By Our Reporter

At a time when Europe’s relationship with Africa is high on foreign policy and developmental agendas and with the European Union beginning to deliver on its 2017 External Investment Plan, targeted at attracting investment and job creation in Africa, the Tony Elumelu Foundation brought together leading stakeholders in the development finance sector, at a case study session in the EU capital, Belgium. The convening demonstrated that Africa also had solutions to bring to the table and platformed the Foundation’s unique approach to catalysing entrepreneurship in scale across the continent.

Themed “A Convening on Africa’s Economic Transformation: A Case Study of the Tony Elumelu Foundation”, the event presented the results of the first five years of the Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme a unique programme, which has trained, mentored and seeded 4,470 African entrepreneurs with 3,050 newly announced to receive seed funding, and drawn over 200,000 applications to its 2019 cycle. Tony Elumelu’s $100m investment in entrepreneurial philanthropy was held up as an example of how vital capital could be targeted efficiently and effectively, at African businesses best able to create significant economic and developmental impact.

Opening the event, Mr. Koen Doens, Deputy Director General, DEVCO, EU, said: “Africa needs to create jobs by the millions to match the needs of its exponentially growing population. It will achieve this only if it unleashes a generation of empowered entrepreneurs. The Tony Elumelu Foundation contributes to this massively. The European Union wants to play its part and contribute to this endeavour.”

During an indepth question and answer session with EU-Africa relations expert, Annie Mutamba, Founder, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu CON, highlighted the
growing interest in the Tony Elumelu Foundation and its unique approach, while welcoming a new type of intervention in Africa. “We very much believe in collaboration, mutual respect and a shared commitment to transform Africa. Africa is ready but we need to do this through the right sustainable manner, that enables our people to become self-reliant, and independent, instead of perpetuating dependency. We need to implement practical solutions on ground through entrepreneurship, which empower people economically and addresses issues of extremism, migration, and insecurity.”

Minister Phillippe De Backer, Minister for Digital Agenda, Telecommunications and Post, Belgium, also commented: “There is an increasing desire in Europe to engage Africa, including its grassroots in a structure and targeted approach with the right processes. The Tony Elumelu Foundation offers this platform.”

The Tony Elumelu Foundation, which last month in March announced 3,050
selected entrepreneurs for its 2019 cycle, continues to grow in scale, ambition and impact, and now actively leverages technology to support entrepreneurs through TEF Connect – a digital hub designed to link entrepreneurs across Africa, and which already has 500,000 users.

On the Foundation’s future plans, he stated: “We want to make sure that we impact more, reach more, touch more lives and get more women involved. We want to see more Northern Africa participation. We would like to reach 10,000 a year, with support from partners to empower additional entrepreneurs. We want to eradicate poverty and create wealth in a sustainable way. Ultimately, we want a larger and broader entrepreneurship ecosystem, that supports young Africans, and we want to deepen our engagement with government to create the enabling environment to support these Africans to succeed – the right investment climate, training, education, access to capital and most importantly creating the right investment culture.”

Mark Hoogendam, General Manager UBC – South Sudan Coca Cola poses for a photo with the local community.

By Our Reporter

Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company remains committed to the communities of the countries where it operates through a newly launched collaboration with Spain for UNHCR (The United Nations Refugee Agency). The project, known as “Water Assistance for South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda” is designed to ensure access to safe drinking water for South-Sudanese refugees in Uganda.

Guaranteeing access to clean water and sanitation services for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda is the driving priority behind the collaboration between Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Spain for UNHCR. The project will be carried out in the settlement of Bidibidi, located in the district of Yumbe, west of the Nile River. As the largest camp for refugees from South Sudan, it covers approximately 234 square kilometers.

UNHCR and Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company seek to improve the water supply situation at the Bidibidi refugee camp settlement through installing a hybrid system that will ease extraction from one of the existing wells. In total, there are two functional hand pumps, one of them being this deep well where pumping water requires the strength of minimum two adults, meaning the process is strenuous and difficult. This new system will provide clean water to more than 6.500 people, covering a distance of 9km radius from the water site and creating 7 different distribution points, it is estimated that the recommended availability of 20L per person per day when the site is fully operating will be achieved.

