The Government of Japan has committed US$ 7.9 million (29.4 Billion) to support refugees and host communities as well as vulnerable populations in the Karamoja sub-region.
Post-COVID-19, refugees, host communities and the people of Karamoja have been some of the groups hardest-hit by hunger and food insecurity.

The support has been channeled through the United Nations and International Organizations: the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Entity for the Gender Equality and the empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“Japan recognizes that the humanitarian situation in refugee-hosting areas and vulnerable communities affected by current global situations such as climate change are devastating. Therefore, 2023’s contribution has been made with a specific focus on mitigating the impacts of food and nutrition insecurity, gender equality including protection of women from sexual and gender based violence to the vulnerable population, including refugees, host community members, women and children in Uganda. The Government of Japan will continue to support Ugandan people by acknowledging Uganda’s refugee policy and needs for humanitarian–development support as well as creating strong and powerful partnership,” said Ambassador Fukuzawa.

Hilary Onek, the Minister of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees said, “on behalf of the Government of Uganda I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Government of Japan through the Ambassador of Japan in Uganda for the generosity exhibited towards supporting the refugee community this year again. This year, support for the Karamoja sub-region is also covered. We are grateful for Japan’s cooperation in creating a resilient society, despite being affected by a variety of current global situations and climate change. We look forward to a year of close cooperation and collaboration with Japan in terms of the launch of STA2 as well as the Global Refugee Forum in December to enhance Uganda’s open door policy.”

Susan Ngongi Namondo, the UN Resident Coordinator, said, “the UN family in Uganda appreciates the government and people of Japan for this important contribution to the efforts in support of refugees and their host communities in Uganda. Japan’s commitment to a resilience-based approach by providing focus on vulnerable people in need of food and nutrition assistance in Karamoja is laudable.”

Uganda is the largest refugee hosting country in Africa with more than 1.5 million refugees and majority of the refugees in Uganda originate from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. Refugees and asylum seekers are entitled to work, have freedom of movement and can access social services.

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Madrid, Spain – ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions has successfully participated in the FTTH Conference 2023 in Madrid, Spain. The conference brought together decision-makers, thought leaders, corporate executives, and investors from the optical communication field, including representatives from telecom operators and equipment vendors around the world. The attendees shared their experiences and insights in FTTH network deployment and explored the future of FTTH in the 5G era. ZTE takes the lead in 10G PON in terms of global market share, and has ranked No. 1 for 10G PON shipments globally in Q4 2022, according to the latest research by Dell’Oro Group.

At the conference, ZTE showcased its 50G PON&10G GPON&GPON three-mode Combo PON solution, which features an independent wavelength stacking mechanism to support three generations of PON technologies (GPON, 10G PON, and 50G PON). Meanwhile, the solution shares the same ODN and the same platform, solves the problems such as high construction costs, large room space occupation in central offices, complex optical fiber cabling, and difficult O&M during the evolution from GPON to 10G GPON and then to 50G PON, and helps operators rapidly and flexibly provision high-bandwidth services, thereby simplifying network construction and reducing deployment costs. It inherits and develops the Combo PON concept and is an innovative solution in the smooth evolution from GPON to 50G PON.

To meet the demands of ODN constructions in Europe, ZTE has demonstrated its Light ODN solution, which reflects the concept of pre-termination, no-splicing, plug-and-play with tangible objects, and visible ODN. This solution reduces the labor cost of lightweight construction by 30% and improves the construction efficiency by 50%, effectively solving the problems of high labor cost and engineering difficulty in constructing optical fibers. It also makes the ODN network visible and manageable, and significantly lowers OpEx.

To tackle the issue of poor Wi-Fi signal coverage inside the home and frequent customer complaints, ZTE has presented its innovative connected home solution, which includes 10G PON, Wi-Fi 7, Mesh Wi-Fi&FTTR, and SCP management platform. ZTE considers connectivity as the foundation of home networks by delivering increased bandwidth and enhanced coverage to provide the ultimate whole-home gigabit-plus experience. 

