Over half of Uganda’s adults are forced to keep their savings at home because of a lack of access to formal financial services, in the process slowing the country’s growth as large numbers of citizens remain in exclusion.

To reverse this trend, Mastercard and Financial Sector Deepening Uganda (FDSU) have partnered to develop financial solutions that will improve the livelihoods of Ugandans and also strengthen the country’s economy.

The partnership, announced during Financial Inclusion Week, will allow Mastercard, including the Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion, and FSDU to focus on the key sectors like education, agriculture, trade and health by creating and rolling out secure and simple digital payment solutions.

“Digital payments have played an important role in connecting Ugandans to financial services securely and seamlessly: 53 out of every 100 Ugandan adults have transacted because of mobile money solutions2, for instance, which shows us that the ability to include people in the economy is driven by innovative digital solutions,” said Chris Bwakira, Vice President and Area Business Head, East Africa at Mastercard.

According to Mr. Bwakira, Ugandans have also indicated a healthy appetite for digitalized consumption, mobile in particular.

“Mobile penetration sits at 65 percent and continues to grow rapidly, illustrating that as businesses, we should be targeting solutions that are convenient for citizens and that are easily accessible and available on platforms that they have adopted and use regularly,” Mr. Bwakira said.

According to Mr. Bwakira, Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion is working on an education payment project in Uganda, to be followed by an agricultural payments project next year.

Solutions developed by Mastercard and FSD Uganda will seek to close gaps and build on the education pilot, eventually linking to other initiatives in trade and health, which are also core sectors.

Approximately 60 percent of Uganda’s citizens are involved in agriculture, making pioneering tools and solutions in these areas a driver of growth.

The two partners have also committed to focus on meeting objectives in specific areas, most notably in protecting consumers, driving engagement with government surrounding policy, as well as carrying out research and partnering with other critical stakeholders to share knowledge and expertise around financial inclusion.

Other areas of interest include customer education and awareness building aimed primarily at people who have been traditionally excluded from banking and financial services, engagement with the Ugandan government around policies creating a more enabling environment for investment in financial services and information technology.

“Uganda takes building a more inclusive economy extremely seriously, as evidenced in the recently launched National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2017-2022.

Strategic partnerships between organizations with the same values such as FSD Uganda and Mastercard, are an important step on the journey towards creating a country where financial services are accessible, affordable and beneficial to all,” said Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa, Executive Director at FSD Uganda.

Bwakira agreed, adding that a greater roll out and uptake of digital payment solutions will feed into Uganda’s overall National Financial Inclusion Strategy, which runs until 2022 and aims to increase access to formal financial services.

“Addressing the challenges that face ordinary Ugandans, particularly rural and low-income citizens, cannot be solved overnight, but with continued partnerships and the introduction of tools and services that allow more people to access formal financial services, we are making definitive strides in the right direction,” he noted.

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Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda will mid next week launch the construction of the long-awaited Shs5 billion National ICT Innovation Hub at the Institute of Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Nakawa.

According to a brief, the ground-breaking ceremony for construction of the ICT hub is expected to attract cabinet ministers, officials from telecom companies and leading stakeholders in the ICT sector.

The Government set aside Shs75 billion to support ICT innovators in the country under a five-year National ICT Initiatives Support Programme in the country, with Shs15bn will be available every year.

Mid this year the minister of finance Matia Kasaija provided Shs10 billion to innovators, the brief issued today indicates.

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By Cynthia Tumwine

We have been blessed to witness an era where technology can allow us to do so many things with just one click. Today you can send and receive important documents through email or whatsapp from miles away; you can book a hotel from the comfort of your living room on Jumia Travel for example, or even grab a special taxi (cab) in just seconds, all this online.

The new Jumia Food Ad for example has taken the internet by storm and one could say it’s on its way to going viral. Why? Because it shows how the online food service has made life easier for so many people especially the young man trying to impress his date that he can cook!

Cooking is a skill a lot of people underestimate and requires time, an average 5 course meal will take about two hours to make. Of course, there are a also few quick ways to make dishes that can be done in 15 minutes but not the kind you’d want to make on a date, for example like the man in the advert because he aims to impress. Fifteen minute meals are also not the type you would fix for your hungry family as a wife or husband, depending on who the better cook is.

However, many times in this day and age where cooking is not a skill possessed by everyone and both the man and woman work all day, being able to order in occasionally or everyday (for bachelors and students) becomes the easier option.

In addition to saving time, money is also saved. In Kampala driving to a restaurant could take several minutes due to traffic, in that time you’ve burned so much fuel that it would be so much easier and less expensive to just order in. One more thing, if you plan to surprise someone with lunch or dinner, what better way to do it than to have it just show up at their office or home unexpected. Through a quick search of your favourite restaurants just one click and Jumia Food will have the food at your doorstep.

