South Africa’s telecommunications giant, MTN Group, has announced plans to launch its own music streaming service and new applications to increase its revenue and improve the experience for its users as competition in the industry stiffens.

“Key focus areas for 2019 are the launch of our own music streaming and instant messaging applications and extending MTN mobile money from 14 to 18 countries through launches in South Africa, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Sudan,” Robert Rob Shuter, MTN’s group president and CEO, has said.

The plan was disclosed in a statement of MTN Group’s financial results for the year ended December 2018.

According to the statement, the company achieved all its medium-term targets, reduced its holding company leverage and accelerated service revenue growth driven by the implementation of its BRIGHT strategy.

The company increased its subscriber base by 16 million to 233 million customers across 21 markets in Africa and the Middle East.

The number of active data users increased by 10 million to 79 million and the active mobile money subscriber base rose to 27 million.

This strong commercial momentum drove a 10.7 percent constant currency increase in service revenue to R125,4 billion.

“The service revenue growth rate achieved is ahead of both prior year and our guidance and – more importantly – is above the average rate of inflation in our markets, which means we are delivering real growth in service revenue,” said Shuter.

Meanwhile Group Ebitda rose more than 15 percent and reported headline earnings per share (HEPS) increased to 337 cents from 182 cents in 2017. Adjusting for once-off items HEPS would have been 565 cents per share.

The total full-year dividend of 500 cents is well covered and a final dividend of 325 cents has been declared, according to the statement.

MTN Group also conducted an extensive review of its portfolio to reduce risk, improve returns and simplify MTN.

This review covered not only its subsidiary companies but also its associates and its investments in e-commerce investments and tower companies.

The Group has R40 billion tied up in the value of the e-commerce and tower company investments and has announced that they are not viewed as long-term strategic assets of the group and will be monetized over time.

The Group has committed to the portfolio review realizing more than R15 billion over the next 3 years excluding any proceeds from its R23 billion position in IHS.

It announced that it would be disposing of its associate in Botswana, Mascom, for $300 million where its lack of control position and MTN branding meant that the group is not able to execute on its BRIGHT strategy.

The group stabilized its gearing, bringing the holding company leverage down to 2,3 times in December 2018 from 2,9 times in June 2018 and within the target range of 2,0 to 2,5 times. The group’s overall gearing moderated to 1.3x.

“We have made good progress to improve the holding company leverage bringing it within the medium-term guidance range we set out. Proceeds we receive from the asset realization program will support efforts to further reduce debt and de-lever the holding company balance sheet.” said group CFO Ralph Mupita.

“We believe the holding company leverage is appropriate, and we can well manage the debt and deliver on our 500 cents progressive dividend policy in the future,” he added.

The company overcame several regulatory headwinds in 2018, the most material of which was the Central Bank Central Bank of Nigeria dispute on historical dividend repatriations.

This was resolved and MTN announced in December 2018 that they had agreed to implement a notional reversal of the 2008 private placement and consequently made a resolution payment of $53 million.

The group is committed to further enhancing its risk management and stakeholder management processes.

In the days ahead, President Yoweri Museveni will again meet Shuter after their last meeting in Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum where they discussed wide-ranging issues that have created a rift between the Ugandan government and the telecom company.

They will meet at the Africa Now Summit which will take place at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort in Kampala.

The Archbishop of Gulu, John Baptist Odama has called on Christians to repent and reconcile with God, with self and with the environment during Lent.

Archbishop Odama made the call while leading Mass at Parliament, “This day is an important one for the season because it begins the preparations for the greatest feast in the church which is Easter,” said Odama.

The Archbishop reiterated the Pope’s message for Lent, where he says that the 40 days of fasting were a sacramental sign of conversion with a call for fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

Odama said that the ash on foreheads of the Christians on Ash Wednesday symbolized the fragility and mortality of man, who needed God’s presence to maintain steadfast faith.

“Prayer teaches us to abandon idolatry and acknowledge our need for mercy whereas almsgiving helps us to escape the illusion of hoarding everything to ourselves,” Odama said. He advised MPs to create an alliance with God in a bid to make good laws for the country, adding that Ugandans needed a strong example from their leaders.

Odama also expressed concern over the growing trend of sex education in schools which he observed had influenced kindergarten going children through the new media.

“Lent this year should bring hope of Christ to promote liberation of children of God,” said the Archbishop, adding that “we should ask God to help us seek out the true path of conversion and attend to our brothers and sisters in need.”

Members of Parliament and the congregation contributed Shs44.5 million in cash and pledges towards the Martyrs’ day celebrations that will be led by Gulu Archdiocese.

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) in the latest statement says Relax and Ssalongo gin brands are not recommended for consumption since they are not certified yet, despite their presence on the local market.

“Our investigations have since established that the Relax and Ssalongo gin brands … are not certified by Uganda National Bureau of Standards and are therefore not recommended for consumption,” the statement published on March 7, 2019 says.

UNBS however, says that despite negative media reports, Uganda Waragi, Bond 7 Whisky, Chief Waragi, Royal Vodka, Kick Gin Pineapple, and Brigade Gin, Big 5 Vodka, Goal Vodka, Beckham Gin and V6 Tangawizi Vodka were certified and therefore meet the requirements of relevant Uganda standards.
“Furthermore, these products are regularly tested to ascertain their quality which includes absence of heavy metals,” the statement continues.