ZTE also showcased its end-to-end all-optical solution that helps operators evolve their optical networks towards 200G/400G. For 200G Access OTN, ZTE provides the 5-in-1 device with the largest switching capacity of 2.8T for 4G/5G/FBB/enterprise/edge DC scenarios. For 400G Metro OTN, ZTE delivers a real 400G solution that allows the leading fiber capacity of 96T by C6T+L6T spectrum width. For 400G Backbone OTN, ZTE has achieved a 2,808km transmission distance in the commercial network and verified an extreme 5,616km transmission distance with 400G QPSK.

In addition, ZTE presented its all-scenario and high-performance end-to-end CLOUD IP solution, based on which ZTE’s Metro routers have provided services for 1.5 billion people around the world and assisted operators in tapping into network potential and exploring new applications with 400GE interfaces, end-to-end SRv6 programmability and intelligent delivery.

End users demand more than high bandwidth – they also demand a superior experience. To satisfy this demand, ZTE has presented a big video solution during the conference to help operators improve their video service capability and operational efficiency. ZTE’s diversified multimedia terminals feature better connection, eco-system and user experiences, assisting operators to succeed in video services.

As operators transform their networks into (Cable-DSL-FTTH) networks, ZTE provides a full-system multi-connection DVB Zapper-Hybrid-IPTV/OTT-Combo STB solution to meet operators’ different requirements for service transformation.

Also, ATV and RDK STBs are equipped to enrich video content and ecology, and integrate ATVs, Netflix, Amazon prime video and Disney+. Since 2021, ZTE has ranked No. 1 in the number of newly activated ATV users.

ZTE’s innovative terminals, with full interaction (voice and touch screen) and 8K STBs, provide a more convenient and intelligent video experience. The Company is the industry’s first to enter into the smart home field, achieving value-added innovation.

ZTE ranks No. 1 for both PON CPE and DSL CPE shipments in 2022 globally, according to the latest report Broadband Access & Home Networking Quarterly Report Q4 2022 by Dell’Oro Group.

With its products and services deployed in more than 160 countries, ZTE will further pursue technological innovation. Together with industry partners, the Company is committed to satisfying the core requirements of operators and end users by providing best-in-class broadband connectivity.

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ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of information and communication technology solutions, announced today that Hans Neff, Senior Director of ZTE CTO Team, has shared in-depth insights on how to adopt new technologies to improve FTTx user experiences and help operators gain competitive advantages at a seminar titled “How to Build a Service Platform on the Existing Optical Network to Increase Revenues” for the Broadband Forum (BBF) at the FTTH Conference in Madrid on April 18-20, 2023.

With the theme of “New Technologies Drive New Connections and Enhance User Experience”, Hans Neff believes that combining the same generation of PON and Wi-Fi technologies can offer end-to-end wireline and wireless high-speed network connections, such as GPON + Wi-Fi 5, 10G PON + Wi-Fi 6, and 50G PON + Wi-Fi 7. The 10G PON is now being deployed on a large scale worldwide, and CAPEX will continue to drop as the shipment increases. It is estimated that the next 3-5 years will be the golden time window for the large-scale deployment of the 10G PON. The 50G PON standards have been released, and commercial capabilities are expected to be available in 2025. The 50G PON has advantages such as five times more bandwidth and lower latency and jitter than the 10G PON, and can provide more accurate bandwidth, latency and jitter to better deploy experience-sensitive services. 

According to Hans Neff, the PON OLT platform should have the smooth upgrade capability to extend the use time of the equipment in the network and save the upgrade costs of operators, oriented to the continuous evolution and upgrade of the optical broadband network. ZTE introduced the first three-mode Combo PON solution, which enables access and smooth evolution of three generations of technologies (GPON, 10G PON, and 50G PON) through a 50G PON Combo interface and a main optical fiber. In the early stage, the operators complete construction of central offices in one step, and GPON, 10G PON and 50G PON ONU are flexibly deployed as needed. In the subsequent upgrade, only the terminals need to be upgraded on demand, without changing the central offices.

