By Steven Cohen

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) owners today are busy, tech-savvy and under enormous pressure to drive profits and revenues. That is why they need software ready to take advantage of the latest technology trends. It is these entrepreneurs who are the drivers of prosperity and it is their entrepreneurial spirit that makes the difference all over the world

The cloud changes everything by allowing them to work anywhere and anytime.

Here are a few ways that users of our accounting and payroll software tell us the cloud helps them to run better businesses:

Fewer IT headaches, better IT performance

With a cloud-based software application, the responsibility for IT maintenance, software upgrades and any system issues lies with the service provider. Our cloud customers tell us that the cloud is liberating because they do not need to install software or hassle about updates and upgrades. As such, SMEs can stay close to their core business rather than worrying about technology. Plus, they usually find that cloud systems are more reliable and feature-rich than the old DOS-based systems they have used for years.

Flexibility

Cloud-based software can be accessed on a pay-as-you-go model, so SMEs do not need to worry about over-investing in software licenses. They can add more users as the business grows or decrease spending if they need to. For example, if they have a lot of seasonal workers or contractors they bring on board for projects, they can pay for payroll software per pay slip rather than buying a license upfront.

Increased security

Cloud computing can be more secure than traditional IT. Established cloud suppliers invest vast amounts of money into securing their applications and have technology infrastructures beyond the means of any small business. There’s also less risk of losing data stored on a laptop or a USB stick because everything is stored in the cloud and not on devices that could be lost or stolen.

Mobile productivity and collaboration

The future is mobile and we are giving our customers the power to control their businesses from the palm of their hand. Users can simply log in from wherever they are and start working. Because their data is in the cloud, it is available online, anywhere and anytime. Mobile apps for accounting solutions, for example put customer and accounting information in the palm of user’s hands. They can log on from wherever they are to view customer information, record notes, search for customers as well as contact them.

Gain business insight

Today, SMEs do not merely need an electronic record keeping system. In today’s competitive, knowledge-based economy, SME owners and managers also want to analyze and understand the business instead of just submitting tax returns, printing customer statements and sending out pay slips. Cloud solutions enable them to access this functionality at an affordable cost.

The writer is Head of Sage One International (Africa, Australia, Middle East, Asia and Brazil)

By Silvia Nyambura

Former Permanent Secretary to the Treasury Chris Kassami passed away this morning at the Nairobi Hospital after a long illness. He had served in this position for 20 years until his retirement in 2013 at 65 years of age.

He held a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Dar es Salaam and various high level qualifications in Finance and Economics. He joined the Ministry of Finance in 1972 as an Economist.

He had also previously served as Permanent Secretary in the Education and Works ministries and was the Chairman of the East African Development Bank from 2011 to 2013.

Until the time of his passing Kassami was the Chairman of Airtel Uganda.

Minister for Finance Matia Kasaija has said government is in touch with the family to fly the body home from Kenya and begin with the funeral arrangements.

By Our Reporter

Online shopping site Kaymu.co.ug is offering favorable prices for it gadgets every Wednesday. The promotion called ‘Kaymu Happy Wednesday or Crazy Wednesday’ will enable customers to buy products like Mobile Phones and tablets at cheaper rates.

This promotion which has been launched in partnership with MTN Uganda will also see Kaymu customers access lower rates of data packages with a one month free internet surfing experience.

Timothy Tugume, the Head of Customer Support and Operations for Kaymu says the promotion will be on for a long time in order to give their customers a chance to purchase their long fancied gadgets at giveaway prices.

“This promotion is an amazing opportunity for our customers for sour customers to purchase different quality products at good prices. Kaymu has been credited with having a variety of new tech gadgets and customers can place orders through social media sites like facebook,” Tugume says.

Gadgets such as mobile phones, tablets, modems and routers will be available at discounted prices and will also have pre-loaded voice and data bundles for instant use and last up to 30 days.

By Barnet A Shizzola

Victoria university in partnership with the Human Rights and Peace Centre(HURIPEC) on 9th March held a public lecture focusing on the role of Religion and Politics in the aftermath of the recently concluded elections.

The lecture was held under the theme, ‘Religion,Politics and National Identity;A look at the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections’.

In his speech as guest of honor, Retired General Benon Biraaro put religious institutions on the spot for failing in their duties.

