After long negotiations, MTN Uganda paid the US $100m, appropriately Ugx. 371 billion, in full to Uganda Government for license renewal. Download: MTN to list Experts push for innovation fund MTN is Uganda’s Second National Operator (SNO), and the license took effect on July 1st, 2020. For some time over the years, MTN experienced some run-ins with the government which culminated in the infamous raid of the MTN’s data center in Mutundwe by Uganda’s Internal Security Organisation on July 2nd, 2018, exactly two years ago, on allegations of a tax dispute. The license renewal is a vote of confidence by…
The five questions to test the quality of your strategic plan, part 2
Have you updated your strategy yet? In these coronavirus times, the sure way to thrive is by implementing an organic strategy. When it comes to growth, direction beats speed. If you are in Entebbe and expected to be in Nairobi city in the next five hours, it does not matter how fast you move if you are in a vehicle or plane heading in the wrong direction, all your speed and effort will be useless. Those who win move faster in the right direction. A strategy is about direction. Execution is about speed. Simply put, in the game of business,…
The ‘manual’ digital banks of Uganda, part 2
Whoever sent coronavirus to the world is anti-mankind. So many things we used to take for granted have now become a sort of exclusive. Whether it is traveling, attending parties or social events, people are so careful and worried. It is just six months of ‘social distancing’ but these days people look at you and your hands with a lot of suspicions. It is as if you are the coronavirus ambassador. In the same spirit, no one wants to go to the banking hall to process transactions that could be done digitally. It is even worse when the bank asking…
Are you a good role model to all folks in your circles?
I have some unbecoming behaviours. One of them is the tendency to pull my beards when I am puzzled and confused about life’s happenstances. It comes subconsciously. Some time back, my wife would point the vice to me, but she failed to help me stop it, maybe due to failure to suggest an alternative action. So, all my deliberate effort to remember not to pull the beards on my cheek and chin failed. But she helped me to become conscious of the vice. Since the coronavirus home lockdown, I shifted my office to home. I am the teacher, career guide,…
Data analytics and business intelligence
The year was 2007. I was working in one of the big four audit firms. During one of the assignments, we sat down with an IT staff and asked him for an audit log. We did not stop there. We requested for the extract of all transactions to MS Excel. Download the summitBI Data Analytics Tools A few days later, we got the information we had asked for on a thumb drive aka flash disk. We were excited. We then started performing our external audit procedures. However, without data analytics skills, our work was limited to just sorting. Like any…
The ‘manual’ digital banking: the pain of banking with fake banks
Many banks in Uganda are very ridiculous. They proudly announce the digital-first banking agenda but go-ahead to enforce manual processes. To access most services, many bank staff will ask you to ‘visit their nearest bank branch’. It is painful and very unfortunate. This week I have been frustrated by three banks. In part 1, I share my experience with a local bank I will refer to as Bank A. First, some context. Download the Article Here In 2014, I wanted a second visa card to help with my online payments and transactions. Being a cybersecurity professional and researcher, I knew…
