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UNICEF Uganda Innovation Fund Challenge Avails UGX. 308 Million Funding for Cohort 2.

By
Joel Osekeny
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0

Outbox and UNICEF Uganda have partnered to present the second call or Cohort 2 of the UNICEF Uganda Innovation Fund Challenge. According to a press release, the UNICEF Uganda Innovation Fund Challenge that was launched in December 2020 is in place to support “entrepreneurs, civil society organizations and startups with innovative solutions and ideas” that the partner entities believe will be able to solve the challenges that are being faced by children and adolescents in Uganda today, through what has been termed as “social innovation”.

In the second call, the partner entities hope that the initiative will be able to address any challenges to access to basic education and the adolescent girls and boys who are aged between 3 – 19 years. This is intended to enable the achievement of appropriate learning outcomes, enhancing and improving child survival and the development of newborn children, children and adolescent boys and girls. It would also be able to ensure that children are not subjected to any forms of violent abuse, neglect and exploitation.

From the start of the initiative in December 2020, the entities identified four startups for consideration in the first call and these were 1)  SeatPack which provided “affordable classroom furniture by providing a school bad that turns into a mobile bamboo classroom chair with a writing surface”, 2) Safe Water Harvester, which is a solar powered device that traps humidity/water vapour from the atmosphere and consequently provide clean and affordable water to the communities that were underserve, 3) Fine Reed Limited, which promotes the use of biofuels that are made from sugarcane waste which are environmentally sustainable while making cooking affordable and 4) KAINOafrica, an education technology product that provided nursery schools and parents with access to quality curriculum that are aligned with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Among the startups that are qualified, the most promising will be given an opportunity to further co – create their innovations in partnership with Outbox, UNICEF and also receive technical assistance over 6 months. This would include mentorship, social business, linkages to partners and market in order to enable the start ups realise, implement and scale their ideas, products and solutions.

The most promising innovations will have an opportunity to further co-create their propositions with Outbox, UNICEF and subject matter experts, receive technical assistance over a six month period that includes mentorship, social business training, linkages to partners and market to enable them to realize and implement their ideas as well as scale their products/solutions

According to Dr. Munir Safieldin, the UNICEF Representative in Uganda,

“At UNICEF, we believe that innovation is about doing new things to solve problems and improve the lives of children around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us to continue working with partners to innovate and match today’s challenges with tomorrow’s solutions.

He further adds that;

“We see progress being made by the winners of the first cohort who not only received a seed pack but mentorship sessions to bring to life their ideas. The winners will continue to be supported by our implementing partner and other stakeholders to ensure that their ideas contribute to the well-being and protection of Ugandan children, especially during these COVID-19 times.”

Richard Zulu, the Founding Partner and Outbox Hub Lead, the initiative is motivated by “the persistent COVID – 19 pandemic” which is said to have amplified many inequities in education of children, access to health services for women and girls and access to protection services for children, which has been common to low income communities like Uganda. he hopes that the Challenge will “continue to provide a platform for various actors to work together to address these challenges innovatively and sustainably”.

To be part of the initiative, only applications submitted through the UNICEF Uganda Innovation Fund Challenge web portal at https://www.unicef.innovationchallenge.ug will be eligible for consideration.

Visit www.unicef.org/, www.unicef.org/uganda and https://outbox.co.ug for more information

Pitch to Save The World Competition – 25M up For Grabs For Tech Startups

By
Davis Kawalya
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0

Ortus Africa Capital, together with global impact investor Idea Foundry, are hosting a pitch competition for Ugandan-based startups dubbed “Pitch to Save The World” where three winners will take home a combined Ugx25M.

The event is meant to bring together the most innovative and impact-focused startups based in Uganda that aim to tackle the world’s most pressing problems as outlined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With a month-long application period, more than 100 local startups are expected to apply with the focus centered around companies meeting at least one SDG.

“The competition is expected to draw the best talent from the ecosystem, highlighting both existing and newly formed technology companies beyond the idea stage,” said Kenneth Legesi, the CEO Ortus Africa Capital.

The top 10 companies will be selected to pitch at a live digital event to a local as well as global audience in January 2022 and the top three winners will take home a share of UGX 25M in no-strings-attached award money.

However, the others will not go empty handed as there are plenty of gifts up for grabs. Companies will be selected based upon the merits of their company, their ability to sustainably scale their impact-focused solution across Uganda and other markets, and the quality of their application.

Criteria to be part of the competition:

  • – You must be a technology enabled company operating in Uganda.
  • – You must be registered, revenue generating and for profit.
  • – The company must address at least 1 UN SDG.
  • – Female led or focused enterprises are encouraged to apply.