“The corruption within religious institutions in Uganda has tarnished its name. These institutions are not democratic. I am disappointed with the manner in which the recently concluded elections were handled. I have a lot of evidence about rigging and I believe the whole process was childish,”he fumed.

Biraaro told the audience that Uganda needs divine intervention if things are to go back to normal, stressing that the country is suffering from the strong man syndrome,where it is only strong men[President Museveni and General Kayihura] act and not institutions.

He added that institutions in the country have been buried and the citizens should fight such barbaric acts by the strong men.

The audience was also thrilled by Angello Izama a scholar at Stanford University who gave a detailed history of Uganda’s politics and religion.Like Biraaro,Izama also showed frustration with the political state of the country and the role played by religious institutions.

Izama expressed fears that the Supreme court may not deliver justice while ruling on the petition filed by John Patrick Amama Mbabazi who was a candidate in the concluded presidential elections.

By Our Reporter

From the 29th of March to 1st April 2016, the ELSA Moot Court Competition on World Trade Organization (WTO) Law will hold its African Regional Round at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa.

The Competition is a simulation of a WTO panel proceeding. It is student-run, organized annually by The European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) in co-operation with the WTO. It is designed to enhance knowledge of international trade law and WTO dispute settlement procedures, with a view to enhancing capacity for meaningful engagement in multilateral trade in the long term. It has a global reach and its participants come from every continent.

This year, the competition will be having its third African Regional Round. Ten Universities from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda will gather to compete against each other and the best three teams will qualify for the world Finals taking place at the headquarters of the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2016. Participation of the teams in the African Regional Round is generously sponsored by the African Trade Policy Centre of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as well as other local, regional, and international donors.

The purpose of this initiative is to support the continuing participation of African universities in a student competition designed to enhance knowledge of international trade law and WTO dispute settlement procedures, with a view to enhancing capacity in Africa in the long term.

Through this competition the participants will gain invaluable experience as a supplement to their university degree. By practicing and seeing for themselves how the WTO dispute mechanism works they will have a great insight and advantage for later career purposes.

“Through the organization of the African Regional Round, ELSA is fulfilling its social responsibility throughout the students worldwide, providing them with life time chance to make their dreams about the international career come true,” says Ada Gawrysiak, Vice President for Moot Court Competitions, ELSA International.

By Our Reporter

Phoebe Nakabazzi has been appointed as the new Marketing Manager for DStv Uganda. She will be in charge of planning, development and execution of the company’s overall marketing communications strategy.

Phoebe comes with over 10 years of experience in strategic communications having worked with East African Breweries in a variety of high level managerial positions including brand management, consumer relations and sales.

Her appointment to the position comes at a time when DStv has embarked on a major project aimed at enriching its product offering by introducing premium sporting content onto its Compact bouquet including the English Premiership and Spanish La Liga.

Nakabazzi graduated with a Bachelor of Social sciences major (social administration) from Makerere University. She also possesses a Postgraduate diploma in marketing and a Master’s degree in Management from the Uganda Management Institute.

By Our Reporter

Recent events in the international economy have made it more urgent than ever before for Africa to transform its economy. The sharp fall in commodity prices and the slowing of the Chinese economy has once again shown how vulnerable most African economies remain to external factors outside their control. According to the President of the African Center for Economic Transformation Dr. K. Y Amoako, “Transformation has the power to change that dynamic.”

He was speaking at the ongoing inaugural African Transformation Forum (ATF) in Kigali which ends today.

Dr Amoako was joined by Rwanda’s Minister for Finance and Economic Development Claver Gatete and the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Carlos Lopes in the opening session.

The ATF has been organized by ACET, one of Africa’s leading think-tanks and the Government of Rwanda – which has led one of the most inspiring stories of national transformation in modern history.

“Since ACET started its work in 2008, a remarkable consensus has formed, both within and outside Africa, that economic transformation holds the key to sustained growth and prosperity. This has now been endorsed by the African Union, the African Development Bank, the ECA and the African Heads of State and Government during their summit last year. The AFT is not just any conference. Our work will not end here. We are not here to talk but to act. We are here to accelerate economic transformation,” he said.

