LETSHEGO HOLDINGS LIMITED APPOINTS AOBAKWE AUPA MONYATSI AS GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE

The Board of Letshego Holdings Limited has affirmed the appointment of Aobakwe “Aupa” Monyatsi as Group Chief Executive with immediate effect, subject to regulatory approvals. 

Aupa Monyatsi Letshego Group Cbief Executive

Prior to this appointment Monyatsi held the same role in an interim capacity from 4 May 2022, having led the inclusive finance entity’s digitalization of systems and operations for the last two years in his inaugural position as Group Chief Operating Officer (Group COO).

Aupa is a well-rounded and experienced pan-African regional banker, with demonstrated tech and digital-savvy expertise having spearheaded and developed innovation and virtual channel strategies in his previous role as Absa Group’s Managing Executive for Alternative Channels. 

His career journey has provided Africa-wide experience from Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and Kenya, having led a team in incubating fintech’s that drive financial inclusion through mobile money, block chain and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

With a clear balance of financial and technical experience, Aupa is ideally placed to steer Letshego into the Group’s next chapter of embedding and monetising the Group’s recent investment into digital systems and product innovation. 

Enos Banda, the Group Chairman of Letshego Holdings Ltd affirmed the appointment, adding, “Aupa is an ideal candidate to take Letshego into the next generation where we aim to bring a proficiency in retail tech, diverse pan-Africa financial sector experience as well as a passion to make a difference. His dynamic and personable leadership style, balanced by his empathy and appreciation for people, makes him an ideal candidate to lead our organisation.  Aupa’s appointment evidences Letshego’s progress in building a robust succession plan for our future organisation, as we progress in our vision to be worldclass.”

During his career at ABSA Botswana, Aupa was Chief Operating Officer and Head of Distribution Channels, with his latest role being Acting Managing Director for ABSA Botswana before transferring to the bank’s Africa head office in South Africa, as Managing Executive for Alternative Channels. 

Commenting on his appointment, Aobakwe “Aupa” Monyatsi, Group Chief Executive added, “I am now excited to lead, support and inspire our diverse and dynamic Pan-African teams to unlock our collective potential for the benefit of our people, as well as the benefit of our customers, stakeholders and communities where we operate. 

I have been inspired by the warmth and support received since I joined Letshego, and I am honoured to lead the Group into our next chapter of evolution, securing long term shareholder return.” 

Ugandan milk makes the export breakthrough to Southern Africa

• Consignment to be exported to Coca-Cola plant in Zambia
• Flag off reaffirms Coca-Cola Beverages Africa’s commitment to support local businesses

Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, flagged off 50 tonnes of Lato milk to Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Zambia.

Lato Mik flag-off

As part of its commitment to foster the growth of the Ugandan economy by supporting the government’s ‘Buy Uganda Build Uganda’ policy, Coca-Cola Uganda facilitated the connection to its diverse network thereby enabling the exportation of milk.

Lato powdered milk is produced by Pearl Dairy Farm Limited.  The export agreement will go a long way in motivating other Ugandan farmers to position their products for export.

Hon. Tumwebaze applauded Coca-Cola Beverages Africa for its support of local industries and continued contribution to Uganda’s economy through its variety of products, support to local farmers and direct employment of thousands of Ugandans.

He also noted that besides improving the dairy value chain, the export of this consignment is a positive testament to the ministry’s effort to promote the agro-industrialization objective of markets promotion and increased access to markets in accordance with the government’s National Development Plan (NDP III).

Milk being loaded on the truck

“I thank Zambian government inspectors who confirmed that Lato milk products are internationally certified. They worked hand in hand with the Department of Animal Health at the Ministry and I am glad Uganda has now broken into the Southern Africa Market,” he said.

At the event, Bashir Kamulegeya, the Coca-Cola Mbarara Plant Manager, represented Melkamu Abebe, the General Manager of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda.

He said when the government initiated the Buy Uganda, Build Uganda policy, Coca-Cola was fully on board because it believes in adding value to the communities in which it operates.

