Centenary Bank, Uganda’s leading commercial microfinance Bank, has today unveiled the new CenteVisa debit card. This comes after the roll out of internet banking, and is a step towards enhancing customers’ convenience in accessing financial services. The CenteVisa card is a globally accepted card that operates using Chip and Pin technology, which provides enhanced security. Customers can now enjoy the freedom of transacting anywhere in the world, wherever Visa has been enabled.

Centenary Bank currently serves1.4M customers, which is a third of the country’s banking population, and is running a financial inclusion drive to serve more. Such an expansion drive calls for an increase in service outlets making platforms like Visa a natural option. The Bank’s Diaspora clientele and product range is also increasing calling for more global service schemes.

Speaking during the launch, Mr. Fabian Kasi, Managing Director Centenary Bank applauded the customers for their loyalty and urged them to get their Visa cards as soon possible. “Our electronic banking story started in 2003 when we acquired the first ATM and we have been growing since then. Currently we have 176 ATM’s, 64 Point of Sale machines, phone banking through our CenteMobile platform and internet banking. We want to thank our customers who have been with us on this journey, and all those who are joining us now for the vote of confidence. Your cards are ready, simply walk into any of the 69 branches with the old ATM card and either a national ID, passport or driving permit and walk out with your new Visa card at no cost.’ Said Kasi.

Centenary Bank, whose tag line is ‘Our Bank’ prides itself in responding to client needs and engaging in research before on boarding a new product. According to Mr. Kasi, customers requested this service so as to be able to have more flexible payment options anywhere, anytime, in and outside the country.

The Bank’s General Manager Operations, Mr. Joseph Kimbowa added that the exercise of getting new cards is to run for a particular period to enable completion of integration with Visa. He said, ‘customers have up to six months to get their new Visa cards, there after the old magnetic stripe card shall be disabled from the system. “He added that the process for getting new cards is seamless and customers need not postpone the exercise.

“At Visa, we are keen on being part of the everyday life of our customers. With the ever-changing face of monetary transactions: cards and online dealings, customers have become more techno savvy, decisive and particular about their overall experience while transacting. To this end, Visa’s operations in Africa are firmly based on bringing about innovative products that promote safe and convenient transactions,” said Sunny Walia, Visa General Manager for East Africa.

“We are therefore delighted to officially welcome the customers of Centenary Bank onto the Visa network where they can enjoy secure and convenient payment experiences.  This development is in line with our commitment to reduce cash usage and deepen financial inclusion across the region,” added Sunny Walia.

Centenary Bank continues with its strategy of reaching the unbanked. Mr. Kasi emphasized that apart from joining Visa to have more service points for customers, the Bank is doing more. He said, ‘customers are now able to transact and open accounts conveniently through our CenteAgents in your neighborhoods. Whether at your home, or business, or office our target is to have many agents spread across places with our clientele to aid your banking.

Afrisafe Risk Consultants and The Jubilee Insurance company of Uganda, have today launched a service called 3rd party Ku Simu to the market. The service was launched at a breakfast meeting held at Kampala Serena Hotel.

3rd Party Ku Simu is a service for motorists (vehicle, bike and boda boda owners) to purchase their 3rd party motor insurance off the phone by simply dialing through a USSD code *210*22# with their mobile phone. The insurance sticker is then delivered to them, anywhere in the greater Kampala. The service is meant to lessen the burden on motorists buying 3rd party policies by driving distances to get it. Therefore, it’s meant to bring ease and convenience to Ugandan motorists who are purchasing this specific type of insurance.

“3rd Party motor insurance is mandatory by law and as Afrisafe we felt it important to make that process simpler for the average Ugandan motorist. Once a motorist inputs their details (Registration Number and the Expiry date) as required by the policy their data will instantly be captured and saved for future usage. The Afrisafe automated system will automatically give the motorist a reminder when their 3rd party insurance is due next and will always receive reminders when the insurance is about to expire” remarked Mr. Kwame Ejalu, Chairman Afrisafe

Afrisafe has partnered with Jubilee Insurance and Mobile Money platforms to simplify the process formotorists. 3rd Party can be purchased on your phone by dialing *210*22# and simply following the promptsand within an hours’ time- the motorist will receive their 3rd Party stickers.