Welcoming an estimated 250 delegates from all parts of Africa, as well as from outside the continent, Claver Gatete, Rwanda’s Minister for Finance and Economic Planning said transformation had started taking root in Rwanda.

“Our Vision 2020 envisages a country transformed in all aspects of the economy and the society moving towards a middle income country by 2020. The services sector (at 47%) has overtaken agriculture (33%) in GDP figures and growth has been inclusive, with a corresponding reduction of poverty. Our belief in and commitment to an African-led, collaborative and cross-stakeholder movement towards transformation is the reason why we have partnered with ACET to co-host this forum,” he said.

ECA Executive Secretary Carlos Lopes told the delegates that although Africa had experienced unprecedented growth over the past decade and had been remarkably resilient to the global economic crisis, its economic performance had not created enough jobs.

“The continent remains home to the world’s highest proportion of poor people. Furthermore, African economic growth has proven vulnerable to volatility in commodity prices, demand and perception fragility. However, as a latecomer the continent has the privilege to learn from others’ experience,” Lopes noted.

He explained that transformation could not take place without committed and ethical leadership adding that a developmental state was central to the process of accelerated growth and transformation of any country.

“Public investment using scarce resources should be made selectively, sequenced and directed to achieving the highest development dividends in the long run,” he concluded.

By Our Reporter

A recently concluded study by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) notes that GDP growth in Africa is projected to average 4.3% between 2015 and 2020. The report urges African countries to invest in the manufacturing industry in order to drive national growth. It exemplifies countries like Nigeria and Kenya that have reduced commodity dependence such as exportation of raw materials and shows how this and more has greatly improved their economies.

The Regional Director ICAEW Middle East, Africa and South Asia Michael Armstrong says, “Africa is the most commodity-dependent continent on earth. Its economies increasingly need to create a hospitable environment for companies in the manufacturing and services sectors to drive growth, as the old models of growth driven by exports of raw materials are outdated. The East African region is embracing the use of renewable energy to leapfrog older power generation technologies, while also reducing the need to extend the national energy grid to remote villages.”

Nigeria, the largest economy on the continent is expected to contribute significantly to Africa’s economic expansion at an average real GDP rate of 4.8% per annum between 2015 and 2020. This translates to over 25% contribution to the continent’s forecast growth in this time frame.

Within the East Africa Region, Kenya’s economy should expand by around 6% during the 2017 to 2020 period thanks to its relatively diversified economy and comparatively low commodity dependence bonding well with the country’s economic growth outlook

The report notes that Kenya, for instance, is currently ranked the seventh highest producer of geothermal power globally after it recently unveiled the second phase of the Olkaria geothermal plant. Olkaria is now the biggest single turbine geothermal plant in the world.

Nevertheless, Kenya continues to face its own unique challenges. The country’s unwarrantable fiscal situation is the primary reason why both Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings downgraded the country’s outlook from stable to negative last year.

The report however also points out the Kenyan Government has taken important steps towards fiscal consolidation by preparing a supplementary budget that plans to reduce both development and recurrent public spending in the current fiscal year.

Tom Rogers the Associate Director Macro Consulting at Oxford Economics says, “A clear plan for preventing fiscal slippage will be needed to underpin confidence in public finances and economic stability. The government’s recognition of these economic concerns will be needed to address these issues and instill some confidence in the country’s economic outlook.”

The report further shows innovation in Financial Services Technology (FinTech) has erupted as a primary global investment opportunity and has recorded rapid growth over the past five years as technological innovation allowed digitally active consumers to streamline and improve on traditional banking services.

“The online financial sector has really taken off in Africa, answering a need for quality financial services and tailor made solutions to structural challenges including frequent power disruptions and poor rural infrastructure,” Rogers notes.

FinTech significantly contributed to the ease of transferring money and remitting earnings, acquiring insurance and attaining credit. Mobile banking has enabled peer-to-peer lending on a larger scale.

By Our Reporter

Media Giant Vision Group has recorded a 12.7% rise in profit after tax to register Ushs 3.7 billion in the six months to December 2015 compared to Ushs 3.3 billion in the same period in 2014. This has been attributed to a 12.1% increment posted in the company’s revenues.