Having access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure is key to ensure a healthy life. Additionally, clean water availability has the power to encourage gender equality, further education and generate income for people who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of war, persecution and violence.

Yet millions of people across the world are deprived of this essential need. The issue is particularly problematic in Southern Africa. The United Nations estimates that Sub-Saharan Africa alone must spend up to 40 billion hours per day collecting water.

The United Nations has also resolved that all refugees or asylum seekers must have access to safe drinking water. In Uganda, one of the largest countries of asylum in the world, 65.5% of over 1.22 million refugees come from South Sudan, where the conflict started in 2013 caused a massive exodus of civilians to neighboring countries.

Insufficient water supply in the Bidibidi settlement has led refugees to resort to collecting water from unprotected sources, including open ponds, streams and rivers, to meet domestic needs. Not only does this raise severe health concerns, but it also instigates gender issues and hinders education because women and children are generally the ones commissioned by their
families to fulfill the arduous task of extracting water from a deep well.

Other sources of clean water include tank trucks able to supply 40 m3 of water a day, a measure that is both expensive and unsustainable.

“Equatorial Coca-Cola has a long history supporting South Sudanese communities, we began our operations in the country in 2012, and we continue supporting them wherever they are, not only by providing beverages but with our community projects.” Mark Jan Hoogendam, General Manager, Equatorial Coca-Cola in South Sudan (UBC).

“Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda is honored to join Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company as they commission their collaboration with Spain for UNHCR in an initiative dubbed “Water Assistance for South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda” – Maureen Kyomuhendo, Public Affairs & Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda.

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda is already working with REHORE, a local NGO in Uganda to empower female refugees in three camps including Bidibidi under the Coca-Cola 5 by 20 program.

Airtel Uganda, the number one supporter of Ugandan football, has today launched “Tulumbe AFCON”, to build up support for the National football team, the Uganda Cranes as they head to the 2017 AFCON tournament in Gabon.

“Tulumbe AFCON”, will give Airtel subscribers a chance to win TV sets, brand new smartphones and Uganda Cranes jerseys. The ultimate prize however, will be tickets to watch the game live Gabon.

Speaking at the press launch this morning, Airtel Uganda Managing Director Mr. Anwar Soussa called the campaign the “…perfect way to end a great year of Ugandan football.”

“A few months back, Uganda qualified for the 2017 AFCON tournament. This is a milestone that was heavily anticipated by the entire country. As the official sponsor of the National team, we are still in awe of what this team managed to achieve. And, it goes without saying that the presence of the tens of thousands of Ugandans, who showed up to Namboole on that day and gave our team the morale to create history,” Anwar said.

Airtel Uganda Managing Director, Anwar Soussa and Uganda Cranes head coach Milutin Micho Sredojevic pose alongside some of the goodies that will be won by subscribers who take part in the Tulumbe AFCON campaign.

“Tulumbe AFCON” is us keeping our promise- both to the Uganda Cranes and the rest of the country, to support our nation’s football in every capacity, while making sure that our subscribers remain at the heart of this promise.

Also present at the press conference was Indrajeet Kumar, Airtel Uganda’s Marketing Director who explained the dynamics of the campaign, “This campaign will simply require Airtel customers to recharge their airtime. To take part in the new campaign, Airtel Uganda subscribers will have to opt in by dialing *162#. This will allow them to know their target. They will then be required to recharge and meet their individual target. Upon reaching the targets, subscribers will receive 100% bonus, which, on accumulation, will be rewarded to them as airtime to be used for voice (prepaid), data and SMS.”

Draws to reward the lucky winners will be held every Friday from the Friday of 9th December 2016 to the Friday of 13th January 2017. Winners will be contacted by Airtel Uganda via 0752-600- 222.