Applications to the pitch competition will be accepted from 3rd November and the deadline for applications is 3rd December.

To apply, please visit https://bit.ly/3vRYJ2J. 

For more information about the competition, please visit https://www.pitchtosavetheworld.com/.

Ugandans Can Now Invest in Global Companies using Chipper

By
Guest Writer
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0
Dan Tumuramye, CEO Chipper Cash Uganda

As Africans, land and real estate are often our most popular investment options. And that’s okay. Followed closely by more formal options such as good ole stocks, treasury bonds, T-bills, and fixed deposits.

Now here’s the thing.

These investment options are often big-ticket investments and require a significant cash outlay from investors. This means first-time investors—usually the younger population— can’t build wealth this way as they are either still dependent on their caretakers or simply don’t have enough disposable income to spare.

But that’s about to change

Fractional shares, the new kid on the investing block, are crucial to making investing in stocks easier and more accessible, especially for African countries with lower valued currencies.

“Today, we’re launching a revolutionary product, U.S. fractional stocks,” says Ham Serunjogi, CO-founder and CEO of Chipper Cash. “This product is probably our most impactful product since the launch of the original Chipper app just three years ago.”

“For the first time ever, Ugandans of all economic backgrounds will be able to invest as little as $1 or 3,500 Uganda Shillings in the world’s largest public companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange – when we talk about unlocking global opportunities, this what we mean. As a proud Ugandan, it means so much to me that we get to launch a product that will empower my fellow countrymen and women,” he continues.

With the launch of Chipper’s Global Stocks Investing product, Ugandans (both old and young) can easily invest in publicly traded global companies such as Facebook, Amazon, Tesla, Netflix, etc.

Chipper Cash is the first company to offer fractional stock investing in Uganda. And the African fintech startup is licensed and regulated by the Capital Markets Authority.

There has been an uptick in the awareness and demand for safe investments by Ugandans in recent years. And while goal-based saving has taken center stage (with many banks, insurance companies, and SACCOs offering this service), investments in equities is key to achieving financial independence and building long-term wealth.

“Wealth creation is one of the most powerful ways of driving economic and social development in any country. For too long, many tools that offer the ability to generate and store wealth have remained inaccessible for too many, for too long. This product, the Chipper fractional stocks product, fixes precisely that problem,” says Ham.

Through its partnership with DriveWealth LLC, a pioneer in fractional investing and embedded finance, Chipper Cash empowers the average Ugandan to build long-term wealth with safe and affordable access to the U.S stock markets.

You can watch the launch below

What exactly does this mean?

Previously, investing in U.S equities required high minimums and was only accessible by high net-worth individuals. This effectively priced out first-time investors.

With Chipper Cash, users can invest on a dollar equivalent basis (i.e., fractional shares) in over 6,000 U.S. securities and ETFs, with little or no minimum requirements.

Yes, you heard that right; anyone can invest. The entry point is $1. And with over 1,000 global companies listed on the Chipper Stocks, you can invest in U.S./international equities and build a global portfolio that lasts through time.

The best part, watching your money grow as these businesses grow!

Chipper Cash is blazing the trail in using technology to drive financial inclusion in Uganda and the continent through its overall value proposition of local and international transfers, crypto offerings, airtime, data, and bill payments. Now, users can also take advantage of its easy-to-use and affordable investment product.s

Facebook Apps to retain names despite Parent Company rebranding to Meta

By
Boses Muhinda
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0
Facebook rebrands as Meta. Courtesy Facebook/via REUTERS

Facebook has announced plans that it is changing its parent Company name to Meta, in what the company’s founder Mark Zuckerberg has called “the next chapter for our company”. 

Amidst the parent company rebranding to Meta, some users have taken to social media platforms to make memes and discuss how it will be difficult for people to get used to the name Meta.

This isn’t the case as the Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp apps will maintain their names. 

You shouldn’t worry about your older family members asking you for ‘tech support’ as their will retain the familiar names they have always possessed.

What has changed?

The company name Facebook Inc has changed to Meta.

Meta will start trading under the new stock ticker MVRS, on December 1,2021. This will replace the old ticker which was FB.

One of the changes that we speculate to see, will be a change on the splash screens on Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook mobile apps that might have the reading “from Meta” rather than the current branding which shows “from Facebook”.

So don’t worry, the app you are used to will still be called Facebook and remain under the domain Facebook.com.

The arrangement will be similar to when Google changed its parent company to Alphabet. 

Facebook rebrands, to be called “Meta”.

By
Joel Osekeny
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0
Facebook rebrands as Meta. Courtesy Facebook/via REUTERS

Facebook Inc, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has announced plans that it is changing its Company name Meta, in what the company’s founder Mark Zuckerberg has called “the next chapter for our company”.

