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Raxio Launches Uganda’s 1st Tier III Certified Carrier-Neutral Data Centre

By
GURU8 Staff
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Raxio has today officially launched Uganda’s first state of the art Tier III carrier-neutral data centre at its site in the Kampala Industrial and Business Park (KIBP), Uganda.

Raxio will work towards supporting industries that are facing increasingly complex and unique IT and regulatory challenges by providing secure colocation space of up to 400 racks ready to house mission-critical IT infrastructure in a 24/7 redundant environment.

The data centre brings the “metro edge” data centre model to Africa, allowing for the exchange of data traffic in facilities located close to urban centres in state-of-the-art, hyperscale-ready environments.

As a carrier-neutral data centre, Raxio Uganda offers a wide variety of seamless data connectivity options due to a variety of local and international fibre carriers currently connected at the data centre. These include Africell Uganda Limited, Airtel Uganda, Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS Group), Csquared, Liquid Telecom, MTN Uganda, National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U), Roke Telkom, SEACOM and Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL). 

The multiple points of connectivity increase redundancy, resilience in service, optimal uptime, and diversity in business operations, while driving down overall cost of connectivity for customers. In addition, Raxio hosts an instance of the Uganda Internet eXchange Point which allows networks to directly interconnect and freely exchange data traffic at a common point in-country,  making the Internet cheaper, faster, and more reliable.

Raxio’s facility uses state-of-the-art design and technologies to meet customer requirements and while minimising the impact on the environment. Equipment choices at Raxio Uganda were made and adapted to the local environmental and climatic conditions with a view to continuously reduce energy consumption.

Raxio’s data centre will greatly support the core priorities of the Ministry of ICT in Uganda, including:

  • ICT infrastructure: extending the ICT infrastructure network to cover the entire country to ensure digital inclusion
  • Job creation: increasing job creation through ICT Research & Innovation
  • Information security: improve and ensure the Information Security System is secure, reliable, resilient and capable of responding to cyber security threats

With the growth in data usage, storage and the broader digital transformation in Uganda, Raxio will be a centre-piece of infrastructure supporting the Ugandan economy and the goals set in the MoICT (Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology) Data Strategy.

Mr Robert Mullins, the CEO of Raxio Group, stated: “The Raxio Group, supported by a strong institutional investor base, is on track to launch up to 12 carrier-neutral facilities across Africa within the next three years; we strongly believe that by providing the right technological infrastructure needed to transform businesses, our data centres will help drive economic growth, social development, and digital transformation throughout Africa”.

Mr James Byaruhanga, the General Manager of Raxio Data Centre said:  “Construction of our flagship facility has been a long but rewarding journey to this point that we are launching operations. Raxio Data Centre is a dream come true, with our Tier III certification from the Uptime Institute we believe that this facility will be a bedrock for increased economic development in Uganda as it will attract several opportunities for colocation not only regionally but also internationally. We look forward to the positive impact of our facility across the enterprise and SME markets, and on key industries such as  financial services, content and media”.

Ride-hailing services can help ease traffic congestion

By
Guest Writer
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0

by Moses Maurice Mugerwa, Operations Manager Bolt Uganda

Within a relatively short space of time, ride-hailing services have carved out a significant global market currently valued at $75 billion and, in the meantime, triggered other thriving services such as food delivery which was boosted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

E-hailing is connecting drivers to passengers to solve the lack of reliable transport problem within the shortest time possible. However, the big news is that these services encourage people around the world to rethink their transport needs. In the next five years, it is anticipated that more people in major cities will ditch cars for shared mobility services, while ride-hailing apps will continue to penetrate deeper into towns across the globe.

In the services industry, there is no such thing as offering enough customer convenience.  Complacency does not sit well with any service provider who always has the customer at heart.

At Bolt, we want to make people’s lives easier by saving them time and money and reducing their stress, unfortunately, a major factor of urban living.

Founded in Estonia nearly eight years ago and formerly known as Taxify, Bolt now has more than 50 million customers spread over 40 countries across Europe and Africa.