So guys, today let’s say a quick thank you to the new tech era for making life so much easier.

The writer is the PR Manager Jumia Food and Travel

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Mr Morrison Rwakakamba has been an advocate of social change in Uganda, and is one of those who would want government to implement better policies that can deliver the country to the middle income status as outlined in Vision 2020, and also enable it achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Recently Mr Rwakakamba resigned his job as a Special Presidential Assistant on Research and Information, a resignation that

was a blessing for Bridge International Academies, which appointed him as the new Country Director for Uganda, tasked to steer the schools to greater heights.

However, his resignation still remains a blessing to government because he will offer his views and professional advice that can help grow Uganda’s primary education, where he suggests that teachers been given ‘Service Contracts’.

Eagle Online interfaced with Mr Rwakakamba on a number of issues that are related to Uganda’s education sector. He also tells us why he accepted the new role and what he plans to do for Bridge International Academies as he assumes his new role of Country Director. Below are excerpts:

Qn: To begin with, why did you accept your new job as Country Director of Bridge International Academies?

Ans: First of all, I grew up in an educated family that valued education. My grandfather, Canon Petero Rwabihurwa started the first community school in Rukungiri District, which was then part of former Kigezi. We have been an education household that promoted learning for the disadvantaged children.

Secondly, all my life I have been in education and I believe education remains the greatest transformer. Education is the biggest inheritance a country or parent can bequeath to the children. Having said that, in terms of experience within the education sector, I worked for Twaweza between 2010 and 2013. At Twaweza we were doing a programme called Uwezo. It was always very much at testing the learning capabilities for the children where we conducted the biggest household survey in this country and engaged government on the aspect that we had more children in school but there was less learning.

Since then I have been fascinated  by the contribution I can make to make sure that we bridge the gap between more children who are going to school but also to make sure they are receiving quality education learning. Yes, I think I have been an advocate of the education sector and have had a practical experience of knowing what issues are within the classroom.

Qn: You have had some experience in the education sector, what do you bring on table not only for Bridge International Academies  but the country at large?

Ans: For the country at large, I hope to leverage what Bridge International Academies is doing to make sure that the disadvantaged children or pupils can access quality education. As you know in this country we have teacher absenteeism rate of 58 percent, which therefore means that children are in school but there are no teachers to teach them. At Bridge International Academies, teacher absenteeism has been reduced to 5 percent because of using technology to promote transparency within management of the classrooms and management of the schools. This is something where Bridge International Academies can partner with government and other multi-stakeholder actors like parents, private sector and faith-based organisations that are very much interested in schools.

I think Bridge International Academies has a valid proposition offer to government and other stakeholders to look at its method of classroom management, focusing on results and others. For example in other countries like Kenya and Liberia where Bridge has been and where Bridge schools have managed to do Primary Leaving Exams, like in Kenya, on average, Bridge pupils scored 74 percent while the national average was at 49 percent. So you can see there is quality , there is high level capability and performance within Bridge schools because of some interventions that are technology driven, that are more teacher – pupil attachment focused; more focused on the child and learning other than access. These are some of those areas where Bridge, government, private sector and faith-based schools can come together to initiate a broad strategy of delivering holistic education which requires participation of all stakeholders, including the parents.

Qn: What do you think is most the major challenge for primary education in Uganda, having participated in some of the educational programmes in the country?

Ans: I think there are two challenges: The first challenge is UPE statistics. When UPE started through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were much about access, many pupils enrolled without focus on quality. Over a decade eight million kids were enrolled from two million. For me that was a major leap. Right now, the issue for Uganda and Africa as a continent make sure that we harness increased access into quality. That is why we have the Sustainable Development Goal number four which is about inclusive and quality education, combining access or inclusivity for both girls and boys but also ensuring quality education.

The bigger challenge now is how government, parents, private sector and other stakeholders can make sure that actually learning happens in the classroom. The depressing statistic is that eight out of ten kids in Uganda cannot deal with simple arithmetic or be proficient in articulating a sentence. Those are really the major problems and I think the best way to do it is not by saying government you have to do it, it is by saying how can we do partnerships with governments, for example Bridge and other private sector members that are into education, how do we partner with government to make sure that we get all the experiences that we have to improve learning at the classroom level. For me really that is the major challenge.

The other challenge really is on the school dropouts. As primary seven pupils sit for  their exams, only 30 percent of those who registred in primary one reached primary seven and we hope that all of them are going to move on to secondary. But you really wonder where the 70 percent are? Where did they go? Why did they drop out? The gap that Bridge and the private sector come to bridge is to really make sure that all those kids whoever they are, if they are disadvantaged and cannot afford to be in school, then Bridge comes with this service offering that even those who don’t have enough resources or are disadvantaged can come to Bridge and access quality education.