In terms of the evolution of FTTx networks, Hans Neff proposes the concept of open PON. Through standard NetConf/YANG and Telemetry interfaces, OLTs can be smoothly connected to the SDN controller for their openness, disaggregation and evolution towards the microservices. Virtualized software modules can be deployed locally or on the cloud, and disaggregated ONUs can be managed through the vOMCI.

In the scenarios of families and small/medium-sized enterprises (SME), Hans Neff believes that the development of FTTR is a general trend. The optical network is deployed in each room and enables beyond-gigabit optical broadband and Wi-Fi wireless coverage to deliver ultimate access experiences. One-step fiber deployment can address the demands for 20-30 years. The FTTR solution can efficiently build an internal network for families and enterprises to help operators expand brand-new broadband networking services and business models as well as tapping into the potential market of smart homes and SMEs. 

BBF focuses on accelerating technological innovation, ecological development and network evolution in the broadband field. It actively promotes multi-service access from the aspects of network architecture, device and service management, software data model, inter-working standards and industry certification.

ZTE is an active participant and builder of BBF, following the principle of openness and cooperation. ZTE conducts in-depth research on new technologies such as 50G PON, OLT virtualization and FTTR, based on the needs of access technology development and evolution, new service support and investment protection. ZTE provides the best last-kilometer wireline access solution for the global digital transformation, with a vision of ultra-fast, deterministic, open, agile and intelligent networks.

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E-commerce platform Copia has announced it will be closing its operations in Uganda two years after launching in the country.

In a statement, Copia said the closure is part of its plans to halt its Africa expansion plans over the global economic downturn occasioned by Russia-Ukraine war.

“To accelerate Copia’s drive to profitability, the company is pausing its Africa expansion plans and suspending its recently established Uganda operation during this period.  This decision is consistent with many of the best companies in Africa and across the world, which are responding to the market environment and prioritizing profit,” reads a statement from Copia.

“This highly focused approach will ensure that Copia is well positioned to pursue its pan-African ambitions with its proven formula for successful expansion to serve the 800 million middle- and low-income consumers through the power of e-commerce,” Copia added.

It was not immediately clear how many of its workers have been affected by the closure.

However, this comes as a surprise given that Copia had in 2021 raised KES 2.6 billion in a Series B drive to expand its investments across the continent. In the same vein, the company appointed Betty Mwangi as a member of its board, Mwangi one time served as Jumia Kenya CEO. It also appointed Dominic Dimba as Managing Director for East Africa with immediate effect.

At the start of 2022, Copia secured $50 million in a funding round. The Series C round was headed by Goodwell Investments.

Launched in Kenya in 2013, Copia harnesses mobile technologies, a network of local Agents, and proprietary Copia Logistics to reach a market that formal retail and Western e-commerce models cannot. Copia brings quality products at the lowest market prices delivered at no cost to thousands of customers every day. To date, the company has fulfilled more than 10 million orders.

Operating its own technology-enabled advanced logistics service, Copia can deliver to the most remote locations, even in places with poor road infrastructure or lack of addresses, at no additional cost to the customer.

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As part of the registration drive, the teams from National Social Security Fund- NSSF and Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development have toured and registered the Fine Spinners Uganda Limited employees in Bugolobi. Fine Spinners company processes locally-grown cotton to produce world-class, 100% African, sustainable, traceable garments.

Sections 7 & 13 of the NSSF Act as amended provides for mandatory contributions for all workers regardless of the size of the enterprise or the number of employees.

The Fund’s Acting Managing Director Ayota Patrick flanked by the Minister of Gender, Labor and Social Development, Hon. Betty Amongi spearheaded the registration of employees at Fine Spinners Uganda Limited.