Cost of sales were up 14.9% to Ushs 35.16 billion due to expenses on material inputs required to support the growth in sales. Administrative expenses increased marginally by 2.7% to Ushs 7.58 billion from Ushs 7.38 billion in the half year to December 2014.

Total Assets posted a slight increment of 7% to Ushs 73.83 billion. Notably, trade and other receivables rose by 29.7% to Ushs 24.13 billion from Ushs 18.61 billion in the year ended June 2015.

The Group’s Chief Finance Officer, Zubair Musoke said high trade and receivable figures comes with the nature of their business and added that most of these receivables had started materializing by the beginning of this year.

By Our Reporter

Uganda’s stock market activity decelerated this week with 3.2 million shares changing hands to generate a turnover of Ushs 745.85 million compared to the past week where 6.3 million shares were traded worth Ushs 1.36 billion in turnover.

UMEME share price shed 1.26% to Ushs 50 with 1.29 million shares exchanged to generate a turnover of Ushs 708.55 million. Uganda Clays moved 1.29 million shares to register a turnover of Ushs 19.42 million. Its share price grew by 7.14% to Ushs 15. Stanbic Bank, National Insurance Corporation (NIC) and DFCU had turnovers of Ushs 12.2 million, Ushs 2.33 million and Ushs 2.06 million from 401,076 shares, 211,600 shares and 2,200 shares traded respectively. Stanbic’s share price shed 3.23% to a new 12-month low of Ushs 30 while NIC and DFCU share prices were down 8.33% and 0.43% to close at Ushs 11 and Ushs 935.

Bank of Baroda recorded the least turnover of Ushs 994,500 as a result of trading 6,500 shares. Its share price lost 1.29% to end the week at Ushs 153.

From the cross listed counters Centum Investments had 200 shares changing hands to realize a turnover of Ushs 294,000. Its share price was up 4.12% to close at Ushs 1,488.

Uchumi Supermarkets was the biggest gainer as its price grew by 6.4% to end the week at Ushs 183 while Kenya Airways share price shed 6.9% to Ushs 135.

The USE All Share Index advanced by 0.16% to 1,810.81 reflecting the price gain on half of the eight cross listings. The USE Local Share Index and C8* lost 1.41% and 0.89% to close at 417.18 and 131.97 respectively.

The Uganda Shilling was stable at the beginning of the week owing to improved inflows from investors looking to participate in Wednesday’s Treasury bill auction. However, it shed some of its gains by the end of the week and was quoted at 3,369.6 as at Friday on midday compared to 3,349.6 last week.

By Our Reporter

Samsung has launched a new technologically advanced smart phone the Samsung Galaxy S7 onto the Ugandan Market. The S7 comes in both the revolutionary edge version and the sleek contemporary design.

Speaking at the launch held in the week ending 18th March 2016 at Acacia mall in Kololo, Samsung Country Manager Amos Mulago said, “We are very excited to launch this phone on the Ugandan market because it is truly an exceptional device in terms of its design, functionality and cutting edge features. It has a Snapdragon 820 processer which is the fastest ever built for any smart phone. Fully charged it has 30% more battery life than the previous version and it can be charged wirelessly. In addition, the hybrid SIM card tray allows users to insert a micro SD card for up to 200 GB of additional storage and in some select countries; the tray can be used as a dual SIM card port.”

One of the highly anticipated accessories the S7 comes with is the Samsung Virtual Reality gear. It allows users to connect their phones onto a headset and get a 360 view of the world around them, play games or watch movies.

There company has organized a 10 day joint Easter promotion in partnership Acacia Mall Property Managers Knight Frank.

Knight Frank’s Head of Marketing Paul Mwirigi revealed two lucky winners will get the chance to win a brand new Samsung Galaxy S7 phone and the Samsung Galaxy S7 gear in the joint Easter promo.

“We are very excited and proud to be the mall of choice for this historic launch. Samsung is an internationally recognized brand with a global appeal. It is therefore a natural fit for Acacia Mall which is Kampala’s leading lifestyle and shopping destination,” he said.

To stand a chance of winning customers will get a raffle ticket for every seventy thousand shillings spent at any one of the Acacia Mall tenant outlets. A raffle draw will be conducted on Easter Monday to reveal the winners.

