Raxio Data Centre Ltd (“Raxio”) is setting up Uganda’s first state-of-the-art data centre in the Namanve Industrial and Business Park.

Raxio was established earlier this year by the Roha, a US greenfield investment company that builds and and develops new businesses across Africa.

Raxio has also appointed James Byaruhanga as General Manager. James Byaruhanga is a Ugandan national, with m According to Robert Mullins, Director of Raxio, its data centre is the “country’s first Tier III, truly carrier-neutral co-location facility and is ideally located just outside Kampala’s CBD, a key requirement for disaster recovery and business continuity.”

“When it opens in mid-2019, this centre will ensure the equipment housed within it operates optimally, 24/7, in a fully safe, secure and redundant environment. At full capacity, the centre will be able to house up to 400 racks, delivering 1.5MW of IT power,” he said. The data centre has been designed to global Tier III standards by Future-Tech, a UK specialist data-centre design company with over 30 years of experience.

Raxio has also appointed Symbion, a leading local architectural firm to carry out the civil and structural design of the building. Future-Tech and Symbion are working hand-in-hand to oversee the building and commissioning of the centre. Construction is set to start this quarter.

Commenting about the centre, James Byaruhanga said it is a timely investment in Uganda’s Knowledge and ICT sector with wide strategic national benefits that go beyond its primary function of serving as a disaster recovery facility for improved business continuity of financial institutions, enterprises and government MDAs.

More than 18 years of experience in the ICT industry as a manager in several leading telecom companies and internet service providers.

“We believe that with the growth in data usage and storage and the broader digital transformation of businesses and the public sector being witnessed in Uganda today, a Tier III data centre will be a key pillar to Uganda’s digital economy and will stimulate and support the growth and digitalisation of the Ugandan economy and thus help meet the goals set in the MoICT Data Strategy and the broader National Development Plans,” he said.

He added: “With this world-class facility, we shall attract major global content data networks, cloud services providers as well as regional carriers to Uganda. Other than bringing critical services closer to the local market, this will make internet services cheaper and faster to the end user, but most importantly, bring down the overall cost of connectivity in the country, thus increasing global competitiveness of Ugandan businesses.”

He also said the project would contribute significantly to job creation and tax revenue generation.

Experts have discovered the distribution of an unusual fraudulent scheme that tricks users into parting with their time and their data, for no return. By creating fake websites for the free generation of gift cards, cybercriminals are able to “sell” users’ data to third-party partner sites, to which they redirect victims.

While industry and law enforcement agencies from around the world are busy fighting against cybercrime, criminals themselves are constantly looking for new ways of earning money – other than just malware. Offering something valuable free of charge is always an enticing piece of marketing, and criminals can take advantage of this. Websites that offer customers the option of freely generating gift cards for well-known companies – like iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, or Steam – are nothing new. For example, legitimate apps like Token file and Swagbucks buy card codes from vendors, to then give them to clients as a reward for certain activities. Criminals have apparently recognised the popularity of such websites and have decided to deceive users using a simple algorithm.

When on the fake site, the user is asked to select the gift card he/she wants in order to receive the code. After that, the fraudulent mechanism is set in motion. To get the generated code, however, the user needs to prove that he/she is not a robot. To do this, the user has to follow the suggested link and complete various tasks, the number and type of which are determined by the partner network to which the user is redirected. For example, he/she may be asked to fill in a form, leave a phone number or email address, subscribe to a paid SMS-message, install adware, and so on.

The result is predictable: either victims get tired of doing endless tasks, or they finally get the useless code. The earnings for criminals range from a few cents per every click on the desired link to several dozen dollars for filling in a form or subscribing to paid services. Thus, the criminals make a profit virtually for nothing, getting paid from the user’s actions on the websites of third-party partners, who, for their part, also benefit by getting access to personal data which can be used for private purposes.

“The success of these new fraud schemes is based on criminals exploiting the drive of users to get something for free. However, at best they will spend hours of personal time doing worthless tasks, and at worst – lose money without receiving anything in return. So, if you want to get your hands on a free gift card, try to earn it on legal and trustworthy sites,” said Lyubov Nikolenko, web content analyst, Kaspersky Lab.

To avoid falling for cybercriminals’ fraudulent schemes and losing personal data, Kaspersky Lab researchers suggest that users follow a few simple rules:

•Remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch and always treat offers that seem too tempting to be true with scepticism.
•Check the HTTPS connection and domain name when you open a webpage. This is especially important when you are using websites which contain sensitive data – such as sites for online banking, online shops, email, social media sites etc.
•Never share your sensitive data, such as logins and passwords, bank card data etc., with a third party. Official companies will never ask for data like this via email.
•Do not spread questionable links among your friends.
•Check with the company if it really is giving out gift codes, and whether the site is its official partner. To do this, contact the official support service by reaching out on the official website of the company.
• Use a reliable security solution with behaviour-based anti-phishing technologies to detect and block spam and phishing attacks, such as Kaspersky Total Security, which blocks fake gift card sites.

Cabinet has approved the Amendment of the Excise Duty Act,2015 and directed the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in consultation with the Attorney General To prepare an Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

Speaking to the Press this morning at the Uganda Media Center in the country’s capital Kampala on Cabinet Resolutions, Mr Frank Tumwebaze the Ugandan Minister of ICT told the media that Cabinet agreed that the OTT/ Social Media Tax shall remain as is according to the Cabinet Resolutions that was chaired by HE Kaguta Museveni.

“Cabinet sat yesterday on Monday 16th July at State House Entebbe and agreed on some recommendations with the President, thus the Social Media Tax will remain as is.”, he noted.