Speaking at the event Patrick Ayota said, “As you recall, on 28th March the Fund launched a mass registration drive dubbed NowYouCan aimed at registering all employers in Uganda, irrespective of the number of workers employed. This was done in line with sections 7 and 13 of the NSSF Act as amended.”

Ayota added, “Honorable Minister, I am glad to inform you that as of today over 1,468 employers have so far registered with the Fund since we launched the mass registration drive. This drive is a multi-stakeholder initiative by various partners.”

The Fund has partnerships with most government agencies to ensure that employers regularize their status with NSSF before they do business thus engaging all regulatory agencies to ensure that entities are compliant before licenses.

“It’s now 9 days to the end of the period that we extended to non-compliant employers. However, we were implored by some employers to extend the registration deadline. Today we announce a 60 days extension, with the new deadline being 28th June 2023,” Ayota cautioned.

He further called upon all unregistered employers across the country to take advantage of the extension to regularize their status with the Fund to avoid penalties. This is an opportunity for every employer to support their staff to retire with dignity.

Hon. Betty Amongi said the government recognizes that social protection is crucial for achieving national development goals and promoting equity.

“As the largest social security scheme in Uganda, NSSF must take the lead in recruiting all eligible working Ugandans into the social security net. The new law has expanded the social security landscape & empowered the Fund to innovate and introduce new products,” Amongi said.

Uganda has a labor force of 16.3m people, of which 13.9m are working. Only 85% of paid workers in the country are employed in the informal sector, without formal contracts or social security. The NSSF Act as amended seeks to turn the events around.

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On Tuesday 18^th April 2023, Housing Finance Bank held an Iftar Dinner at Hotel Africana in celebration of its Muslim staff and customers. The event featured a number of activities including poetry, music performances, and prayers.

The Bank was represented by Mr. Michael Mugabi, the Managing Director at Housing Finance Bank. During the event, he expressed his gratitude towards the Muslim community for their continued trust and loyalty to the Bank. “We are honored that you have chosen Housing Finance Bank as your preferred financial partner. We appreciate you and are committed to offering solutions that facilitate business growth for Muslims and the business community in the country. We are also exploring Islamic Banking among other tailored solutions.”

At Housing Finance Bank, customer satisfaction is fundamental. The Bank recently rolled out its 2023-27 strategy and Customer Experience is one of its key pillars. “We are privileged to be a fully owned Ugandan bank, which allows us to easily craft working and suitable solutions to continuously enhance the customer experience across all our channels. As a matter of fact,

all our key decisions are centered around the ability to meet both the current and future

needs of our customers,” said Mr. Michael Mugabi, the MD.

The event comes at a time when the bank has embarked on its journey towards becoming a sustainability–certified bank and incorporated the ESGs into its operations in order to create value for the communities in which it serves and the country at large by encouraging the transition to a climate-neutral, resilient, resource-efficient, and resilient economy as well as aiding social inclusion. In line with the above, there has been a record of several projects to support the community.

The Bank has engaged in different projects to support the Muslim community. Last year, Housing Finance carried out a career guidance lecture at the Islamic University In Uganda (IUIU) Kabojja campus where it contributed UGX 12M towards identified water harvesting and tree planting initiatives in line with the bank’s sustainability agenda.

Last Ramadan, the Bank supported the Nakifuma Muslim Community through the Nakifuma Orphanage Centre in line with the principles of giving back and developing Muslim communities in the Holy Month of Ramadan. This month, Housing Finance Bank will be participating in the Mbarara Qadh Run 2023 to support in raising funds towards the construction of a Muslim Centre in Nyamitanga, Mbarara City.

Housing Finance Bank will also be participating in the Mbarara and Hoima Qadh Run 2023 in support of raising funds towards the construction of a Muslim Centre in Nyamitanga, Mbarara City

Housing Finance Bank remains committed to facilitating sustainable projects and Sustainable Development Goals and continues to embrace more avenues for supporting the Muslim community.

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