Qn: What would say about teacher education: Teachers in Uganda over the years have been blamed for the poor performance of children in primary schools? What remedies do you suggest can help overcome this challenge?

Ans: In the large context of the country we have to expand teacher training to make sure that teachers are trained and retooled into modern technologies of delivering the national curriculum; use of technology to make sure they quickly and timely deliver the lessons. As you know most schools in Uganda don’t finish the syllabus. You find that kids are sitting for exams when whatever they were supposed to learn across the entire space of seven years, only half of the syllabus is completed and not completed also excellently. It is really a major problem. But because schools at Bridge use technology and timing of teachers when they are delivering these lessons, more supervision, more checking-in, more monitoring, more inspection, the lesson plans are very clear, so you find that teachers at Bridge finish the entire national curriculum. I think one of the things to do in the training of teachers is the infusion of technology into classrooms which is going to help teachers finish teaching of the national curriculum for the learners. I think this is a major issue where Bridge can partner with government to see how to make that strategic intervention.

It is very important that teachers are tested all the time. I don’t think it is enough to assume that teachers know what they are teaching. In Liberia you heard that story where almost half of the teachers who were teaching in primary four could not pass primary four exams. And when the Liberian government partnered with Bridge, Bridge made sure that those tests were made and those teachers who could not pass could not be taken on within that framework of government of Liberia and Bridge Academies Education. I think in Uganda those tests should be taken all the time to make sure that teachers who are not delivering are put aside.

The other aspect is that the Ministry of Education should introduce performance contracts for the teachers. The current arrangement where teachers are embedded in public service makes it difficult for the minister of education to terminate them even if they are not performing well. The minister of education has no bandwidth to terminate them because they have public service contracts. To solve this, The ministries of education and public service can make an arrangement to have the capability to renew the system to make sure that the country has teachers who are committed but also competent to do the job.

Qn: What would you say about government policy towards private and community schools? Are they favourable or unfavourable?

Ans: For any country, government is the regulator. By regulator, it means that government should have rules and regulations to make sure that the standards and the environment where kids learn is capable enough to ensure quality education for the kids. It is very important to have standards and it is very important for government to enforce standards. What Bridge is doing, is to make sure collaborates with government to make sure that the standards and the environment in which kids learn are capable enough to ensure quality education for the learners. I don’t have any problem with the policy of government on private education. The important thing is that, that policy should be uniform and that all actors are fulfilling the same standards, including public schools. The standards should be fair and equitable for all actors in the education sector.

Qn: What is your view on government policy to ban coaching of children during school holidays?

Ans: On the issue of coaching, I think the time for school, which is  three to four months when kids are full time in school,  is enough if it is used punctually. The issue has never been about time but how do you use the time that you have? We have been teacher absenteeism in schools while pupils are present. If teachers were in school, teaching all the time and teaching the right things with right competences, then the issue of coaching would not arise. Coaching for me is a consequence of incompetence in schools.

Qn: As Country Director, where do you see Bridge International Academies in the next five to ten years in relation to government policies?

Ans: I see Bridge making a major contribution. First of all, at a policy level, working with government to expand quality education in the country but also taking on more disadvantaged kids who will be receiving world class and standard education. I am very much optimistic that Bridge International Academy is going to cover a much broad footprint and have more kids learning and enjoying fruits of their work.

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In an effort to encourage local businesses to produce good quality products, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has announced the 2017 Quality Awards.

The awards to be held on November 30, 2017 will recognise local companies whose products have consistently met standards both at national and international level.

Speaking at a press conference to announce the Awards, the UNBS Executive Director Dr. Ben Manyindo, said: “The Quality Awards will recognise local businesses that have demonstrated compliance to our rigorous certification scheme.”

The Quality Awards come at time the when the country is promoting locally-manufactured products under the Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU) campaign, through which the UNBS is supporting SMEs to ensure that they meet the required standards.

Last financial year, UNBS scaled up its certification activities by issuing 899 certification permits mainly to support SMEs to gain access to regional and international markets.

“Standards are important in ensuring that local products remain competitive both in the local and international markets. Quality products are not only important in ensuring that the customer gets value for money but they also promote both local and international trade thereby contributing to economic growth,” Dr. Manyindo said.

This year, the awards categories will include: The Overall Winner, 1st Runner up, Winner from the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME) and Winner of the Services Award.

The companies identified through the Product Quality Certification Scheme are required to have quality goods in terms of customer safety and also capability of accessing the lucrative regional and international markets.

To attain certification companies have to apply to UNBS and the agency’s quality auditors visit the factory for auditing based on standards applicable to the product. During auditing, samples of the products will be taken for testing in UNBS laboratories. Companies whose products conform to the required quality are awarded the UNBS Quality Mark.

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