The standards body says it has the state of the art laboratory equipment including the Induction Coupled Plasma -Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) and the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) which are used to test heavy metals in food products and that the capacity has been used to test and assure the quality of all certified foods and beverages.

“UNBS therefore advises the general public to consume only packaged foods and beverages that are certified and have a distinctive mark on their labels,” it says.

It urges the public to always look out for UNBS Distinctive Mark for assurance that locally manufactured products meet the required standards and report any cases of substandard products on the market.

Meanwhile the Minister of Trade Industry and Cooperatives, Amelia Kyambadde, days ago said effect March 30, 2019, there will not be the production and sale of ­alcohol in sachets.

In 2017, government through cabinet took decision to ban the sale and packaging of alcohol in sachets and this meant that the packaging and sale of alcohol must be done in plastic and glass bottles.

According to Minister Kyambadde, they met with alcohol manufacturers under their body of Uganda Alcohol Manufacturers Association and resolved on the road map to procure, install and commission new bottling packaging and production equipment and building premises for the acquired technology bottling machinery.

“All packaging of alcohol must be in glass and plastic bottles with 200Ml minimum. The sale of alcohol in sachets in banned with effect from March 30th and no one is expected to sale alcohol after this date,” said Mrs. Kyambadde in the just released document.

The Managing Director of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), Dr. Silver Mugisha, has said technology is availing great opportunities to address the diverse challenges of water and sanitation in the sewer sector.

Dr Mugisha was speaking at the WEX Global Conference that was held in Porto Portugal under the theme ‘Applying Intelligence in The Circular Economy’, attended by water, energy and waste experts from more than 45 different countries.

On the panel of Regional Forum for Africa that, he reflected on the fact that the building of water and sewage networks in the developed world was entirely dependent on public finance adding that the same solutions do not appear prominent in policy debates on the development of infrastructure in Africa.

Dr. Mugisha said, technological advancements need to be implemented in context of the challenges, organisation and the country. ­“NWSC is among the highly ranked utilities in the world. The NWSC success stories attract scores of conference participants across the globe,” he said.

According to Dr. Mugisha, the NWSC case of building an efficient, accountable and trusted utility provides good lessons for similar utilities in the developing world. Most importantly he said government’s will continue to play a key role in financing the development of water and sanitation infrastructure and environmental protection is a joint responsibility.

He also shared NWSC experience in mobilizing financing from different sources including commercial financing from the commercial banks saying one of the key lessons from NWSC was the need to have a well performing and accountable institution that instils confidence in Government, development partners and all financiers.

Belgium Ambassador to Uganda,Hugo Verbist has called for empowerment of girls through availing platforms to access and share information about sexual and reproductive health services.

The envoy was said this during the She Decides Festival Uganda celebrated on March 2, at Kira Road Police grounds, Kamwokya in commemoration of the global She Decides Day.

She Decides is a Global Movement that envisions a world where every girl and woman can decide what to do with her body, with her life and with her future. The movement is united is a fundamental right of every girl and every woman to make right the decision.

He revealed that one in four girls between ages of 15-19 years is already pregnant or with their first child and sadly, figures are shooting up.

According to Uganda Demographic Health Survey (UDHS-2016), annually, more than 300,000 teenagers get pregnant accounting for the bulk of unwanted pregnancies which result into unwanted births or unsafe abortions (estimated at 24 per cent). This has however increasing the risk of maternal mortality and morbidity among adolescent girls.

“For many of these girls, pregnancies has little to do with informed choices. Often times, it is a consequence of discrimination, rights violations including; child marriage, rape, and defilement,” he said.

Mr. Jackson Okweku the Executive Director of Reproductive Health Uganda called on government to ensure priority is given youth-friendly services in all health units in the country.

“With a population that is 70 per cent youth, why should services be packaged only for the older people? Empower the young people, understand who they are, and serve them with a smile”.

Dr. Charles Olara , the Director of Clinical Services in Ministry of health, while speaking on behalf of State Minister Sarah Opendi the State Minister for General Duties in the Ministry of Health, appreciated She Decides movement and partners for advocating for the rights of women and girls.

He appreciated the She Decides Movement for the key role it’s playing in creating a platform where girls and women can be empowered to take on bold and life/career impacting decisions through giving right information, education and life skills to make informed and powerful decision that are key in supporting them to realize their full potential.

This includes having access to modern contraception, to sexual and relationship literacy, maternal and child health services and safe abortion among other SRHR services, Dr. Olara Explained.

He also noted that there is need to remember that more than 3 in 10 people in Uganda are young people of age 10-24 years, making Uganda one of youngest countries in the world hence the need to ensure that the right investments are made for the empowerment of these young people to enable them explore possibilities and full fill their potential.

Dr Victoria Namugala from the school of Women Gender studies Makerere University called on to women to make use of the justice system as the first channel, through which women rights can be achieved. She said, for women to confidently stand to their rights, they need the affirmation that justice system is there to serve them.

“Let’s make it easier for girls to access justice. For many victims of violence, justice has remained a nightmare due to prolonged processes, judgement and costs involved. For instance, asking the victim to prove that she was defiled and did not consent is tricky and victims will forever shy away”.

The Commissioner of Police in Charge of Community Policing Department, Hadijja Namutebi implored police officers to serve diligently and emphasized Uganda Police Force’s commitment to working together with communities in addressing Sexual and Gender based Violence and child trafficking that largely affects young girls