

Led by airbrush specialist André Eisele, 14 artists worked 14 days non-stop to paint the eleven meters high and 37.56 meters long design on the plane by hand. They used 28 colors, 420 liters of paint, 24,000 meters of masking tape and 4,500 m² masking paper. Aerosmurf will be part of the Brussels Airlines fleet until 2023.

As the winner of the contest, Marta Mascellani followed the plane’s creation process behind the scenes. Saturday she stood on the front row at the revealing of the aircraft and Sunday Aerosmurf took Marta home to Milan, with in the cockpit her brother Lorenzo, who is a pilot at Brussels Airlines and also her personal connection to Belgium.

The Belgian Icons series

As the fifth Belgian Icon, Aerosmurf joins Rackham, Magritte, Trident and Amare in the Belgian Icons series. To carry out the best of Belgium to the world, Brussels Airlines decided to dedicate a plane to Tintin in 2015. With Aerosmurf the company launches a possible successor for Rackham as one of the most photographed planes in the world.

Two years later Magritte followed together with Trident, dedicated to the Belgian national soccer team. Brussels Airlines will this year, just like two years ago for the European Championship, bring the Red Devils and their fans to the World Cup in Russia. On the 13^th of June the flight with the Red Devils on board will take off to Russia.

In 2017 Brussels Airlines and Tomorrowland created Amare, a tribute to the iconic Belgian music festival. This summer Brussels Airlines’ party flights will again bring the People of Tomorrow from all over the world to Tomorrowland in Boom.

***End***

27th March 2018/0 Comments

News

Four schools per region make it to the Stanbic National Schools debate competition

Sixteen schools across Uganda have qualified to take part in the debate stage of the Stanbic National Schools Championship.

Each region will have four schools competing against each other and the winning two schools will represent the region to the finals.

Speaking during the announcement, Barbara Kasekende, the Stanbic Bank’s CSI Manager said, “My congratulations go to the schools that have made it to the next level of the Stanbic National Schools Championships. Four schools in each region will be required to compete against each other in the debate competition where we will select a regional winner.”

The debates are the fourth stage in Championships which started with a classroom test competition, followed by an oral quiz challenge then an essay in the Central Eastern, Western and Northern Regions. The students were tested on financial literacy, life skills, logical thinking and general knowledge.

Expounding on the mechanics that were used by the judges to mark the essays, Martin Muhwezi, the Managing Director of Investors Club the implementing partner said, “The marking process of the essays was executed fairly and seamlessly. Schools were given codes which were used when submitting the essays without the need for their actual names; meaning the judges didn’t know which schools they were according marks until it came to identifying the winning schools as per the codes each was given.”

The next stage of the competition will include a debate on thematic topics around the business and financial sector where a winner will be selected to represent each region. Two students from each school will then attend a 4-day boot camp where they will receive a business skills training, learn how to write and execute a business plan which they will be expected to implement at their schools. The best executed business plan will be the national winner. ”

Tracy Kamau an analyst and creative writer, also the lead judge on the essay competition said, “I must say the quality of competition has been very impressive thus far. The students have shown much enthusiasm which proves the growing popularity of the Championships across the country. Most important of all, is that they are learning many new useful skills helpful in their lives even if not all the teams are able to reach the finals,” she said.

The schools selected to compete at debate level include;

Northern Region; Dara Christian High School, Dr. Obote College, St. Joseph’s College, Ombaci

and Muni Girls Secondary School

Western Region; Kyebambe Girls School, Mandela Seconadry School, Hoima, Kyenjonjo

Secondary School and Bweranyangi Secondary School

Central Region; Kibuli Seconadry School, Kings College Buddo, Nabisunsa Girls School and

Mengo Senior Secondary School

Eastern Region; Nakanyonyi Girls School, Tororo Girls School, Ngora High School and St.

Peter’s College Tororo

The overall best essays were produced by the following schools per region

Western Region – Kyebambe Girls School

Eastern Region – Nakanyonyi Girls School

Central Region – Kibuli Secondary School

Northern Region – Dara Christian High School

60 schools and 6,000 students have taken part in this year’s competition including both Government and Private Schools chosen with due consideration by Stanbic Bank’s partners in the Championship the Ministry of Education and Sports.

27th March 2018/0 Comments

News

Dfcu Bank ,British High Commission to celebrate 11 years of Women in Business

Last Evening dfcu bank and the British High Commission celebrated the role of women in business. Women being the major centre for hardwork and creativity in society saw some enterprising women receive accolades.