According to a “Founder’s Letter, 2021”, a statement from Zuckerberg published on the company website, Facebook had been “desktop to web to mobile”, “text to photos to videos”, but with the company under the name Meta will be “more immersive – an embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it”. It will be the “metaverse”, touching every product that the company builds.

Metaverse has been loosely defined as a “shared virtual world environments which people can access via the internet”, “digital spaces which are made more lifelike by the use of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR)” , an ambitious protect that Facebook is trying to build for itself. The change of Facebook to Meta is a reflection of the company’s intention for a full virtual reality – based world.

In Facebook’s metaverse, company promises that users would be “able to do almost anything (they) can imagine – get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create”, and completely new experiences for the users, with the capacity to teleport, be at office without a commute, at a concert, cutdown on traffic and reduce carbon footprint.

“To reflect who we are and the future we hope to build, I’m proud to share that our company is now Meta.”

Uganda Network Operators Group (UGNOG) Hosts Successful Second Summit

By
Boses Muhinda
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0

On 29th September 2021, the Uganda Network Operators Group (UGNOG) held its second summit since its official launch in October 2020.

UGNOG creates an environment where Internet community participants such as operators, enthusiasts, the government, and scholars can discuss best industry practices and empower our community to meet the ever-changing demands of a global network in service of building the internet of tomorrow.

It is managed and organized by a group of volunteers with the aim of capacity building and technology development within Uganda.

The UGNOG summit intends on brought together the Ugandan internet community participants to educate them on a couple of topics, including; Updates from African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), network security, open access, ISP last-mile service delivery and threat Intelligence.

While there seems to have been a general decline in activities due to the ongoing enforcement of the Covid-19 restrictions, UGNOG is hopeful to engage in more activities in 2021 and 2022.

‘As the network operators’ groups (NOGs) grows, we intend to have more activities such as capacity building, workshops, outreach and more meetings’ said Isabel Odida, the Founder of UGNOG.

She mentioned that she hopes that the NOG engagements would return to physical ones instead of last year’s, primarily virtual engagements due to the pandemic.

Sponsors of the event included Raxio Data Centre, Global NOG Alliance, Flexoptix, Work Online Communications, Internet Society, Uganda Internet Exchange Point, Team Cymru and Roke Telecom.

UGNOG was birthed from the African Network Operators Group (AFNOG), a forum for cooperation and the exchange of technical information between operators of internet-connected networks in Africa.

Network Operators’ Groups are informal, country-based, or regional groups that exist to provide forums for Internet network operators to discuss matters of mutual interest, usually through a combination of mailing lists and annual conferences.

The most promising football stars: who to bet on?

By
Brian Code
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0

Every bettor has an idea of ​​how to organize an effective sports betting process. Football looks like an ideal choice for a beginner since this sport is widely covered on the Internet, which allows you to easily choose an interesting championship and determine the likely winner of the match. You can bet both on the team and the individual statistics of the players. The last beta option is especially interesting, as it allows you to use large quotes even if we are talking about the favorite of the entire tournament. If we talk about the football stars who are on everyone’s lips, then among the new generation of players they will be Leroy Sane, Kylian Mbappé and many others, since they are players of top teams. But there are also a few young talents who are just gaining popularity among fans. Most often, they represent clubs of average popularity, so it will be more profitable to bet on them in terms of the number of dividends.

Which football players should a bettor pay attention to?

You can learn how to bet on football online from the presented material. The article will be useful for beginners who are just discovering the amazing world of sports betting, as well as for more experienced bettors who can find some interesting notes and use them in their practice. You can get an impression of the footballers who will represent the future of the European Football League by looking at players under the age of 22. Among them, the most promising are:

  • Ryan Sessegnon;
  • Nikola Milenkovic;
  • Ruben Neves;
  • Maxi Gomez.

Ryan Sessegnon represents Fulham in the English League. He plays as a midfielder. For many, it remains incredible that a player at the age of 17 became the leader of a team that plays in the Premier League. Today he is the first player in the league to be born in 2000 and has already scored a goal. Ryan has a great future in football, so his team has a lot of work to do to keep the young man in its squad.

Nikola Milenkovic plays for Fiorentina at the center guard. He turned 21, which does not prevent the young man from demonstrating an outstanding game on the football field. According to sports tabloids, Manchester United is already ready to pay 60 million pounds for the star. Fans of the club are still wondering who this footballer plays, about whom only a few people in the Premier League know. This is not surprising, since he is now defending the colors of Fiorentina, who managed to lure the player away from Partizan from Serbia. In addition to Manchester United, Milenkovic is also interested in Juventus.