Bolt Uganda recently re-launched their mobile app, giving more flexibility and convenience to its drivers in choosing whether to work part-time or full time based on the digital platform’s preferences.

Bolt has also upgraded the app for swifter usage and enhanced safety and security for both the riders and drivers. At the same time, we aim to offer our drivers the best earning opportunities on the market and always treat them with respect.

Bolt always pushes the envelope, going the extra mile to satisfy customers’ needs and gain service consistency. By revamping our mobile app, Bolt Uganda is doing just that. With constant feedback from customers after each order, we control the quality of our services in real-time.

Ten years ago, getting around took some calculation. Depending on where you are and where you want to go, this was often a cause for headache. With or without a personal vehicle, you had to plan the route and figure out the relevant expenditure. Others would have to decide on the mode of transport and hoof it to the nearest stage, but all shared concerns about the time factor.

Fortunately, evolving technology centred on the development of mobile phone applications has changed all that. Today and from practically any location, the e-hailing app on your phone allows customers to hail a vehicle or motorcycle taxi (boda boda) and have it arrive in just minutes.

Although ride-hailing is similar to calling up your special-hire driver, it’s not the same business model. For one thing, it is much more reliable because your special-hire driver may not always be immediately available when you want him.

By providing this service, Bolt is also challenging personal car ownership and nudging people towards more sustainable transportation options that help ease traffic congestion.  Ride-hailing allows users to meet their travel needs at a lower cost. But Bolt tends to be more affordable than our competitors in most markets, enabling access to fast and reliable transportation and delivery services to more people.

Our affordability has created an ecosystem of ‘more’. More riders’ leads to more orders and more drivers and couriers added onto the platform, resulting in faster arrival times and better service for customers.

Editors’ Note: This is an article by Moses Maurice Mugerwa the Operations Manager Bolt Uganda

Apple Music Launching Spatial Audio With Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio at No Extra Cost

By
Guest Writer
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0

Apple has announced that Apple Music will be geting support for Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos at no additional cost starting in June. Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio will be available on iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4, and tvOS 14.6 or later.

Apple says their standard Lossless tier will start at “CD quality,” which is 16 bit at 44.1 kHz, and goes up to 24 bit at 48 kHz. Apple Music will also offer Hi-Res Lossless up to 24 bit at 192 kH

Apple Music subscribers will have access to thousands of songs in Spatial Audio from artists like J Balvin, Gustavo Dudamel, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Kacey Musgraves, The Weeknd, and many others. Apple says this feature will provide a “revolutionary, immersive audio experience that enables artists to mix music so the sound comes from all around and from above.

By default, Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as the built-in speakers in the latest versions of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, according to Apple.

URSB Registrar General holds breakfast meeting to present URSB Journal and her achievements

By
Boses Muhinda
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L-R Uganda Law Society President, Pheona Wall, Gilbert Agaba Director Intellectual Property, Mercy Kainobwisho, Registrar General & Paul Asiimwe of Sipi Law Firm during the launch of URSB's Journal.

The Registrar General of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) today hosted a breakfast meeting with media editors and journalists to enhance their outstanding partnership and stress the critical role the media has played in supporting URSB services.

The meeting was setup to introduce the core team of Top Management, launch the URSB Journal that will publicise Intellectual Property applications.

The Registrar General also used the opportunity to present her achievements since ascension to office in December 2020 and establish her first step towards establishing professional and mutually beneficial relations with the media

Although the Registrar General meets the media more formally at the traditional press conferences during URSB activities, this meeting gave her the opportunity to discuss a number of important topics in a more informal setting.

L-R Prof. Anthony Kakooza, Uganda Law Society President, Pheona Wall, URSB Registrar General Mercy Kainobwisho, Paul Asiimwe of Sipi Law Firm pose for a group photo with other participants after the media engagement

The focus of attention was the Registrar General’s presentation on her 100-days-in-office achievements, but other subjects covered included: the launch of the URSB Journal that will enable clients save costs to publicize their Trademarks applications, reflections on how to increase formalization for national growth URSB’s role at improving Uganda’s ease of doing business competitiveness, the Registrar General’s vision of expanding the coverage of services, the possibility of bringing onboard more stakeholders for joint engagements and enhancing support for Government’s strategic Vision 2040

This was the first meeting in a sequence of breakfast sessions that URSB is planning in the future to ensure that the media’s role in supporting the public education function is well outlined.