“We launched our Climb Up milk with the intention of refreshing Ugandans with a nutritious product but one with a unique difference – the ingredients and packaging would all be made in Uganda. We have brought samples here for you to see and taste for yourselves,” he said. 

“We searched for a credible, reliable and trustworthy supplier of the key ingredient and went through a development process with Pearl Dairy Farms Limited to ascertain that they could meet the stringent quality standards of Coca-Cola globally. We are proud to note that they did! Having a Ugandan company certified as our supplier is something for all Ugandans to be proud of.

After they had supplied us consistently over time, we found more opportunities and today they are supplying our sister company in Zambia,” he added. 

The company recently launched Adez Nutri-Bushera, a plant-based beverage that is also creating opportunities to build the economy of Uganda and support raw material producers in the agricultural sector.

Bhasker Kotecha, the Chairman of Pearl Dairy Farms Ltd, praised the efforts of various stakeholders such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, Fisheries (MAAIF) and the Dairy Development Authority (DDA) and the ministry’s Directorate of Animal Resources for facilitating the landmark breakthrough.  

A Breath Of Fresh Air

Democracy to many might be an archaic word or even mythical but for Top bloggers Uganda, it is never a subject of contention because it has been practiced.

A seasoned adman Robert Sebunya is now the new president of Top Bloggers Uganda, an association uniting all Bloggers in the country.

Sebunya took the seat after a unanimous vote by Association members in their first ever General Assembly that sat last Saturday August 21st.

He takes over from Makerere University Head of Digital Communications Mathias Ssemanda who was the Association’s founding president but took a back seat after enrolling for a post graduate program at the Pennsylvania State University.

Ssemanda remains on the Association’s board but playing an advisory role as the Founder.

“I know it’s going to be a very challenging role but like all of us here, we love a good challenge whether it comes by the pen, by the kodak lenses, or the democratized creativity of our mobile devices, we all face challenges and beat them by all odds,” Sebunya said on Saturday after the election.

Together with the different committees at Top Bloggers Uganda , our work is going to be to build the capacity of content creators and the different digital practitioners in their domains of practice to a level of regional and global thought leadership.

“One of our pillars for the first few months is capacity building. We are going to raise the standards of our members through the promotion of best practices via training events, webinars, and standardized schemes for continuous professional development of excellence for members.“ He added

Sebunya will be deputized by Don Atungisa, a digital media entrepreneur and Digital Marketing practitioner working with TBWA\Uganda.

At the same General meeting, a three-member board of directors and a three-member Executive Committee were created to ensure the Association’s activities are steered ahead and to the right direction.

Vulnerable Lives Matter As Housing Finance Bank Grants COVID-19 Relief To Mulimira Zone Residents

As part of their CSR, Housing Finance Bank partnered with the Rotary club of Bukoto to provide relief aid items to 100 beneficiaries in Mulimira Zone in Kampala.

It should be noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges across the country and many communities have been greatly impacted negatively.

Being compelled by the elevated levels of need as a result of the partial and full lockdowns, especially in the urban poor communities, the bank joined hands with the Rotary Club of Bukoto who have an ongoing campaign dubbed “Hands of Love” to help those most affected in Mulimira Zone, Bukoto.

Speaking about the partnership with Rotary to provide relief items, Michael Mugabi, the Housing Finance Bank Managing Director noted that Housing Finance Bank is proud to be involved in initiatives that support social welfare and benefit the different stakeholders.

Housing Finance Bank staff

“Our social investments are directed towards enhancing the sustainability and development of the communities in which we live, work, and do business.

We take this as our ethical mandate towards society and nature and are committed to be known as a caring bank.”

“As a proud indigenous brand, with a rich history and heritage, Housing Finance Bank is committed to actively contributing to a better society and a cleaner environment. Initiatives like the partnership with Rotary to improve the lives of Mulimira Zone residents are evidence of this commitment,” he concluded.

