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Nigerian job placement technology entrepreneur wins Anzisha 2015 Grand Prize

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The Anzisha Prize is thrilled to announce this year’s winner of the $25,000 Grand Prize in the 5th year of Africa’s premier award for youth entrepreneurship. Chris Kwekowe (22), founder of Slatecube which offers a job-relevant skills learning platform and job placement services, impressed the judges. Slatecube has had significant success to date with potential for scale and will serve as an inspiring beacon for other youth interested in entrepreneurship. The decision was not easy, however, given the talented pool of finalists. Fintech entrepreneur Fabrice Alomo (22, Cameroon) was 1st Runner Up ($15,000) and fashion entrepreneur Mabel Suglo (22, Ghana) was 2nd Runner Up ($12,500).

Nigerian job placement technology entrepreneur wins Anzisha 2015 Grand Prize for African youth entrepreneurship

Nigerian job placement technology entrepreneur wins Anzisha 2015 Grand Prize for African youth entrepreneurshi9

Chris Kwekowe founded Slatecube to increase job access for youth through creating a platform on which they can build job-relevant skills and linking them with virtual internship opportunities that enable them to develop experience. His vision for the venture is to see it grow into a wide-scale provider of relevant job market access, with increasing ability to open doors for job seekers.

“I did not believe that I could have won the prize when the competition started. But I feel confident in what I can achieve now given the capital and training that I have received through the Anzisha Prize. I congratulate all the other finalists as I believe they were all very impressive and look forward to engaging them as we support each other to grow going forward,” says Chris.

The first runner up was Fabrice Alomo from Cameroon, founder of My AConnect. The venture aims to increase the ease with which unbanked people in Cameroon transact and gain access to financial services. My AConnect provides AMoney, and electronic currency with which unbanked individuals can make purchases with over 500 enterprises by depositing money through charge cards. Fabrice’s vision is to increase financial service access for Cameroon’s 17 million unbanked people.

A still impressive second runner up was Mabel Suglo from Ghana, founder of Eco Shoes. Mabel offers an assortment of shoes and accessories that are fashionable and Afro-themed, using recycled materials. Her employee-base is predominantly disabled individuals. She aims to increase their economic participation through job opportunities. Mabel believes that disability is not inability and employs people with a variety of disabilities to create products that she sells into wholesale and retail markets.

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The Anzisha Sector Prize in Agriculture was awarded to Chantal Butare, founder of Kinazi Dairy Cooperative. Chantal’s cooperative collects milk from over 3,000 families in her community, and processes the milk for sale. She generates income for these families, as well as for ten milk collectors who are in her employ. Her ambition is motivate for sufficient capital to mechanize her process and increase scale to create revenue for yet more families in her community. Chantal is a shining example of youth role models that Anzisha Prize aims to celebrate: Youth who are operating successfully in sectors that are considered non-traditional for youth, but that have immense potential to catalyze economic growth in Africa.

“Over the past five years, we have seen the Anzisha Prize evolve from a one-time prize for social entrepreneurship, to an entire community of young, innovative leaders across Africa who have access to comprehensive support and networking opportunities,” says Koffi Assouan, Program Manager, Youth Livelihoods at The MasterCard Foundation. “I continue to be impressed by the caliber of youth entrepreneurs that Africa has to offer and congratulate them on their ability to inspire both ourselves and the rest of the continent.”

The 2015 Anzisha Prize Finalists were celebrated at a prestigious invitation-only ceremony on Tuesday, November 17th 2015 at Room Five venue in Rivonia, Johannesburg. The keynote speaker was Alex Okosi, pioneer of MTV Networks in Africa, a staunch proponent for a truly African voice for youth.

The Anzisha Prize is a partnership between African Leadership Academy and The MasterCard Foundation. The 12 finalists for Anzisha Prize for 2015 were selected from an impressive initial pool of 494 young entrepreneurs, up from 339 applications in 2014. The Anzisha Prize is proud to have attracted applicants from 33 African countries, with finalists from Zimbabwe and Ethiopia identified for the first time this year. Applications were also received from a diversity of sectors, with agriculture having the most applicants. Now in its fifth year, The Anzisha Prize celebrated these outstanding young people during Global Entrepreneurship Week joining the worldwide festivities. Having received a share of US$75,000, the Anzisha Finalists join a growing pool of now 54 Fellows to receive access to ongoing support to scale their enterprises and expand their impact.

Applications for the next cycle of the Anzisha Prize will open on the 15th of February in 2016. However, nominations for promising youth entrepreneurs are open all year round.

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AIRTEL MONEY PARTNERS WITH PRUDENTIAL UGANDA AND TURACO TO LAUNCH ‘HOSPITAL SENTE’, AN AFFORDABLE HEALTH AND PROTECTION PRODUCT.

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Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda Limited (AMCUL) has today announced a strategic partnership with Prudential Assurance Uganda Limited and insurtech Turaco Insurance Brokers LTD to provide ‘Hospital Sente’, a low-cost hospital cash insurance product with Funeral Benefits, aimed at increasing access to insurance for underserved communities, and low-income individuals and families.