You can download the URSB 100 Day Strategy Status ReportDownload

Why Mobile Betting has taken Africa by Storm

By
Boses Muhinda
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0

There’s no doubting the fact that betting, with mobile betting in particular, has taken the African continent by storm. Betting as a practice is not one that is new to Africa, but the recent developments in technology have allowed African countries to join the iGaming revolution. 

… But why? 

Reasons such as accessibility of mobile phones, and the mobile betting sites that are available on these devices, as well as a handful of other factors will be unpacked. 

Accessibility of Mobile Phones

Arguably the most important factor that has influenced the mobile betting boom in Africa has to do with the fact that mobile phones are becoming more and more accessible. 

Not only are they more affordable compared to other devices such as laptops and tablets, but there is also so much you can do on a mobile phone these days. 

Whether it is in fact mobile betting sites that you’re interested in, or doing your banking, following a recipe, or connecting with friends and family, all of these things can be done on a mobile phone. 

Furthermore, due to the fact that the rate of development with mobile phones is so rapid, newer and better models are being released every other week, making the value of existing  models, which can do the job, drop dramatically. 

Mobile betting sites 

The fact that mobile phones have become more accessible is one thing for sure, but mobile betting’s rise is also something that must be tied to the fact that mobile betting sites are aware of the demand for mobile betting, because these days, these sites have become so well optimised for mobile use. 

Examples including Hollywoodbets in South Africa, Bet9ja in Nigeria and SportPesa in Kenya are all editions of mobile betting sites that make wagering an absolute pleasure, and create a betting experience that can be found nowhere else. 

This positive user experience, mixed in with the enjoyment betting creates is why mobile betting has taken such a sharp rise on the continent. 

Africa’s youthful population

Africa is by far the world’s most youthful continent. When comparing Africa to other continents, you may be shocked at the fact that the average age of African inhabitants is more than 10 years lower than the next youngest continent. 

This youthfulness is what plays into the growing popularity in mobile betting. Not only are more youthful individuals more likely to adopt advancements in technology, but younger people are also more likely to engage in risk taking behaviours and activities, such as mobile betting. 

Rich Sporting continent 

The African continent is known for its love and prowess of sport on the world stage. Some of the best footballers in the world have come from Africa, and have flown the flag of their nations, as well as their continent high. 

Football is one of the most betted on sports in the world, and as a continent, Africa is football mad. Playing a distinctive brand of exciting and attacking football, tournaments like the AFCON and the CHAN are some of the most watched competitions around the world. 

Where there’s a love of sports, there’s generally a love of sports betting, so this love of sport in Africa is another explainer for why mobile betting is on the up. 

Delivering in a Flash, 2gule to The World

By
Davis Kawalya
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0

You’re probably wondering what 2Gule is? Well, Ugandans at large have never been fans of importing goods because of the various red tape associated with it. Have you tried to shop online from let’s say AMAZON, FASHIONOVA, or even eBay for your favorite products but decided against it because the Sites doesn’t ship to Uganda? The 2GULE EXPERIENCE is here to help you buy WHAT YOU WANT, WHEN YOU WANT, AT THE BEST PRICE & have it delivered straight to you. There is no need to GIVE UP & settle for counterfeit products on the market because you can’t get what you want from the USA/ UK or Canada.

HOW DOES IT WORK

All you have to do is go online & look for the products you want THEN visit our socials or website & send us a link to your product, or just a simple description of the items you want to buy from the USA/ UK & Canada & we will send you a quotation with the total cost including; Cost of product, shipping costs & TAXES on arrival. CONGRATULATIONS, you can then pay 60% of the total price after which we BUY, SHIP & pay for your taxes on arrival, all in under 2-3 WEEKS.