By Our Reporter

Ministry of Energy in the week ending 18th March 2016 joined Access Uganda Solar, a partnership between EREN RE and Access Power to break the ground for what will be the largest privately funded solar power plant in East Africa.

Located in Soroti District in eastern Uganda, the 10MW power plant, once connected to the national grid is expected to provide clean low carbon, sustainable electricity to 40,000 homes and businesses in the area. The project will cost US$ 19 million.

Hon. Peter Lokeris, the State Minister for Mineral Development expressed the government’s gratitude to Access Power for the development of energy in the country.

“Uganda suffers an energy deficiency and has sought to work with corporations such as Access Power to bridge this gap. Government priorities such as Agro Processing can only get lifted off the ground with sufficient and reliable energy. I have confidence in the project because our country enjoys an all year round sunny climate which is the resource for Solar Power,” he said.

Reda El Chaar, Executive Chairman of Access Power commented, “Breaking the ground marks a major milestone for Uganda. Only by working together can we effect real change and answer the urgent need for power of people in Africa. According to the International Energy Agency, 60% of Africa’s population are living without reliable electricity supplies while as a continent it has attracted US$ 25 billion in investment in renewables in the past six years. Our company brings innovation, expertise and determination to every project we work on.”

Christophe Fleurence, Vice President of Business Development – Africa of EREN RE, affirmed, “We are glad to launch the construction of the first project co-developed on the African continent with our partner Access Power especially as part of such a promising and well-thought out scheme. The extensive political and international support to this project underlines the broad willingness to shift boundaries in electricity generation. EREN RE which is a renewable energy investor and a long-term independent power producer is determined to switch light on in many other places in Africa and emerging markets more generally, as efficiently as it was achieved at Soroti.”

The project is the first solar power plant to be successfully developed under the GET FiT scheme a partnership with the Government of Uganda through the country’s Electricity Regulatory Agency (ERA). It is funded by the European Union Infrastructure Trust Fund and supported by the governments of Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom.

By Silvia Nyambura

One of the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Uganda is the fear of technology. According to Knight Frank Managing Director Judy Rugasira, women do not employ Information Technology (IT) solutions to their businesses because they do not understand the processes.

“Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) using technology are more likely to be successful than those without. Unfortunately, IT was never a subject encouraged for women traditionally. It was seen as a forte for men and therefore it needs to be demystified for them to embrace it,” she said.

Rugasira was speaking as part of a panel made up of Vivo Energy Head of Marketing Jean Mugisha, Trademark East Africa Country Director Allen Asiimwe and MTN CMO Mapula Bodibe during the 4th annual MTN Women in Business Awards held at the Kampala Serena hotel on Friday 18th March 2016.

The panelists agreed technology has mostly been embraced by millenials and that it would take a lot of ‘hand holding’ and training for older women to pick up the trend.

“Technology has made it easy for people to access information and narrowed the divide. At MTN we aim at simplifying technology and positioning it in a familiar way so women can understand it. We have made access to affordable data easy to fit into their business models,” said Bodibe.

MTN awarded 4 women in 4 categories during the event. The Public Choice Award went to Charlotte Kamugisha the proprietor of Bunyonyi Safaris. Suzan Ajok of the Straight Talk Foundation won the Excellence in IT Award while Jacqueline Bigirwa took the Excellence in Financial Services Award. The overall MTN Business CEO of the year award went to Alice Karugaba of Nina Interiors.

“For the winners, we have packaged the prizes to be able to aid further growth of your business thereby achieving our mission of empowering businesses. On behalf of MTN I would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the partners that have complemented MTN’s packages for the winners,” Bodibe added.

Each of the top 3 category winners will have an opportunity to attend an Executive Leadership Training for Women. They will also get fixed lines, MTN Business Bundle activation and free subscription of MTN Go Bundle for 6 months, MTN Office/home WiFi (6) and one year hosting at MTN’s Mutundwe data Center.

By Fatima Sullivan

As consumers and businesses are urged to tighten their belts in light of slowed economic growth, customer service experience is set to become an increasingly important differentiator for local businesses. This is one of the main factors that will influence decisions regarding which supplier to purchase products and services from.

Research shows consumers are willing to spend more for better customer service and with those companies that they believe provide excellent customer service.