Studying the statistics of players who are under 22 years old, it is impossible not to notice the excellent results shown by Maxi Gomez. He acts as a central attacker in FC Celta, where he has been playing for the past 4 years. Before that, Gomez defended the colors of Defensor from Uruguay and practically nothing was known about him. Celta did a great deal as she got the power forward for just $ 4 million. Given the young age and good performance of the player, this contact was fully justified, which Gomez proved already in his first season with the Celts. Gomez and Aspas have formed a powerful bond that allows the team to smash opponents. Last season alone, the player scored 18 goals and 5 assists. Such results have led to the fact that not only Atlético is in talks with Celta right now, but also the famous Barcelona, ​​which wants to get such a striker in its composition.

Africell Uganda Limited Ceases Provision of Mobile Money Services – Bank of Uganda.

By
Joel Osekeny
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0

According to a statement released today by the Central Bank of Uganda (Bank of Uganda), Africell Uganda Limited (“Africell”) has officially ceased providing mobile money services as of today (7th October 2021).

In a communique released last month, Africell indicated revealed that it would cease operations in Uganda on the 7th October 2021, as part of its plans to exit the country to focus on growth elsewhere. It appears the official closure of business has been presented to the regulators Uganda Communication Commission (the general regulator of telecommunication companies in the country) and Bank of Uganda (the regulator of mobile money).

“Bank of Uganda wishes to notify the public that Africell Uganda Limited shall cease to deliver mobile money services”, reads a statement from the Governor of Bank of Uganda, Mr. Emmanuel Tumusiime – Mutebile. He also adds that the ceasing of business follows the company’s voluntary exit from Uganda. the telecommunication has been offering mobile money in partnership with Stanbic Bank with the approval of the Bank of Uganda.

The bank also advices customers of the exiting telecommunication company to approach Stanbic Bank with their national identity cards and alternative phone numbers or bank accounts to be able to receive their funds that might still be with their Africell lines following the closure.

Stanbic Bank will be making payments to the intended beneficiaries over a period of 91 days with effect from the 8th day of October 2021, and after that date, any pending payments will be made by the Bank of Uganda where the money will be transferred.

When the money is forwarded to Bank of Uganda, beneficiaries will be required to contact the bank through the Director of the National Payment Systems Department, Bank of Uganda.

Google Announces it will be Investing USD 1 Billion in Africa Over 5 Years

By
Joel Osekeny
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0

One of the big technology giants Google, has revealed that over the course of 5 (five) years, it will be investing USD. 1 billion in Africa into internet connectivity, infrastructure, low interest loans and equity investments.  

According to RTE, Google made the announcement at a virtual event as it launched an African Investment Fund where it has plans to support start – ups with about USD. 50 million while affording them access to its employees, networks and technologies. Among the start – ups to be targeted are those in the areas of fintech, e-commerce and local language content.

The company will also be partnering with an Non – government organization called KIVA to provide up to USD. 10 million in form of low interest loans in order to be able to help business particularly in Ghana, Kenya Nigeria and South Africa to enable them go through the COVID – 19 pandemic.

Microsoft’s New Operating System Windows 11 is officially out.

By
Joel Osekeny
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0
New Settings App

As has been earlier promised and announced, on the 5th October 2021, Microsoft released its highly anticipated Windows 11, a new operating system that replaces and overhauls the entire user interface (UI) of Windows 10 that was released in 2015.

The system has been under the testing program, Dev and Beta channels until it was officially made public. The Company (Microsoft) released a test build 22000.194 for the Dev Channel on the 16th September 2021. On the 24th September, the same build was made available for the Beta and the Release preview channels, with speculation running that that same build would be the one that Microsoft would officially release to the public since it was almost a perfect version after it had gone through several revisions. This was the same build that has been released in the official channels.

In order to access the new operating system, users of compatible devices will have to “Check for updates” under the Settings, “Windows Update” of their devices to be able to download the new operating system. The first devices to receive the software will be the new qualifying devices that will be or are being sold by partners to Windows like HP or Dell among other companies, with Microsoft also dropping its own line in the Surface laptops and tablets.        

For a device to be compatible, it must meet the following requirements which include among others 1 gigahertz (GHz) x64 bit processor, 4 GB ram, 64 GB ROM storage, UEFI, Secure Boot capable, a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0, a graphics card that is compatible with DirectX 12 or later with a WDDM 2.0 driver, High Definition capable display with at least 720p, an internet connection and a Microsoft account.

Even as the software has officially launched, not all qualifying devices on the market will receive the upgrade right away as the roll out will be phased starting the 5th October 2021 until the next year.

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