YES, 2-3 WEEKS ONLY. You can then pay the 40% after receiving your product from #2GULE

In a last-chance effort to turn people’s mindsets around, 2GULE has been established to cater for the loopholes currently present in importation market space. We promise to offer a seamless experience from the point the customer places the order, up to when we make the delivery. We also promise to offer security as the client only has to pay 60% & 40% upon delivery of the goods. 

How to pay school fees using MTN Mobile Money

By
Guest Writer
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0

Bearing in mind that the Covid-19 pandemic is not yet behind us, paying school fees through a digital platform provides more than just convenience but it is also a safety measure that is well in line with the Covid-19 Standard Operation Procedures especially social distancing.

As schools in Uganda re-open following their closure as a preventive measure against the spread of the deadly Corona virus early last year, parents and guardians have to make school fees payments for their children. This week will see Senior One students report to school, right after their Primary Four and Five counterparts who returned to school last week.

With the government encouraging people to limit their movements, Mobile Money payments come in handy as they limit the movement of hard cash that could potentially spread the virus as cash moves from one hand to the other.

Stephen Mutana the General Manager of Mobile Financial services said that today’s Mobile Money technology provides sophisticated and secure payment solutions for educational institutions to collect and manage fees transactions. On the other hand, parents, guardians and students are afforded the convenience of paying fees from anywhere at any time without having to waste time queuing up in banking halls especially during these times when social distancing is still critical in the fight against the deadly virus.

“Our MTN Mobile Money platform is designed in such a way that parents and guardians can pay school fees for their children safely and securely without having to leave their homes, work places or offices. It also limits the exchange of currency notes which elevates our endeavors against the covid-19 pandemic,” Mutana said.

Although this innovation has been around for a while now, this covid-19 crisis makes it even more useful as it limits human contact which remains key in the fight against covid-19.

Jacinta Mukebezi who has been working from home since last year was impressed at how seamlessly she paid her son’s school fees last week as schools reopened their doors for Primary Four and Five pupils.

“I was worried of having to drive all the way to the bank, queue in the line yet I had a busy week. I simply called the school for my son’s student code and in a matter of minutes, I had paid his school fees without having to leave my house or drive to the bank,” Said Mukebezi, “I received a confirmation code with my son’s name and details.”

Like Mukebezi, many parents encounter several inconveniences to their schedules while paying school fees for their children. Other parents have to commute miles to the nearest bank, thereby foregoing a great portion of their daily commitments for the day which in turn impacts their income, in addition to the money and time lost in transport to and from the bank.

 However, a GSMA study about the Mobile Money use in Uganda revealed that Mobile money has the potential to extend the limited nature and reach of the formal financial sector. Besides helping to organize the hitherto chaotic scene of domestic money transfers, mobile money can improve the national payments system by providing innovative ways to meet the transaction needs of ordinary people

Emmanuel Mafabi, a tomato farmer in Manafwa district for instance doesn’t have to leave his farm to pay school fees for his four children.

“I pay their fees in small instalments. So if I had to go to the bank, it would mean many days of me not tending to my farm. After selling my tomatoes, I simply deposit the money on my phone and pay school fees,” He says, “Infact during school fees time, I gladly ask my clients to pay me through Mobile Money so that I simply pay school fees without touching the money.”

Catherine Akello who pays school fees for two of her nieces in Lira lauds MTN MoMo school fees platform for making the process easy for her. “I don’t have to run around looking for bankslips nor do I risk sending money to my alcoholic brother who simply wastes the money. I directly pay to the school and that way, my nieces can attend school,” Akello says.

Winnie Nansamba, a school bursar says that this mode of payment is convenient and easy for schools to work with since the notifications are captured online: “It is easier to track payments on this system as opposed to looking through stacks of paper.”

How to pay school fees using MTN Mobile Money

Mutana explains that; to pay fees, the customer dials *165*4*3#and selects a payment option. The customer will depending on the payment option, for example,be prompted to enter the student code, which is provided by the school administration. Upon entering the code they will receive a prompt with the student’s name, class, and the amount due.

The customer should then enters the amount they wish to pay and then the PIN to confirm payment. The customer will receive an SMS showing them the amount they have paid and the balance on their account. The school is also notified about the payment.