In an environment where alternatives are rife, customer experience is rapidly becoming one of the most important elements of business success. While price will always be important in the mind of the consumer, this becomes less so if a business offers first class customer service to support the product or service.

This is the reason DHL invests so heavily in a customer-centric culture.

The customer needs to be the key focus in all activities, whether it is improvements in delivery times or query resolution processes. A good customer service department should understand the link between the way customers are managed and handled and the company’s bottom line.

Findings from the Economist Intelligence Unit report dubbed ‘Creating a seamless customer experience’ revealed that almost 75% of consumers will stop doing business with a company following bad customer service and that more than half will complain to friends and family about their experience.

These figures highlight the detrimental impact of poor customer service in terms of revenue loss and reputation and why customer service needs to be a key focus area for a company. Further, an insanely customer-centric culture is only achieved if all employees have the same goal in mind – to delight the customer at every opportunity.

We continuously thrive to ensure that every individual in the business understands the impact they can have on the customer experience and focus on the smaller details that drive quality. Ensuring that the voice of the customer resonates throughout the organization is also essential to great service. Initiatives such as the Net Promoter Approach (NPA) management tool, which measures promoters and detractors among your customer base and proactively sources feedback from them, can have a huge impact in identifying areas for improvement. It also enables the company to make the necessary changes to enhance their offering and continually offer better ways to deliver excellence to customers.

The writer is Vice President of Customer Services for DHL Express Sub-Sahara Africa

By Our Reporter

As part of Hima Cement’s continued drive towards good environmental stewardship, the company has received ISO certification for its Environment Management System.

The Environment Management System ISO: 14001 is awarded to companies working towards prevention of pollution, eliminating, reducing and disposing of waste in a responsible manner and having integrated environmental monitoring procedures.

“We remain committed to the integration of environmental and sustainability issues into our business activities,” says Jimmy Onen, Hima Cement’s Health and Safety and Environment Engineer.

The cement manufacturer has been pursuing various projects to ensure the minimum possible harm to the environment as outlined in its environmental sustainability ambitions.

For instance, the company has significantly reduced the use of Fossil fuel and now mostly uses natural clean fuels in its production operations thus reducing carbon emissions. Hima uses biomass fuels generated from coffee husks, rice husks, palm kernels, G-nuts husks and baggase which also supports Ugandan farmers.

In 2013, Hima Cement completed installation of a new bag filter technology at its Kasese plant to stop dust Emissions

The company also continues with rehabilitation of all used up quarries to their former productive state.

By Juliet Namulundu

The Sheraton Kampala Hotel has appointed Jean Philippe Bittencourt as the new General Manager. He replaces Ian Duncan whose 2 year contract expired in December 2015.

Bittencourt has a working experience of over 30 years in the hospitality industry 15 of which he served as a General Manager in various regions and including Middle East, South America, Europe, North Africa and recently West Africa. His experience ranges from Rooms Division to Food and Beverage, managing Hotel Operations and has also been deeply involved with sales and marketing strategies. He holds a Master’s Degree in Hotel Business Administration from IMHI-Cornell MBA program.

Reacting to his appointment Bittencourt said, “I appreciate the great job done by my predecessor which included training as well as bringing in a new management team that completely overhauled the Food and Beverage operations. My strategy will be to continue with the work he started but also initiate several renovations and upgrade projects that will provide a much needed face-lift of several public and operations areas. We will also continue to focus on Learning and Development of young local talents and their career plan. In addition we will look into investing in our local management team in areas related to new technologies, new market trends, welfare, and safety and security regulations to ensure a smooth succession plan in the future.”

Last year, the hotel changed ownership after its parent company Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide was bought off by Marriot International Group of Hotels. The transaction was valued at US$ 12.2 billion. Combined, the companies operate or franchise more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms worldwide.

“There is a transitional team working on the whole integration process and it should be noted that the transaction will not completely take effect until about mid this year. We are however aware that not much will change in terms of the operations of our business. A lot of resources have been invested into developing the Sheraton brand as well as the other brands under the current Starwood umbrella. It is more than likely all the brands will be maintained as they are nevertheless we shall be communicating with various stakeholder during the integration process to inform them of any changes they may need to be aware of,” Bittencourt explained.