Its now a decade since the Women in Business programme was launched during the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that was held in Kampala. To mark this momentous day and ahead of the 2018 CHOGM that will be held in London in April, the British High Commissioner hosted a reception at his residence to celebrate the achievements made by the Women in Business programme. The High Commissioner, H.E. Peter West CMG, recognised 5 exceptional women who are part of the dfcu Women in Business programme.

The Women in Business programme, which was started by dfcu Bank and enjoys a mentorship partnership the Cherie Blaire Foundation, now boasts of over 35,000 members. 23,000 of these members have been trained in running a business and financial management, with a key focus on increasing the women’s access to financial services and credit facilities.

Although though women make over 50% of Uganda’s population, a huge percentage of this number do not have adequate access to finance – the Women in Business programme is addressing this inequality.

This lack of access is attributed to low financial literacy, such as, keeping adequate profit and loss accounts, writing business plans and articulating projections all are key skills in accessing bank credit.

Of the over 35,000-member pool, 4,000 , are, thanks to the programme now credit-ready, and have received business loans from dfcu Bank to boost their businesses.

The British High Commissioner, H.E. Peter West CMG commented: ‘I welcome this opportunity to congratulate and recognise talented Ugandan Women in Business. The initiative for celebrating women in business was launched during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda in 2007 by dfcu Bank. Next month the UK will host CHOGM in London under the theme ‘Towards a Common Future’. Trade and gender equality are among the priorities that the Commonwealth Heads of State will discuss. So it is timely to recognise the success of the initiative and to thank everyone involved for their hard work and dedication.’

In 2012, the Women in Business program constituted a five all-female Women in Business Advisory Council, which has a wide scope of expertise to support the bank in gender focused strategy formulation as well as build the capacity and develop the business skills for the women to enable them to continuously make informed business decisions as a primary goal.

A further milestone that was achieved since the Women in Business campaign was launched in 2007, was the opening of the Women in Business Advisory Center in 2015. This is a one-stop-shop for critical business services like financial and business-to-business advisory services.

The dfcu Women in Business program has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Uganda Law Society, Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as Makerere University School of Business to further train their members on crucial business matters of law of contracts, accounting best practices and best business management practices.

***End***

26th March 2018/0 Comments

News

Taxify, Uganda Police to offer safety training to Boda Boda Drivers

Taxify Uganda and the Uganda Police Force will be carrying out free safety training to all boda boda drivers. This move is aimed at reducing incidences of road accidents with the most vulnerable groups being boda boda drivers and passengers.

Taxify ensures that each driver that signs onto their platform is required to have a driving permit and a national ID and has to undergo first aid and safety training before they are activated onto the systems.

Taxify, Regional Manager East Africa, Shivachi Muleji comments, “These are some of the trainings that we promised riders we would carry out to ensure that our customers feel safe while using Taxify”

“Boda bodas are the most popular means of transport in Kampala. However, accidents have been on the rise and as a player in this sector, we are looking for practical solutions to help in curbing the rate of boda boda accidents. We are partnering with Uganda police to carry out the training so that our drivers are equipped with skills and knowledge that will enable them to make the right decisions while on the road.” He adds.

Happy drivers give a great experience for riders therefore Taxify believes in treating its drivers with respect, allowing them to earn more than what they receive on any other platform, and providing a range of safeguards and features that help them work in the way that suits them best. Taxify Boda will charge 500 UGX Base fare, 70 UGX per Minute, 400 UGX per Km and 1000 UGX Minimum Fare.

***End***

26th March 2018/0 Comments

News

Uganda’s Tourism Revenue Figures

According to official figures, tourism contributed up to US$1.35 billion into Uganda’s export basket in 2016, and was the single highest foreign exchange earner contributing 23.5% of total exports.

Based on those figures, the tourism lobby which has advocates on the powerful Presidential Advisory Committee on Budget (PACOB) and is supported by the chairman of the Parliamentary Budget Committee, Amos Lugolobi, is lobbying for increased allocation of resources to sector agencies involved in promotion and marketing. They want the money allocated to the tourism sector in the 2018/19 budget raised from the current Shs16.4 billion to 29.5 billion – an increase of about 80%.

The tourism lobbyists cite the growing number of international visitors to Uganda, increased earnings, and sector contribution to the local job market.The officials say the tourism sector also employs 6% of Uganda’s labour force. This includes employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services).

Significantly, however, the lobbyists cite tourism’s alleged contribution to national foreign exchange earnings. In one case, they say, over 30 tourism and travel companies that travelled to the ITB Berlin between March 9 and 11 were projected to clinch deals worth over Shs3 billion (Approx. US$1 million).