Tumwebaze further added that; “When you are developing a policy that can change “this tax is not a tax on the internet. It is a tax for you to access  a specific service”

The implementation of the Excise Duty on OTTs services will continue, and that further improvements to the payment options will be discussed with the Telecom Companies.

I am very pleased that @mofpedU & #Cabinet accepted to reduce the tax frm 1% to 0.5% & to Levy it On Withdrawals ONLY, Meaning that If I send MM & transact digitally e.g to pay utility bills, school fees or use my e-wallet to pay for any other service NO tax. #CashlessEconomy https://t.co/a5hB6xTAQZ

— Frank K Tumwebaze,MP (@FrankTumwebazek) July 17, 2018

Mr David Bahati the Minister of State for Planning noted that; “OTT/ Social media tax will get more options so that you can pay quarterly, annually (to the daily, weekly and monthly subscriptions). We want to facilitate that access so that payment becomes more convenient”

The tax means Ugandans that caused an uproar from the infamous tax will continue paying 200 Ugandan shillings ($0.05) a day to use popular platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

The Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill 2018 is being charged through mobile phone operators via individual SIM cards because Africans mostly access the internet via mobile phones. Some tech-savvy Ugandans continue installing encrypted virtual private networks (VPN) to avoid the tax.

Cabinet Also resolved that There will be a duction of the tax payable on the value of Mobile Money Transactions From 1% to0.5% on withdrawals only.

“Cabinet approved the amendment of the Excise Duty Act of 2015 “reduction of the tax payable on mobile money tax from 1% to 0.5% on withdrawals only”, noted Mr Frank Tumwebaze.

Both Bills under the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2018 will be laid July 17, 2018 before Parliament by Thursday 19th July 2018.

DHL, an international express services provider, today announced its partnership with e-commerce giant, MallforAfrica’s new platform, Marketplace Africa, to help online retailers bring African-made products to the US and global market. The site offers items from the continent’s most talented designers and artisans from a variety of categories including fashion, body care, handbags, jewellery and home décor.

Until today, African craftspeople have been isolated from global customers due to distance, fear of not receiving overseas payments, and complex shipping requirements.  Customers who wished to purchase products directly from African artisans faced obstacles regarding accessibility of items, authenticity and validation of the product, the uncertainty of delivery, high delivery costs, and payment security.

Marketplace Africa was created to help artisans sell on a global stage and simplify the ability to buy directly from African craftspeople and small enterprises. Powered by MallforAfrica’s award-winning patented e-commerce platform and payment system, MarketplaceAfrica.com’s global consumers can now shop directly from African businesses of all sizes and have the products shipped to their home with confidence.

DHL will manage all logistics services as their e-commerce delivery solutions are designed with small businesses in mind and provide the speed of delivery that customers expect. With the world’s leading logistics company behind it, Marketplace Africa will provide craftspeople and customers order verification, fast delivery, and shipment labelling and packaging services. Suitable delivery costs also keep products affordable.

Hennie Heymans, CEO for DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa adds, “We are thrilled to be a part of this innovative e-commerce solution for African artisans. DHL is a facilitator of global trade and if we can improve connectivity and accessibility to global markets for local business, this will go a long way in helping small businesses grow. We’ve been in Africa since 1978, so have seen first-hand, the huge opportunities that cross-border trade offers to local businesses. This is truly an exciting time for African businesses.”

The Africa Made Product Standards (AMPS) is used to ensure that the highest quality products are being sold on the Marketplace Africa platform. It provides consumers with the assurance that products meet an international standard in quality. All products are crafted with the utmost care by an African artisan.

“Africans finally have the opportunity whether banked or unbanked to showcase their amazing talents and skills to the world and sell their products. DHL and MallforAfrica saw the need to promote African-made products to the world and I am beyond proud to be a part of making history alongside a company that has pioneered logistics efficiency in Africa, and across the globe,” said Chris Folayan, CEO of MallforAfrica. “Marketplace Africa will open the door for African designers and craftspeople and enable customers in the US and the world the ability to purchase authentic African-made products directly from the source.”

Worldwide retail e-commerce sales reached over $2 trillion in 2017 and according to DHL’s report, The 21st Century Spice Trade: A Guide to the Cross-Border E-Commerce Opportunity, the cross-border market is expected to grow by about 25% annually until 2020 – nearly twice the rate of domestic e-commerce.

Amidst the Mobile Money Tax saga rocking the country, a report has revealed that Telecoms mobile money transfer services have recorded a 44% growth in the value of transactions to UGX 63.1 trillion.

The numbers have drastically increased as of December 2017 owing to the influx in subscriber number sending Money via the mobile money platforms offered by telecoms. This is double the national budget for this financial year and more than half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product that now stands at US$27bilion.

According to the Independent, the Bank of Uganda’s Annual Supervision Report 2017 shows that the number of transactions also rose 23.8% to over Shs1.2billion during the same period under review.

The number of registered customers across the networks increased by 8.4%, from 21.6 million as of December 2016 to 23.4 million as of December 2017, signalling the growing appetite for money mobile money transfer platforms.

This development comes at the time the government is introducing a 1% levy on mobile money transfer aimed at raising more than Shs 115bn to fund the proposed Shs32 trillion budget for this new financial year.

However, the report notes that there were incidents of operational risk in the mobile money payments, with several fraud cases reported, some of which were perpetrated by the staff of the Mobile Money network operators.

“Therefore, this calls for proper internal controls at the MNOs to mitigate internally perpetuated fraud,” the report says in part.

As at end-December 2017, there were seven mobile money service providers and include; MTN, Airtel, Uganda Telecom, Africell, M-Cash, EzeeMoney and Micropay.

Source: The Independent