By Our Reporter

The Lake Victoria Serena Hotel in Entebbe will play host to the 2nd annual tax symposium come the 4th of May 2016. The 3 day event which ends on the 6th of May is themed ‘Trends in International Taxation: An African Perspective’. Drawing together professionals from all over the continent, the symposium aims at analyzing the most pertinent international tax issues of the day and to place them within the African context.

Building on the success of the inaugural event, this year’s focus will be on today’s burning tax issues such as the post Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) landscape, aggressive tax planning, transfer pricing and challenges impacting particular industries and transactions.

These topics will be brought to life by a rich selection of renowned experts including Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Commissioner General Doris Akol. There will also be a wide range of speakers from tax practice, industry, revenue authorities and academia.

The Africa Tax Symposium is an initiative of the IBFD Centre for Studies in African Taxation (CSAT), a think tank devoted to the study and development of African taxation. Through this seminar, CSAT aims to contribute to deeper and more analytical knowledge of international tax across the continent.

CSAT also sponsors research into areas of tax policy relevant to particular sectors in Africa. One way of effecting this is by means of ‘CSAT scholarships’ under which qualifying researchers receive sponsorship for pertinent research work. CSAT has just concluded arrangements for several such scholarships and full details will be unveiled during the event.

By Our Reporter

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union (AU) will once again hold their annual Conference of Ministers meeting between 31^st of March and 5^th of April 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting which convenes Ministers of Finance from across the continent has become an important platform to discuss the most critical African Developmental issues. This year’s theme is centered around Agenda 2063, the master plan for African Development and the newly agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

African leaders, along with other world leaders, recommitted themselves to implementing a more sustainable development pathway through Agenda 2030. AU Member States also demonstrated their commitment to the continental Agenda 2063. Critical issues to be discussed at the African Development Week will explore how best to formulate a more integrated and coherent approach to implementing, monitoring and evaluating these important development agendas which will chart the direction for Africa’s future.

23 side events will be taking place on the sidelines of the ministerial meetings, which will also see the launch of some of the ECA’s flagship reports. These include the ECA country profiles, providing a detailed analysis of a country’s macroeconomic and investment profile and the launch of the African Regional Integration Index.

The Index, a collaboration between ECA, the AU and the African Development Bank (AfDB), will rank countries in terms of how economically integrated they are within a region. Regional integration is a key development priority for Africa and the report is the first systematic, continent-wide instrument for measuring the progress made by the 54 African countries in implementing the continent’s regional integration frameworks.

“Africa’s integration journey towards a more connected, competitive and business-friendly continent is underway and its roadmap is, in some areas, under construction. Africa’s Regional Integration Index is an action tool measuring the progress of an Africa on the move,” the Report reads in part.

Among the other thematic issues to be discussed will be the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and implementation of the SDGs. In addition, a number of sectoral issues will be covered, including industrialization, regional integration, migration, energy and banking, as well as better collection and use of data and statistics.

There will also be an interesting and important discussion around corruption and governance. The Africa Governance Report on Measuring Corruption in Africa to be presented during the ADW argues that current approaches for measuring corruption are predominantly perception-based and completely ignore the international dimension of corruption in Africa. The report urges African countries to engage in improving their own governance agenda, rather than undertaking the futile exercise of naming and shaming one another because of the given perception levels of corruption.

By Our Reporter

Over the past few years, Africa has been top of mind for foreign business investment, often referred to as one of the last frontiers for economic growth and development. However, given the recent economic downturn and headwinds that the continent is experiencing, is the region still offering opportunity to investors?

The World Bank’s January 2016 Global Economic Prospects reported that Sub-Sahara Africa’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at its lowest rate since 2009 in 2015 with a growth of a 3.4%. This was down from the 4.6% and 4.9% growth that was reported in 2014 and 2013 respectively.

Hennie Heymans, Managing Director of DHL Express Sub-Sahara Africa says the company firmly believes that the African continent is still one of the last frontiers for growth and that the region will continue to grow as it has over the past decade due to the vast number of unexploited opportunities available for local and foreign investors.