Most of these operators are funded by either the government or the donor community because, they say, they cannot afford to pay their way.

But, as such demands from the lobbyists increase, there is a growing rise in the number of questions about the authenticity of the tourism sector claims. Does tourism really contribute the money its promoters claim it does? How is the contribution of the tourism sector measured? Who actually benefits?

Statistics from government agencies like the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities show tourism revenues soared to Shs 5.1 trillion ($1.4bn) last year when the country attracted over 1.3 million international visitors.

Longer projections show that annual tourist numbers have continued to grow from just 650,000 in 2007 to over 1.3 million visitors in 2016–a growth of 106%. At this rate, local experts say, the sector is likely to achieve the four million mark by 2020 – just two years away.

Earnings from tourism are also said to have more than doubled. Between 2008 and 2016, for instance, annual sector earnings are said to have risen from US$540 million to $1.37 billion. That was 4.3% of GDP and 26% of exports.

The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities’ annual tourism sector performance report for financial year 2016/17, shows that tourism was Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earner, bringing in US$1.4 billion.

But as tourism officials revel in the positive outlook of the industry, questions are also being raised about the quality of tourist data used. At the heart of the debate is how these agencies define a tourist.

***End***

22nd March 2018/0 Comments

News

NYCFC take on Abu Dhabi in 24 hours with Etihad Airways

Five rising international football stars from New York City FC’s first team squad have teamed up with Etihad Airways to complete a whirlwind 24 hours in Abu Dhabi challenge.

In their first visit to the UAE, captured in a new video, NYCFC players Ronald Matarrita, Rodney Wallace, Sean Johnson, Ben Sweat and Jonathan Lewis took in the sights and sounds of the vibrant capital city during a jam-packed itinerary which they completed in just 24 hours.

Their itinerary included speeding along the race track at Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, visiting the newly opened Louvre Abu Dhabi and the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, kicking the ball around on the sand at Saadiyat Beach Club, teeing off at Yas Links Golf Club, and enjoying a gourmet meal at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers. They also experienced a traditional safari under the stars in the Liwa Desert.

NYCFC forward, Rodney Wallace, who successfully helped Costa Rica earn a bid to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, said: “It was my first time in Abu Dhabi and it’s a spectacular place. We managed to see a lot of sights in the short time we were there, and it was exciting to see how many activities you can do on a short trip, whether that be chilling out on the beach, getting behind the wheel of a race car and enjoying a cultural experience. There were even more places we didn’t visit this time around that are on the list for when we return!”

Etihad Airways Senior Vice President Sales (UAE, GCC, Levant and Africa) Hareb Al Muhairy, said: “It was our honour as the national airline of the UAE to host NYCFC in Abu Dhabi for the first time. The players were able to experience many of our capital city’s exciting attractions and see first-hand why it has become such a popular destination with all types of travellers.

22nd March 2018/0 Comments

News

Jambojet acquires new aircraft for regional expansion

Jambojet has acquired yet another brand new Bombardier Dash8 Q400 next generation aircraft that is set to boast the airline’s fleet as they prepare to soar into the regional skies.

The new aircraft christened Heroe is part of the airline’s fleet upgrade that will also see the arrival of an additional aircraft later on this month. The two aircrafts have been leased from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital and will ply the current routes as well as additional routes that will be introduced early next year.

Commenting on the new additions, Jambojet’s CEO, Willem Hondius said, “For the past couple of years we have been using the Dash 8 Q400 and we are really impressed with how the aircrafts have served us” “The arrival of our newest aircraft underscores the depth of our resolve to make a huge difference in Kenya and the region. Basically, we are matching our expansion agenda with the right equipment to ensure that we deliver the best service to our growing customer base”. Willem explained.

In addition, to its ability to maneuver short runways across the region, the Next Generation aircrafts comes with updated cabins and wider overheard bins for luggage storage. The delivery of the fourth aircraft at the end of January next year will make Jambojet the only carrier with the youngest fleet in the world, a reflection of the airline’s commitment to efficiency and regional expansion. In the nearly four years of operation, the no-frills low cost airline has achieved undeniable business growth; increased numbers of routes from four to seven, increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion and flown over two million passengers. Currently, Jambojet flies to Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu as well as to Eldoret, Malindi and Ukunda.

***End***

21st March 2018/0 Comments

News

2018 Stanbic National Schools Championship opens

Stanbic Bank Uganda and the Ministry of Education and Sports recently launched the 2018 ‘Stanbic National Schools Championship’.