Representing the Rotary Club of Bukoto, President Edith Mujwisa said, “We are proud to partner with Housing Finance Bank to provide relief including food items to underprivileged beneficiaries in Mulimira Zone where the club has been involved in community projects serving different categories of people.

Maintaining social distancing at the handover

These are mainly the elderly, disabled, single mothers, pregnant women and those living with HIV. This partnership will supplement other ongoing efforts and programs towards the improvement of the livelihoods of humanity.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has left hundreds of Ugandans vulnerable with no means of survival, no food and zero access to income-generating activities.

Because of this, Housing Finance Bank has continually made efforts to ease the hardships being faced across the country.

Previously, we contributed Personal Protection Equipment to the Ministry of Health to enable the frontline workers to maintain safety while treating COVID-19 patients across the country,” remarked Housing Finance Bank Chief Risk Office Marietta N Mwesigwa during the handover ceremony.

A One-On-One With Carrefour’s Anna Namenya

Anna Namenya happens to be a Supervisor of the Detergent and Personal Hygiene section at Carrefour Supermarket.

Little did we know that the third-year law student’s position at the supermarket has not only helped kickstart her career but also helped reshape her personal life. We caught up with her for a brief chat and below are the excerpts.

1: Briefly tell us about yourself.

I am a third-year law student at Makerere University. I am passionate about so many things including myself first, I also love leadership and administration.

I come from a family of eight; three girls and five boys. I am the first born and still stay with my parents, my mum and dad.

Working at Carrefour has enabled me to achieve many things, including facilitating my education. This is my second degree after the Business Administration one which was paid for by my parents.

Since my passion is law, I decided to pursue it as my second degree and my Carrefour salary supports my tuition fees.

2: Share with us your experience working at Carrefour Uganda.

I would say it has been an amazing one. I got to know about Carrefour from a friend who had seen a job advert from the Ministry of Gender.

I was informed that we were supposed to deliver our resumes to the ministry and then wait for the next steps. I was later called in for the first interview where I saw many applicants just like me. Initially I applied as a stocker, went to the interview, gave it my best shot and then luckily I got the job.

However, later I was called and informed that the panel from the interview felt I could do better in another position. I was then called in for a second interview for the position of supervisor.

I excelled in that interview as well and was rewarded with the role. It was an amazing moment and I’ve continued to learn and grow since then.

Examples like mine point to the reasons why Carrefour is an employer of choice internationally — it’s a brand that invests in careers as much as the growth of the industry.

3: It has been over a year since Carrefour opened its doors to the Ugandan public, what has stood out for you?

Throughout my career, I have always heard employers saying, “employees are the cornerstone of every business” but had never seen it really being practiced.

At Carrefour, I have noticed that human capital is the basis of the brand’s progress and we are always put first. To me, that is amazing because if I’m not ok for instance, then I will not perform.

I love the fact that this has really stood out prominently at Carrefour; the fact that they prioritise my wellbeing.

4: The past year has been a very challenging one especially for the retail sector. What experience has the Carrefour response to the pandemic taught you?

Anne Namenya at work

When COVID-19 had just been confirmed in Uganda, Carrefour was there to support us. Me and my colleagues saw how a massive brand could mobilise quickly to keep everyone safe and inspire colleagues to play their part in protecting themselves and the community.

Carrefour put together a market-wide process for sanitisation and social distancing that each of us had a role in upholding.

Signage was seen everywhere, and many discussions were held to keep us informed during times of such uncertainty. They also taught us how to protect ourselves from the pandemic through awareness training that was mandatory for all colleagues.

This showed us all that they actually cared about us and that besides business, our lives also mattered. To me that was really outstanding.

5: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?  

As a law student, I believe that in the next five years I will have completed my diploma. I also have to remember that it is difficult to know where we will all be, but I am hopeful.

I had hoped that 2020 would have seen me get to a certain level but the whole year was disrupted by COVID-19. Having said that, I believe in the next five years, I will have started my own practice or joined one.

I also hope that by then, my foundation will be well established and will have seen more people come on board to appreciate its goal.  