“The drop in GDP growth for the region over the past year shouldn’t deter investors. Africa will continue to thrive albeit at a slightly slower pace as previously experienced. Similar to the global environment which reported growth of 2.4% in 2015, it was a tough year economically for Africa. Compounded by a drop in the demand for the continent’s commodities resulting in falling prices, declining currencies, political instability and El Nino causing widespread drought, have all contributed to the region’s challenges. However, despite this, the region remains abound with untapped prospects and offers growth opportunities in 2016 for those willing to seek them out,” says Heymans.

This is supported by the latest World Bank’ Africa’s Pulse Author and Acting Chief Economist: World Bank Africa Region, Punam Chuhan-Pole, said on the report’s findings, “The good news is that domestic demand generated by consumption, investment and government spending will nudge economic growth upwards to 4.4 percent in 2016 and to 4.8 percent in 2017.”

The report also highlights that specific regions have higher growth prospects than others. Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania were listed as countries expected to sustain a growth of approximately 7% per year in 2015 to 2017. This was attributed to large-scale investment into energy and transport projects, consumer spending and investment in the resource sector.

Heymans says that based on DHL’s experience, each country offers unique growth opportunities.

“For example, in Ethiopia, the telecommunications sector is a large contributor to GDP. It was reported that the country had 40 million mobile subscribers and 10 million internet connections in 2015. However with a population of over 90 million, the sector has capacity to double its contribution to GDP. In Mozambique, the retail sector is offering huge opportunities. With a growing middle class and shopping culture, coupled with a limited availability of common products, this sector offers opportunities for both small and large businesses.”

Further, he notes there is a stronger demand for communication devices and ICT-related equipment in Rwanda with the country proving ambitious to become a regional ICT (Information and Communications Technology) hub. Similarly, there is an influx of medical supplies in the country with a booming healthcare sector.

Heymans adds that more countries in the region could be thriving if not for underdeveloped infrastructure and bureaucracy. He points to the mining sector in Madagascar as one example.

“This could be a potentially lucrative opportunity for investors due to the country’s coal, nickel and ilmenite resources. However, several legislative reforms are still needed. The opportunities are clearly there, it’s all about having a long-term, sustainable focus on the region. As we move into the second quarter of 2016, DHL Express will continue to invest in the SSA region, in our people and our network, with the ultimate goal of seeing Africa thriving,” he concludes.

By Silvia Nyambura

Allan Richardson, the Chief Executive Officer Vodafone Uganda, has underscored the significance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in enhancing the delivery of quality health care to Ugandans.

In his opening remarks at the 4th Edition of the Vodafone Power Talks at the Kampala Serena Hotel today, Richardson said, “We believe that m-Health and e-Health present a unique opportunity to move away from a focus on treatment of diseases to management of health on a regular basis. In developed markets and some of the emerging markets, there are many success stories of patients being empowered and connected to their physicians to manage their health together.”

He explained access to up-to-date and relevant health information and knowledge by patients, health personnel, service providers, decision makers as well as researchers and funding institutions is vital for improved delivery of health services.

“While ICT has the potential to be greatly beneficial for the health sector of Uganda, its success is dependent on access to affordable data services, connected devices and the development of the required software, platforms and apps to enable access in addition to education of both healthcare professionals and patients on the benefits of m-Health,” he added.

Key discussants at the event included; Mr Andrew Lutwama, the eHealth Advisor at the Ministry of Health, Dr Paul Okello Aliker, the CEO Dental Studio, Mr Nathan Wasolo, the Route to Market Lead, East Africa, Mr Alfred Wise, Living Goods Country Director, Mrs Judy Mugoya, the Smart Applications Country Manager and Ms Beatrice Bonita Nanziri, the AfriGal Tech and mDex founder.

The discussions were under the theme, ‘Improving access and delivery of healthcare through ICT’.

Some of the innovations that were exhibited are; Matibabu: A non-invasive technology for Malaria diagnosis, WinSenga – Foetal Heart Rate Monitor; a smartphone-based ultrasound alternative which aims to allow midwives and medical personnel, especially in low resource settings who rely on subjectively accurate diagnosis via a fetoscope – an 18th century invention to more accurately and effectively monitor the health of unborn children around the time of birth, Macotuba; a mobile based application (android) designed to diagnose Tuberculosis (TB) by using a mobile phone and breath sensor called the TBNose and  a blood pressure & glucose strip monitor that offers a patient-doctor integrated service allowing the doctor to monitor a patient while the patient is at home or another location.