The cover aims to ease Airtel Money’s customers’ financial burden associated with hospital admissions and bereavement. Hospital Sente offers beneficiaries a cash pay-out if they are hospitalised.
It is designed to provide affordable coverage for unserved individuals and families conveniently through Airtel’s Mobile money platform by dialing *185*7*6#.

The product which is underwritten by Prudential Uganda is offered through Airtel Money powered by Turaco, a micro-insuretech that is changing the face of micro-insurance in Uganda.

“We are excited to partner with Prudential Uganda to offer this innovative and affordable insurance product to our customers,” said Airtel Mobile Commerce Managing Director, Japheth Aritho. “We believe that this partnership will help increase access to insurance for low-income households and help protect families against unexpected events.”

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“We are proud to partner with Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda Limited (AMCUL) to bring this important product to the Ugandan market,” said Prudential Uganda CEO, Tetteh Ayitevie. “We believe that this partnership will help us reach more customers and provide them with the financial protection they need.”

Hamza Mutebi, General Manager, Turaco said: “Most Ugandans today remain unreached by mainstream insurance, all while being the most vulnerable to financial shocks caused by illness, accidents, and death. Strategic partnerships like these remain critical to enabling underserved Ugandans access to affordable insurance that provides a safety net in their times of need and ultimately peace of mind. I thank Airtel Money and Prudential for joining us in driving mass market insurance adoption in Uganda”.

The product comes in three affordable plans; –
The Platinum plan comes with a funeral benefit of UGX 4Million, a hospital cash pay-out of UGX 100,000 per night of admission at a premium of only UGX 5000 every month. The Gold plan provides a funeral benefit of UGX 2Million, a hospital cash pay-out of UGX 60,000 per night at a monthly premium of only UGX 3000. The Silver plan offers a funeral plan of UGX 1Million, and a hospital cash pay-out of UGX 40,00 per night of hospitalization at a monthly premium of UGX 1000.

Hospital Sente is available to all Airtel Money customers. For more information, customers can visit the Airtel Uganda website or contact customer service.

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Parents Urged To Let Children Learn French Language

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Alliance Francaise Kampala hosted its 2023 #FranceJobFairUg which was held on Saturday, 18th March at International French School which is located in Lugogo in Kampala.

The French Job Fair Uganda is organized by the Embassy of France in Uganda.

Both continuing university students and those that finished attended workshops on resume and cover letter writing, and mock job interviews, to prepare themselves for the competitive job market. They have also interacted with company representatives thus having the opportunity to strengthen their networks.

Addressing campuses, was the head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs Mr. Yves Mercier who said that in the professional environment, French is a necessary asset and so he encouraged parents to take their children to learn the language.

He also added saying that training that includes different partners will create a platform for dialogue and the free exchange of ideas about our lives.

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Women Emphasized To Know The Importance Of Creating Exciting Content To Reach Targeted Audiences-Rita Arinaitwe Digital Lead At Zeus The Agency

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To celebrate Women’s Month, Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and Mastercard Foundation successfully hosted Season 2 of the Annual Women’s Katale, a women-focused event held at the UMA showgrounds. The event brought together businesses from both the public and private sectors to showcase their products and services, drawing people from all walks of life.

Attendees benefited from business clinics facilitated by various institutions, covering topics relevant to business growth. Among the expert facilitators was Zeus The Agency, a dynamic marketing agency based in Ntinda that has won two consecutive awards for Best Digital Agency of the Year. Despite being a young agency, Zeus The Agency boasts extensive experience across various industries covering creative services, digital marketing, production, media, and PR.

At the event, Zeus provided attendees with valuable insights and knowledge on digital optimization for business growth. The agency emphasized the importance of businesses having a robust digital presence to reach untapped markets, highlighting the need for a strategic approach to digital marketing. Through their participation in the Annual Women’s Katale, Zeus The Agency reinforced its commitment to helping businesses thrive by providing innovative solutions that drive meaningful results.

Rita Arinaitwe, the Digital Lead at Zeus The Agency, emphasized the importance of creating exciting content and understanding audiences to fully reach targeted audiences.

“Effective content creation is crucial in modern digital marketing. At Zeus, we take a data-driven approach to develop high-quality content that resonates with our clients’ target customers. Our team of experienced writers, designers, and digital marketers work together to create impactful content that drives results,” she said.

Zeus the Agency also offered to set up and optimize social media pages for the SMEs at the event. The team provided guidance on creating effective content and engaging with their audience to empower these SMEs to grow their online presence and take their businesses to the next level. “Through initiatives like this, we hope to make a positive impact on the local business community and help businesses thrive in the digital age,” Rita added.

The event organizers promised and delivered networking opportunities for the thousands of revelers in attendance, with unique discounted products brought closer to potential customers, and business skills shared. The skills learned at the event motivated more women to venture into businesses they hadn’t thought of before, while the knowledge shared had most admitting it was the push they needed to start.

Angela Bagaine, a PSFU board member, also urged women to adopt innovativeness, cut out plagiarism in the business, and give their consumers options. The guest of honor, Hon Hajjati Minsa Kabanda, Minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, lauded the great work of PSFU and the various exhibitors for setting the pace of women’s entrepreneurship in the country.

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The event was capped off with wonderful performances from local divas, Winnie Nwagi and Etania, in an epic climax to what was a successful event.

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