6: As a supervisor at Carrefour, how much has the brand influenced your personal life?

As a supervisor there is more than meets the eye. There are different people that you are leading, and I am glad that I have this challenge.

I am a quick learner and initially wanted everyone to be as quick as me. As a result, I found myself having challenges with colleagues.

However, Carrefour introduced a training programme where we were taught how to accommodate and live with different people.

To me this training was so helpful because I have applied the knowledge received to my personal life. I have learnt to live with different people and appreciate that people have different ways in which they handle situations.

I am so grateful that Carrefour has not only helped me pay for my tuition, but it has also helped me live a decent life.

For instance, during the lockdown, Carrefour continued to pay my full salary. This helped me and my entire family continue to lead life as if everything was normal.  

A Close Look At dfcu Bank’s Digital Transformation Journey.

Part two of the interview is finally here.

Even with digitalization, people still support the process so there is a lot of relationship management. Businesses are moving away from having many front office staff to more relationship management staff to support businesses in this digital era.

1. One of the concerns as the world goes more digital – certainly true for financial services, is the issue of security. How are you giving customers the confidence needed to get them to move along with you on this digital journey?

The safety and security of digital technologies in the financial services sector is indeed a major concern for customers and Banks alike.

The lack of cybersecurity can create a lack of confidence in the systems that offer substantial benefits. With this in mind, we have made several enhancements to increase the security around our different products and solutions cards.

If you think about Online shopping which is on the rise, our customers are only able to execute online transactions successfully through an SMS OTP or email which is sent to the customer to approve/acknowledge the transaction.

As we drive greater card usage, the Bank has now moved to the Visa contactless card. Transactions that are below UGX100,000 at the cross terminal or ATM, have a contactless option.

You just need to tap your card then the transaction is authenticated. This has been done, not only to improve security but also bearing in mind the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The contactless cards allow you to avoid contact with the machines.

As far as Quick banking is concerned, previously we had the one-time password (OTP) to authenticate these transactions but there were some challenges around it which we deliberately resolved to solve.

We are now migrating to authentication of transactions through an App called Trust factor.

We are currently on a journey of migrating all our internet and quick banking users onto trust factors. All transactions will be authorized through the App in real-time.

With the growing cyberthreat, we are deliberate about enhancing systems security. To this end, we also hired an international firm that periodically checks our systems in terms of cybersecurity resistance.

These are some of the deliberate steps the bank has taken to close the digital gap amongst our customers.

• Break down the varied service under the bank’s digital offering?

Agent Banking is one of our digital flagships, it has the highest number of touchpoints, over 1,700 agents in the market that our customers can access that is against a branch network of 58 and under 100 ATMs.

Then we also have internet and mobile banking; over 60% of our active customers base is onboarded onto the internet and mobile banking.

All the services you can do on internet banking are available on mobile banking in the omnichannel setting. Some of the services you can do; buy airtime, data, domestic transfers, international transfers, bank to wallet and vice versa.

We are also rolling out a Mobi-loan on our internet and mobile for loans below 2million just a click away without having to come to the bank. Customer can also print their statements from the internet platform, view balances and Standing Orders.

Customers can now do withdrawals, deposits with or without their cards, later in the year, we shall introduce voucher redemption -card-less withdraws over the ATMS and agent banking.

Currently, we have two different cards in the market, the debit card and the Credit card. The key differentiator is, for the Visa debit card, you transact off the balances that you have on your account while a credit card the bank approves a credit limit to you (issues an overdraft).

• What’s the bank’s strategy to support financial inclusivity especially in the hard to reach areas?

As a bank, we have over 1700 agents in the market these scattered countrywide. In some hard to reach areas, we have agents who are supporting the financial inclusion strategy.

dfcu is also included in the shared bank platform, we can serve another customer from another bank on the platform and vice versa is true.

Our mobile bank offering can be accessed on USSD and App. Through technology, we can reach more customers.