“We believe that this product will not only make the purchase of 3rd party motor insurance easier but will also be a partner to all motorists. As Jubilee Insurance, we are proud to partner with Afrisafe on this initiativewhich will enable us serve our clients better.” Mr. Deepak Pandey, Managing Director Jubilee Insurance Uganda.

Ecobank has won two major awards at the African Banker’s prestigious ceremony held at the Paradise Hotel in Busan, South Korea. The bank was named Best Retail Bank in Africa after impressing judges with the strides it has made to leverage digital financial services and an enhanced service model, to be the retail bank of choice.

The ever-improving feature set of the truly revolutionary Ecobank Mobile App, which has now been downloaded by more than 5 million people, took the prize for Innovation in Banking, thanks to the way it has redefined borderless and inclusive banking, along with several other transformative innovations designed to deliver financial services to all.

Commenting on the double award win, Omar Ben Yedder, Publisher of African Banker said: “Ecobank has had a game-changing year in so many ways and their approach to embracing technology and putting it at the centre of their growth strategy has obviously paid dividends.”

Ade Ayeyemi, Group CEO of Ecobank said: “It gives all of us at Ecobank great pride to be recognised as not only the Best Retail Bank in Africa but also the Most Innovative. This is further proof that we are on the right track in our quest to be the bank of choice for middle Africa. We will continue to ensure that we are at the forefront of harnessing state-of-the-art technology to provide our customers with accessible and affordable banking services.”

Ecobank is committed to providing the range of financial products and services that meet the day-to-day banking, transactional and investment needs of all Africans. Ecobank enjoyed a 40% increase in customer numbers during 2017 and the bank aims to serve 100 million customers by the end of 2020.

The Ecobank Mobile App aims to deliver real convenience to customers and with its removal of barriers to entry, at affordable price points, is an integral part of Ecobank’s strategy. It is the first unified banking application across 33 countries and enables customers to do their banking activities where and when they want, 24/7 and 365 days a year, conveniently on their mobile phones. It allows transactions in 18 different currencies and in four languages (English, French, Portuguese and Spanish).

The app includes the multi-featured digital payment solution, Ecobank Pay, which enables customers of any bank to pay for goods or services. It unifies all of Ecobank’s digital payment offerings for internet payments, paying bills and airtime top-ups by mobile.

Patrick Akinwuntan, Group Executive, Consumer Banking said: “Ecobank represents more possibilities for every African. Our Ecobank Mobile App, Xpress Account, Ecobank Pay, Xpress Points and Rapidtransfer are fast becoming top-of- mind consumer banking brands that represent convenience, affordability and instant fulfillment to our customers across Africa and in the diaspora.”

The world’s fastest growing mobile phone brand, Infinix has taken the wraps off its latest Infinix Hot 6 and unveiled it on the Ugandan market, staying true to its commitment of building cutting-edge technology and fashionably designed mobile devices while integrating fashion and technology.

The Infinix Hot 6 combines latest in technology and lifestyle aspects using the latest design technologies like the 6 Inch 18:9 HD+ Infinity display which allows the user to view more content on their screens, the latest XOS 3.3 Hummingbird built around Android 8.0 Oreo (Go Edition) which is well optimized to give you a smooth experience on the Hot 6 plus a massive 4000mAh battery with a standby time of over 2 days and also comes with quick charge. It comes with 1GB/2GB RAM and 16GB ROM

#PlayItLiveIt
The Hot6 puts more focus on the mobile sound of the device hence the slogan #PlayItLiveIt. The Hot 6 incorporates dual Dirac 3D Stereo Surrounding speakers for an immersive audio experience, carries a 13MP + 5MP and also has a fast fingerprint scanner for security purposes as well as Face Unlock which allows you to unlock your phone by scanning your face.
Amongst the key advantages of Android Oreo Go Edition are a seamless but fast user experience plus enhanced data experience.