Customers who wish to pay school fees using the MyMTN App can simply log into MTN MoMo app, select Pay Bill and go ahead to School Fees and follow the prompts thereafter. After payment is effected, customers get confirmation SMS with details of payment, which can be sent or presented to school for reconciliation.

Mutana notes that this method of payment can be used across all levels of education from Primary schools to tertiary institutions.

“I urge parents and guardians to confirm their children’s student’s codes from the schools before making payments using our secure, affordable and seamless school fees payment platform. I also remind you to safely guard your Mobile Money PIN,” Mutana says.

Report: At least a quarter of users in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria are attacked by malware hiding within their devices

By
Sourced
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0

A report from popular antivirus company Kaspersky has revealed some shocking results for users in South africa, Kenya and Nigeria for the year 2020.

The report reveals that about 25% of Kaspersky private users in South Africa, 40% in Kenya and 38% in Nigeria were attacked by such threats in 2020.

Below is the report from Kaspersky;

There is a common misconception that the most dangerous threats to encounter on modern users’ digital journeys are likely to appear during Internet surfing. The reality, however, based on the most recent analysis of cyberattacks in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria within 2020 by Kaspersky experts demonstrates that users are in fact more likely to face malware-related attacks hidden within their devices.

Such threats are classified as ‘local’, which means they are detected either on users’ devices or on portable data storage devices, such as flash drives. In 2020, 25% of Kaspersky private users in South Africa, 40% in Kenya and 38% in Nigeria were attacked by such threats. To provide a comparison, web attacks only affected 9% of users in South Africa, 11% in Kenya and 8% in Nigeria.

When looking at corporate users in these regions, the numbers are similar: 23% of corporate users in South Africa, 29% in Kenya and 35% in Nigeria encountered such local threats within 2020.

Unfortunately, there has been an increase in the sophistication of such threats – which may be hiding on the user’s device within a seemingly legitimate file for a while, to fly under the radar, and only strike later.

“The cyber threat landscape across Africa is constantly evolving,” says Denis Parinov, a cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky. “A few years ago, there were much more drive-by attacks – cases when different malicious software is downloaded and being run while the user simply browses the Internet. Nowadays, most of the web-threats “stays in browser”: they specialise in content replacement, browser locking or clickjacking, online-skimming, cookie stuffing, etc. Now the situation when a user could download a malicious file directly is not too often. It’s more common for a malware to be disguised as something else to hide from the security solutions, remaining an unseen threat to users. The good news however is that modern security solutions are too advanced for such malware to fly under radars – it is more likely to be blocked either during the initial scan of the file by a security solution that happens by default, or within the very moment such programs attempt to launch.”

To protect against cyber threats including malware, Kaspersky recommends keeping to the following guidelines:

  1. Do not follow dubious links from letters, messages in instant messengers or SMS
  2. Regularly install updates for the operating system and applications
  3. Install applications only from official stores
  4. Use complex and different passwords for accounts
  5. Regularly copy important data from your device to the cloud, to a USB flash drive or hard drive
  6. Do not give applications access to those functions that they do not need
  7. Install a reliable security solution such as Kaspersky Internet Security (https://bit.ly/3168MCA)

In addition, companies are encouraged to provide training to improve cyber literacy among their employees. For example, the automated platform Kaspersky ASAP (https://bit.ly/3cZ8frF) helps to develop safe behaviour skills and form sustainable cybersecurity habits. The solution allows the company to assess the current knowledge of an employee in the field of cybersecurity, and in accordance with this, determine the set of skills that the employee needs, depending on job duties and risk profile, and build a timetable for the program.

Netflix Goes Vertical, Cloning TikTok With ‘Fast Laughs’

By
GURU8 Staff
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0

This is already a year of great changes happening on almost our most loved pltaforms and everyone seems to be loving it. Just recently, Spotify launched in over 80 African countries, and now, Netflix has turned vertical with videos just for laughs.