The bank also runs financial literacy sessions every Friday online with various subject experts. To guide the public on they can take advantage of the available opportunities. 

The bank has also advanced credit through some of the strategic partnerships for onward lending for people excluded in some markets. Some are government agencies, donor agencies with facilities to lend people in particular areas.

• How is digital transformation fundamentally changing business (Banking) today?

The rapid adoption of digital operating models including Artificial Intelligence, Chat Bots, Robotics, support making more predictive than reactive decision making and undercut the cost of operation especially in terms of staffing.

These digital operating models are starting to come into play for uniformity and enhanced customer experiences.

As an adage goes, ‘Data is the new oil’.  Those that have invested in big data governance and analytics leapfrog their competitors. How you use this data dictates how you grow as a company.

Continued merger and acquisition activity in the IT outsourcing industry. Banks also merging or taking over Fintechs; product development & roll out.

Expanding cloud adoption, gone are the days when we used to buy a floppy disk, external drive then hard disks for storage. With time, the need for more storage space is has increased thus cloud-based storage adaptation.

A Close Look At dfcu Bank’s Digital Transformation Journey Part One:

Digital transformation is now universally regarded as essential for businesses to remain viable and competitive according to a digital transformation survey done by McKinsey Global.  The survey also highlights that businesses are heading unequivocally towards becoming digital from top to bottom. For those that are not transforming with urgency, the negative consequences will become compounded to the point of being untenable.

dfcu Bank started its digital transformation journey in 2017 and has registered considerable progress overtime. The Bank in its latest endeavors has launched a campaign dubbed “Banking at the speed of you” that speaks to their digital transformation agenda as a Bank.

We caught up with Lloyd Jonathan Busuulwa, Head of Alternative Channels, dfcu Bank to get insights into the bank’s digital transformation agenda in a two-part series. Below are the excerpts of part of the interview.

1. Digital adaptation has taken a quantum leap at both the organizational and industry even before the pandemic, according to McKinsey, COVID-19 has only accelerated that timeline with estimates indicating we’ve moved three to four years forward in digital adoption in a matter of months. What’s the bank’s strategy to close up the digital gap among its customers?

Lloyd Jonathan Busuulwa, Head of Alternative Channels, dfcu Bank

The bank has been on a journey to transitions into a digital bank (Bank 4.0) since 2017 when we developed the first blueprint of our digital aspiration. It started with engaging our customers to get them to understand the value of and embrace the digital platforms. 

Since then, we’ve been focusing on enhancing customer experience at all service points and their interaction with the products. 

With innovation at the heart of the strategy, the Bank set up the Change and Innovation Unit with product development and innovation at the forefront. This unit is responsible for developing digitally inclined products and solutions for our customers. 

Before a product is launched onto the market, it goes through a rigorous ideation process to gain approval. This department has been key in supporting the digital agenda of the Bank. 

Strategic partnerships with different stakeholders such as Telecoms, Mobile Network operators and FinTech’s geared at outreach and expanding service points are also pivotal to our strategy.

You will notice that today the telcos have over 40million subscribers and 99% of those are on mobile money, that’s a wider catchment base that the bank can’t have. The total bank accounts in the market today are under 10 million from a population of over a 40million.

Partnering with a telco enables the bank to offer more services to its customers that the bank can’t develop for instance through your bank application, you can buy airtime, data, bank-to-wallet transfers and vice versa and the bank also partnered with utility providers; UMEME, NWSC, Pay Tv companies etc to enable customers conveniently pay for these services thereby enhancing customer experience.

We also have partnerships with FinTechs especially in the agency banking space as a faster route to market. Additionally, there has been a huge investment in Systems and Platforms.

We had to enhance our core banking platform; upgrade it from Finacle 7 to Finacle 10 to allow for agility and greater scalability needed in addressing the everchanging needs of the customers going forward. We enhanced our internet and mobile banking platforms from click banking to Quick banking with a focus on greater functionality and heightened security ultimately enhancing customer product and service experience. 

