Uganda Telecom improves service

Uganda Telecom has introduced a new service dubbed prepaid roaming top up to beef up their borderless roaming offering. Prepaid subscribers in that country will now be able to top up their phones using recharge vouchers of selected partner network operators in the countries they are visiting.The company’s Marketing Manager, Levi Nyakundi, says that prepaid roaming top up is a value added service that builds onto Uganda telecom’s already existing borderless network with Safaricom in Kenya, Vodacom in Tanzania and U-COM in Burundi.He stresses that with Uganda telecom’s borderless network, subscribers are able to enjoy the same affordable tariffs as when they are at home. Subscribers get to receive their calls for free and also make calls at home rates. Nyakundi further says that this also allows roaming subscribers to share airtime with friends and family and check their airtime balances while on the move in other countries as well as share airtime with friends.“Essentially, this new value added service allows Uganda telecom’s roaming subscribers to conveniently top up their prepaid account by using vouchers from another partner roaming network operator in the same way as they do in their home network. For example, a Uganda telecom subscriber roaming in Kenya can use a recharge voucher of Safaricom Kenya,” said Levi Nyakundi.Nyakundi explained that to top up, customers using partner recharge vouchers would have to use the access codes which have been assigned to each network partner. “A subscriber will have the option of either using home network recharge cards or visited network recharge cards, ensuring that they don’t run out of airtime while away from home,” added Nyakundi.The airtime topped up will be converted to the subscribers’ local currency at prevailing exchange rate, which will be updated every month. After every top up, the subscriber will get a response including the exchange rate used for the transaction.“At Uganda telecom, our mission is to enable affordable and reliable communication access to all people. This is just one of the ways that we shall be touching the lives of more Ugandans and non Ugandans alike, because at Uganda telecom, it’s all about you,” Mr. Nyakundi said.

Zimbabwe’s coal sector in danger

Zimbabwe’s coal-mining group, Hwange Colliery Company (HCC), may be forced to close within 40 years unless government reclaims the coalfields from Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), which has no capacity to exploit the huge concession it holds, a Ministry of Mines and Mining Development report says.“The strong message from the assessment is that the company’s coal reserves have dwindled to critical levels. “There will no longer be any Hwange to talk about beyond the next 40 years,” the report says.It expresses concern about the allocation of huge concessions to ZPC and the rejection of HCC’s application for special grants to explore for coal in the Entuba and Lubimbi areas, which would have given the coal-miner an additional 100 years of operation.The report notes that, in acquiring the concessions, ZPC went beyond its core business of power generation and distribution, further reinforcing calls that its concessions be transferred to HCC.“It is, therefore, recommended that the policy surrounding the allocation of the western [coalfield] areas to ZPC be revised with a view to reallocating them to Hwange.”In a recent statement to shareholders, HCC, whose reserves are dwindling, indicated that the “unfortunate coal reserve position” could force a step-by-step closure of operations.The Zimbabwean government owns a 38% stake in HCC.

2000 new jobs for Ethiopians

A 300 million USD capital investment is to be injected into the Ethiopian cement industry by Dangote Industries, an investment company of Nigeria. When the company goes fully operational and begins to produce two and half million metric tons of cement per annum, it is expected to create jobs for 2,000.According to Teshome Lema, Representative of Dangote Industries in Ethiopia who appreciated the support of the Ethiopian government to the investment, the company is now finalized the administrative processes to secure land for the construction of the factory in Oromia Region, Adaa’ Berga Wereda. Dangote Group are into conglomerate with interests in sugar, flour milling, salt processing, cement manufacturing, textiles, real estate, haulage and oil and gas. The total wealth of Dangote is estimated 3.3 billion USD, according to Forbs Magazine, which reports world’s billionaires every year. The foundation stone of what is known as Dangote Group was laid in the late 1970s. The formative years started with ALCO International Limited. Subsequently, Dangote Nigeria Limited was incorporated.During 1980s-1990s, the Group ventured into the importation of sugar, milk, flour, fish, rice, cement and iron rods. In order to improve our service delivery and bracing up with stiff market competition, the Group embarked on haulage business, which started with 600 trucks under Dangote Transport.