The Hot 6 will be available in Sandstone Black, Blush Gold, Bordeaux Red and Sapphire Blue. It is available at all Infinix Branded shops near you at only UGX 463,000.

YouTube Music, Google’s most direct competitor to Spotify and Apple Music is coming with “a reimagined mobile app” and a new desktop player, both of them designed specifically for music. Music discovery is literally front and centre in the new YouTube Music, with the app’s home screen dynamically recommending new listening based on your history, location, and activity.

YouTube will combine all the official versions of songs with access to “thousands” of related playlists, remixes, covers, live versions, and of course, music videos. Google’s AI mastery is also being integrated into YouTube Music, with the promise that the app will discover songs either by lyrics or just a general description like “that hipster song with the whistling.”

With YouTube Music, listeners can access high-quality Art Tracks of your music (delivered by CD Baby), as well as videos you’ve uploaded to your own channel and any videos your fans have created using your music. For YouTube Red subscribers, this content is accessible ad-free and can be played while offline. For all other YouTube Music users, videos and music tracks are ad-supported. As an artist, CD Baby’s partnership with YouTube Music does NOT prevent you from uploading the same songs to your own YouTube channel. We’re simply making sure that YouTube Music users can hear your whole catalogue of music in high-quality audio.

YouTube Music will be a direct match to all the major music-streaming platforms already available, costing $9.99 for the premium version, which adds background listening, downloads, and an ad-free experience to the free option. Anyone who already has a Google Play Music subscription gets YouTube Music as part of that membership. Play Music isn’t going away yet, though it’s hard to see what future purpose there will be to Google sustaining two services and apps that overlap to quite such a degree.

The $11.99 YouTube Premium gets you everything inside YouTube Music plus access to the YouTube Originals library of video content. Google promises it’ll expand the Originals selection with “more, bigger original series and movies,” including comedies, dramas, reality series, and action adventure shows from the UK, Germany, France, Mexico, and other countries. With YouTube Premium, you’ll be free of ads, able to play videos in the background or download them for offline playback.

YouTube Music starts rolling out on Tuesday, May 22nd, to the existing YouTube Red markets, with the small addendum that in South Korea Google will only be offering a $9.99 YouTube Premium service. The other countries named will also get YouTube Music “in the coming weeks.”

Kenyan Mobile operator giant Safaricom is reportedly set to enter the Ugandan and it’s alleged that it shall do so through the AFRINET card.

Recently, the Daily Monitor reported that competent investors were being sourced to take over the troubled Uganda Telecom company and further reported that government has up to May 26th to find a suitable investor.

Noticeably, AFRINET which is allegedly Safaricom’s proxy handed in a bid to buy Uganda Telecom. According to their website, Afrinet Telecom Limited is a Kenyan based technology company that offers a variety of services with their main being Internet services and one of their partners is Safaricom.

Last year, Safaricom’s CEO Bob Collymore revealed that the Kenyan based phone operator, is planning cross-border expansion for the first time, into the untapped market for ecommerce and mobile payments.

Mr Collymore said Safaricom, would initially target its east African neighbours, but is also considering west Africa. They’ve not come out to affirm the allegations of their planned entry to the Ugandan market but have it mind according to their CEO.

The company’s market capitalisation reached $10.5bn on August 29 2017 after its share price hit an all-time high of Ks27.25 but this has slipped by 9 per cent in the stock market sell-off after the supreme court nullified the result of last month’s presidential election.

It should also be noted that this is not the only way Safaricom is trying to enter Uganda as reports indicate that Little Cab, the Telecom’s flagship car hailing service is set to launch in Uganda soon.

Troubled telecommunications company Uganda Telecom has been on the table of controversies and struggles with rumors of a sale out and the pulling out of majority shareholders. These events, twists and turns have continued to put the state-owned telecom company in jeopardy.