In 2020, we took a very bold step in change the entire ATM fleet (70) from the normal cash dispenserswhich were only cash issuing to the cash recyclers.  Not only was dfcu the first to market with this in Uganda but Africa.

An ATM recycler works in such a way that a customer can go to the ATM, deposit money that reflects real-time in their account and then, that same money is picked by the next customer.

We are starting to see a reduction in our CIT services, for replenishing our ATMs because the customer deposits can satisfy the withdrawals. We are also seeing a reduction in downtime in our ATMs especially regarding cash running out. 

So closing the digital gap is really about being cognizant of the varied customer segments we have and providing digital products and solutions that meet the varied needs. At the heart of this is delivering a great customer experience at each interaction. 

2. What impact will the bank’s digital transformation journey have on customer experiences and the bank’s growth aspiration? 

The digital transformation has contributed a lot to grow the underlying business; growth in customer numbers, retention, growth of the balance sheet deposits, and the loans offered which directly impacts the profitability of the bank. 

We can onboard customers online thus they no longer have to walk into the bank. Customers are now able to transact from wherever and whenever due to the increased access to the internet and mobile services which enhance their service experience.

3. Consumer appetite for digital banking services continues to grow, what is the current adaptation rate of digital banking services at the bank?

With our five-year digital strategy in motion, we have witnessed a positive trajectory over time. In 2017, the volume of transactions acquired over digital channels versus those in the branch was split of 70:30.

705 of the transactions executed by dfcu bank were done in-branch and 30% on the alternative channels. At that time the only channels we had were ATMs which was only dispensing, and we were just starting with mobile banking, quick banking and we didn’t have agents as at June this year the inverse was true.

30% of the bank’s total transactions being acquired at in branch (OTC) and about 70% being acquired over the channels, agency banking, ATM network, internet and mobile. However, the value is still big in-branch versus the channel; 75% of the value is transacted in-branch and the inverse on OTC. Currently, we are at 70:30 as of June 2021 going by frequency of channels used and not value.

Adoption of the channels is highly dependent on the customer segment; salaried, Corporates and students internet, mobile banking and ATM, enterprise, and SMEs agent banking while mass-market agent banking and mobile (USSD).

Housing Finance Bank Fronts Innovation As An Avenue For Customer Satisfaction

Over the last ten years, there has been a steady shift in banking and financial services from the conventional channels to a more digitized service offering. This shift has been accelerated further by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created an increased demand from customers for remote and alternative methods of accessing financial services.

Michael Opira, the Chief Operations Officer at Housing Finance Bank

The shift, however, is not new to Housing Finance Bank which begun its investment in digital transformation years ago with an aim of creating more value for its increasingly youthful and tech savvy customer base. In 2015, Housing Finance Bank introduced mobile banking and went ahead to introduce Internet Banking and Agent Banking in 2019. At the Beginning of 2020, the bank delivered a corporate internet banking suite to thebusiness and institutional customers, further augmenting their access to remote banking services which saved them a lot of time and money.

According to Michael Opira, the Chief Operations Officer at Housing Finance Bank, along with innovation, the growth of Housing Finance Bank has been achieved through deliberate focus on the needs of the customers, and through skilling the staff to deliver the superior services that customers expect.

It is considering these insights that Housing Finance Bank has structured itself to provide innovative solutions to be ahead of the changing needs of the customers. This is being done by investing in future looking core banking solutions and new technologies like Artificial Intelligence to offer additional value to customers. Additionally, the bank is currently collaborating further with FinTechs and other technology stakeholders while packing the mobile banking and online banking channels with more value-added services to be able to meet the needs and exceed the demand of customers.

“Housing Finance Bank is now in the phase of its transformation where we are putting customers even more at the center of the business. We understand that demographics have changed and most of the customers are now tech savvy and demand convenience. Banking must be on the go. It must be faster and yet secure. Technology has changed over time and it has changed how we deliver services to the customer.”