Set to run under the theme ‘Empowering the job creators of tomorrow’ the competition will seek to nurture entrepreneurship, creativity and long term business thinking.

Speaking at the launch event Patrick Mweheire, the SBU Chief Executive explained the genesis behind this year’s theme, “Uganda’s labor market cannot absorb the huge influx of graduates looking for jobs. 400,000 students graduate from university every year yet only 13,000 formal jobs are available. This tells us we have a real and urgent problem that needs to be addressed by training the youth not only how to do a job but how to create one and if possible more for others.”

“Uganda has one of the fastest growing populations in the world with 1.2 million babies born every year. As a bank we feel that education as a sector does not get the love it deserves. Which is why we have these championships. This year we have increased the number of schools to 60 from 40 last year but this isn’t good enough. We want to be able to reach over 250,000 students. We also want to demystify education as cramming and passing of exams. Soft skills are just as important as the hard skills. It is in being able to communicate properly as well as debate and have their opinions heard, that students can be propelled to achieve greater things,” he added.

6,000 students from 60 schools both government and private schools from across the country are expected to take part in this year’s competition, with 15 schools participating in each of the four regional heats. The competition will include a class room test, oral quiz, Essay competition, debate competition and a business skills challenge.

Talking about the increase in the participation numbers and major changes to the competition, Stanbic Bank’s CSI, Manager Barbara Kasekende explained, “As a result of last year’s success, the level of interest in this year’s Championships was extraordinary. As a bank, we felt it would only be fair to not only increase the number places in the competition but to make it more exciting by adding new challenges, to that end. This year 15 schools will be given the opportunity to participate in the regionals compared to 10 last year. In addition in a major development we will be hosting business training boot camp for the finalists which will equip the students with business planning, marketing and the management skills they will need to succeed in the real world.”

The four schools that succeed in representing their regions will be tasked with developing business plan and executing it in their respective schools. The school that presents the best plan at the finals to be held in Kampala will be crowned 2018 Stanbic National Schools Champions.

***End***

21st March 2018/0 Comments

News

USE rings the bell for gender equality

In celebration of the International Women’s Day, Uganda Securities Exchange joins 65 other Stock Exchanges globally to ring the bell in a bid to advocate for gender equality in the sector.

The “Ring the Bell” for gender equality ceremony is aimed at highlighting the steps that the sector is taking in advancing gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and within the community.

This year, the Securities Exchange held a forum under the theme “Women’s Role in Finance and Investment” aimed at highlighting how women in Uganda can join the finance sector.

Speaking during the event, the Capital Markets Authority Chief Executive Officer Keith Kalyegira noted that the number of women in the boards of the listed companies is disproportionately lower than that of women

“Uganda clays has 3 women out of 10 board members, BAT has 1 woman out of 8 board members, Bank of Baroda has no women representative on the board, New Vision has 3 women out of 11 where the chairperson is a woman, Umeme has 2women out of 11 board members while, DFCU 1has out of 6 board members ,” said Kalyegira

He has appealed to the listed companies to pay attention to gender inclusivity and include women on their boards on merit

He also pointed out that there are only 3 women Chief Financial Officer’s out of 20 in the local financial institutions and only 3 CEO’s of financial institutions out of the 24 licensed banks.

According to USE CEO Paul Bwiso, the ring the bell for gender inclusion forum is aimed at promoting women’s needs and goals in the financial markets,

“We have to take a deliberate effort to ensure gender inclusion, the policies we pass with our policy makers that is the CMA,” noted Bwiso “We not only have to pass reporting regulations and requirements for gender inclusion, we will need to introduce products that women would be interested in such as for the rural women so that they also invest in the stock exchange,”

According to Bwiso, the USE gender inclusion stands at 48% women and 52% men. However, the board only has a 13% women representation which account for only one woman on the board “We will work towards improving that as an objective” notes Bwiso

“We do know women save a lot, decisions on investments, savings and expenditure at the family level are done by women so based on this if we promote women’s needs and requirements we are bake to see more investments into the stock market because it is an avenue for investment and index would move up because of sustained investments that can grow, noted Bwiso

“As the Exchange, this bell ringing ceremony creates awareness of the pivotal role the private sector can play in advancing gender equality to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5,” Bwiso added that “It is essential for the companies to develop and improve policies on remuneration, gender representation, sexual harassment prevention, family leave and flexible work in order to support both women and men but to also improve terms of employment and champion equal opportunities within the organizations.”

***End***

13th March 2018/0 Comments