In the all-out war for your eyeballs and thumbs, Netflix just brought in some surprise reinforcements. Yesterday Wednesday 3rd March, the streaming giant launched “Fast Laughs,” for iPhone, a TikTok-esque mobile feature that allows iOS users in some countries to scroll through comedy-focused short clips of Netflix shows. 

Tapping a Fast Laughs tab added to the mobile app will launch a stream of funny snippets from movies, sitcoms, comedy routines, and television shows, according to Netflix.

“Wanna see something funny?” the streaming television service asked rhetorically in a blog post.

“On Netflix, this one little question opens up lots of possibilities from hilarious series and films to laugh-out-loud stand-up specials.”

Fast Laughs clips will come from the vast Netflix comedy catalogue, including shows such as Murder Mystery and Big Mouth and stand-up comedy from performers including Kevin Hart and Ali Wong, according to the Silicon Valley-based service.

“This is the part where we have to say that not all clips will be appropriate for all audiences,” Netflix said in the post.

Fast Laughs was available for iPhone users in select countries, and Netflix said it will soon start testing it on mobile devices powered by Google-backed Android software.

The new feature appeared crafted to appeal to fans of wildly popular TikTok and rides a trend toward viewers enjoying video entertainment in quick hits.

YouTube Shorts — the video-sharing website’s quick clips meant to compete with TikTok — were racking up 3.5 billion views a day during beta testing in India, the platform’s head said last month.

Facebook-owned Instagram responded to TikTok’s popularity with their own short video format called Reels last August.

And in November, Snapchat launched Spotlight, a public feed of content produced by users.

Payment Processor Square Purchases $170M Worth of Bitcoin, Ugandans Take Notice

By
GURU8 Staff
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0

On Tuesday last week, payment giant Square announced its purchase of 3,318 Bitcoin (valued at over 170,000,000 USD) within its open financial report. This represents nearly 5% of the company’s total assets, an incredibly ambitious move for a company of that scale. 

Within the financial report, the company stated that “the investment is part of Square’s ongoing commitment to bitcoin, and the company plans to assess its aggregate investment in Bitcoin relative to its other investments on an ongoing basis”. 

As of Tuesday morning, Bitcoin is valued at around $48,000, an increase of 62% since the beginning of 2021. Across the world, corporations and firms are eyeing Bitcoin as a valuable asset to increase their wealth. This purchase follows up the jaw-dropping $1.5 billion purchase of Bitcoin by Tesla earlier this month. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square (as well as Twitter), is one of the most prominent advocates of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. 

Ugandans are taking notice of the cryptocurrency revolution, and many are already buying and selling the asset on a daily basis. Jack Dorsey notably visited with a number of African cryptocurrency advocates, including CEO Chris Maurice of Yellow Card, an exchange that recently expanded to Uganda. 

His interest in cryptocurrency and its value to Africa has caught the attention of many avid investors, seeing it as a potential African technological revolution. When asked about Jack Dorsey’s visit, Chris Maurice said that “Jack has a keen eye, and I think many in the space take notice when he makes a move as big as his investments and support for cryptocurrency.” Yellow Card, which was founded in 2016, was inspired when its founders Chris Maurice and Justin Puiroux were shocked at the amount a traditional US bank was charging Africans to send money across borders. 

They teamed up with Munachi Ogueke to undertake the mission of bringing Bitcoin to Africa with the objective of “basic financial services for all” and have since taken Africa by storm operating in 13 countries and planning expansions to 5 more within the month. 

Yellow Card has strong educational ideals, hoping to educate the public on the utility of Bitcoin as a financial tool available to anyone as well as providing a safe and convenient means of buying and selling Bitcoin in Uganda. Yellow Card’s rapid growth has been its primary weapon in its battle to provide financial freedom for people across Africa. Whether it be for investing, sending money across borders, or simply for storing money, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency has a powerful and diverse range of applications. 

The recent price drop has provided an opening for those who felt that they had missed out on the Bitcoin revolution, and the number of people who own Bitcoin has been moving at an exponential rate. As Bitcoin’s value continues to rise and both tech and business gurus continue to sing its praises, the number of Ugandans using Bitcoin is expected to grow.

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