Regarding the internal stakeholders, Opira notes that Housing Finance Bank is in the process of re-engineering internal processes in order to reduce touch points which create bottlenecks and affect turnaround time. He adds that there is a deliberate effort to invest more in the staff through trainings and empowerment to be able to support the changes and implement the evolving vision of the bank.

BrighterMonday Bounces Back In Style

Not new to the Ugandan scene, the relaunch of BrighterMonday has been announced by ROAM Jobs, the Jobs arm of Ringier One Africa Media.

In a bid to help businesses in East Africa hire top talent efficiently, centred on supporting growing businesses to recruit the right way, the online jobs platform will leverage technology and expertise to connect the right talent to the right opportunities, enabling organizations to enjoy an efficient and reliable recruitment process.

It should be noted that the online jobs platform was established in 2015, quickly establishing itself as the best job site in Uganda and in 2016, BrighterMonday Uganda’s parent company, One Africa Media was acquired by Ringier AG to form the Ringier One Africa Media (ROAM) Group, halting the business briefly before it picked up this year.

According to ROAM Jobs Managing Director Hilda Kabushenga Kragha, the business is proud to reestablish BrighterMonday Uganda and help SMEs in the region hire the right way.

“In response to the demand for quality recruitment and job placement services in Uganda, we have relaunched BrighterMonday Uganda to provide our expertise and advanced technologies at affordable costs to businesses looking to hire qualified candidates. As leaders in the industry, we have also enhanced the job application flow on the website to ensure job seekers apply for the right roles and get noticed by recruiters.” Hilda said.

She added that Small & Medium Enterprises contribute about 20% of Uganda’s GDP and employ over 2.5 million people in Uganda and as such they require relevant solutions in onboarding the right talent.

Bold, better and brighter at BrighterMonday Uganda

To ensure growth and sustainability for the relaunched business, ROAM recently appointed Brian Ntambirweki as Chief Executive at BrighterMonday Uganda; he previously served as Marketing Manager at the firm in 2015.

The skilled strategist and seasoned leader has since his appointment built a strong team of 12 experts focused on delivering exceptional value to employers and job seekers.

Commenting on his new role as CEO, Brian Ntambirweki said “I’m excited to re-join the BrighterMonday Uganda team that thrives on passion, innovation and excellence.

BrighterMonday has gone a long way in its aim to digitize Human Resources and Transform Productivity in Uganda – through superior technology, operational excellence and impeccable customer care. I’m passionate about improving business efficiency, as well as improving people’s livelihoods. I believe that BrighterMonday provides an intersection for my passions and I’m looking forward to steering the company to greater heights and positioning BrighterMonday as the recruitment partner of choice in Uganda.” He said.

JUST IN: Marcus Kwikiriza Takes On a Bigger Challenge As Vision Group’s C.E.O

Nxt Radio General Manager Marcus Kwikiriza is set to take over as Vision Group Chief Executive Officer, Mushroominc exclusively reports.

Prominent for having worked on several radio stations in and out of Uganda, Kwikiriza’s reputation precedes him and has vast experience in radio programming, radio hosting and with such a CV, he will take over from Robert Kabushenga who recently announced that he will take early retirement.

“This is to let you know that I have asked the board for an early retirement and this has been accepted. However, the board has asked me to manage the transition for the next 90 days which I have accepted,” Kabushenga announced in an email to Vision Group staff members on Friday January 29th.

Courtesy photo: Marcus Kwikiriiza

Kabushenga, prior to his announcement had been at the helm of Vision Group for close 14 years since his appointment in October 2006.

A source close to Kwiriza revealed to this website that the seasoned radio personality will be leaving the Naguru based Nxt Media in a week’s time to prepare for his new role at Vision Group.

As Vision Group CEO, Kwikiriza will be responsible for the daily running of the conglomerate

While his appointment hasn’t been made publicly, MushroomInc learnt that he will be joining Vision Group to get acquainted with the daily running of the institution as Kabushenga prepares to vacate the seat; since he still has three months to put the house in order to usher in the incoming C.E.O.