The Ugandan Cabinet announced that it was in preparations of finding a capable investor to revive the State-owned Uganda Telecom (UTL) to upgrade its network and as well revamp its long lost glory.

The decisions comes in after details emerged that the company is choking on debts which reporeadly include UGX22.244 billion with government regulatory body of the communications sector; Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) arising from unpaid spectrum fees, UGX8 billion in interconnection fees to MTN, UGX58.424 billion in accumulated tax to government revenue collection agency, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) for the period between May 2015 – December 2015.

This was due to the fact that Libyan Post Telecommunications and IT Holding Company (LPTIC) the highest shareholders with 62% shares pulled out leaving the firm in a cramble.

Among other companies interested in taking over Uganda Telecom include Mauritius Telecom, Hamilton Telecom who have been front runners, Telecel Global, Baylis Consortium and Teleology.

Uganda Communications Commissions (herein referred to as Commission or UCU), has threatened to suspend the license of the telecom giant for breach of some of the regulations that were issued by the Commission and the terms of its license agreement and the law.

In a letter dated 17th May 2018, addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of Africell Uganda Limited, The Executive Director of the Commission, Godfrey Mutabazi, in a letter titled “Notice to show cause why Africell Uganda LTD PIP and PSP license should not be suspended for breach of directive against selling sim cards in ungazetted places”, threatens that the commission will be suspending the license of Africell Uganda within 60 days unless the company shows reasons why it should not be suspended.

Africell, in the letter, has been faulted for not adhering to the directives of UCC one of them being laid down in two letters published on the 7th and 8th May 2018 which barred telecommunications companies from selling sim cards through hawkers, street vendors and street agents. Telecommunication companies were also required to follow certain procedures in order to register their subscribers which Africell has allegedly violated.

The commission according to the letter received numerous complaints about the violations by Africell, which it is basing on to suspend their license.

The telecommunication company has been conditioned to present its defence to UCC, indicating their reasoning as to why their license should not be suspended. The letter adds that “…should the Commission does not receive sufficient representations…the commission shall proceed to suspend Africell Uganda Limited’s PIP and PSP license”.

The suspension gets its legal backing from the Uganda Commissions Act 2013 which empowers UCC with the discretion to suspend a license of a company that does not comply with its terms and the law.

Early this year, Tecno unleashed the Camon X along with it’s elder brother the X Pro onto the market revolutionising the camera game.  ]After the Camon CM, TECNO released their next Camon Flagship, the Camon X Pro.

Camon X Pro comes with an 18:9 display which takes centre stage and a camera that has been taunted to be like nothing we have seen yet. While the Camon X offers quite some interesting specs to look at, the Pro version blows all of its specs out of the water.

It comes with a solid 6-inch FHD+ screen with 2.5D glass display, Android 8.1 Ore-powered device impresses even more in its internal memory configurations and camera sensors and a massive battery of 3750mAh with fast charging capabilities (MediaTek Pump Express). In this particular monster of a phone, Tecno has slapped a microSD card slot onto the Camon X Pro for users that will still like to expand the memory available (up to 128GB).

Because Camon continues to command such great respect when it comes to photography, the Camon X Pro flaunts a 24MP CLEAR SELFIE. I only put that in capital letters because it was the only I could shout it out.

The Camon X Pro will be going for only UGX 940,000 and you can get it from Tecno branded outlets in Town especially Kampala Road!

Tecno Camon X Pro Detailed Specs

The Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters has questioned the Executive Director of NITA James Ssaka on his receipt of 928 million shillings from the Land Fund. The commission learnt that Ssaka received the money in 2015 for land which was worth 15 million shillings in 2003.

Evidence presented before the seven-member Commission shows how government officials at the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) in connivance with businessmen and influential people in government offices fraudulently acquired billions of Shillings from the land fund.
The land fund was established under Section 41 of the Land Act to bring to an end the long-standing conflict in regard to multiple interests on land in the counties of Bugangayizi and Buyaga, Bunyoro Subregion.

Today the Nita-U Boss appeared before the committee of other the same. Here’s a video of the proceedings;