Out sourcing tips

FAILURE isn't an option when you are managing a critical facility. That's why firms invest in robust designs with plenty of backup systems.

Designing a bulletproof facility isn't enough to ensure reliability either. Effective management of the facility in this environment is also essential.

When facility management functions are outsourced in critical facilities, executives need to take special care to minimise sources of trouble.

It is, therefore, vital to manage the relationship with your outsourcing providers to reduce the potential for problems.

Proactive performance management and reporting and interfaces with the managers of the critical operations can minimise risks.

These principles should also be applied to individual sub-contracted services and to services provided by in-house staff.

Unorthodox Zuck and Face book launch of ''the Social net work documentary''

Ok to some it may be offensive some while others  reality just slaps them in the face after all
what the Lad said is somewhat true, here take a read to this unorthodox marketing stunt by non other than  Zuck proud owner of Face book !!! in his documentary the social network.
 






Hey yall
It’s me
Mark Zuckerbro
Yes, I’m worth a billion dollars
Yall can go suck it.
I made facebook
with my bare hands
What the eff have u done with ur life?
I have a hit documentary abt my life.
WTF have u done with ur shitty life?
U just use my service
while I’m a fucking baller who owns ur info

See u in Cancun bitches
Not for vacay
but for when I actually buy that city/island/peninsula
My movie ‘The Social network’ kills it
Sorta like the newest Michael Moore documentary
Yall know u want to know abt me
Oh whaddup JT? U killin it or what son?

Yeah, I’m richer than u brah
I srsly wipe my ass with ur lifetime income
Have fun with that
Look at these fucking dunces
If they only knew the real story
If they really knew what it was like to have
genuine baller ass status

Go see my documentary: The Social Myspaces
Tweet abt it yall
Get ur social media on
metaphors abt
I’m Mark Zuckerberg
and I’m effing crushing it
killing it
sleighing

See all yall poor ppl later
If u can’t see my documentary,
Wipe ur ass with a $1 bill today, and pretend it is worth a million dollars then u will know what it is like 2 be me.
Laters!
-the Zuck

Uganda fails to arrest bomb suspect in Tanzania

Moscatello (centre) talks to Kayihura (right) and James Mugira, the CMI boss (left), after the opening of the meeting UGANDA cannot apprehend a Tanzanian accused of involvement in the Kampala July 11 terror attacks owing to procedures involved in handing him over. The suspect, according to the Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, brought the killer devices into Uganda. We cannot bring him here because of the long process involved. We should look at the possibility of overcoming natural borders in fighting crime, Kayihura stated yesterday, adding that countries need to establish other mechanisms other than extradition to help in arresting terror suspects. He cited the cooperation among states under the East African Community as an avenue that can be exploited in such instances. A judge in Kenya recently made a ruling, which stopped a citizen from being extradited to Uganda where he is wanted in connection with the bombings. Kayihura was speaking yesterday during the opening ceremony of an eastern Africa counter-terrorism workshop at Protea Hotel in Kampala. Security personnel from Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, the Comoros, Djibouti and Ethiopia attended. Organised by Interpol, the two-day event will discuss terrorists travel routes to and from Somalia, the base of the al-Shabaab, threats to specific countries and use of Interpol tools to battle terror. Cooperation among security agencies, Kayihura stressed, was vital if the acts of terrorism and their perpetrators are to be curtailed. The fight against terrorism is undermined by failure to appreciate the gravity of the act. We should discuss ways of broadening the network. If we dont, I am afraid we will give the terrorists an opportunity to stage more attacks, he said. He pointed out that the attackers are sophisticated and motivated, characteristics that need superior capabilities to fight the menace. Kayihura hailed Interpol, FBI and the Kenyan Government for the help rendered after the July 11 attacks. Interpol assistant director in charge of public safety and terrorism Laurent Moscatello noted that hosting the workshop and sending a peace-keeping mission to war-torn Somalia had showed a good example to the rest of Africa. Pledging support to Uganda and other countries, he demanded that everyone joins the fight against the global problem.

Disabled to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro

A group of Ugandans with various disabilities will join counterparts from East Africa and the UK to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. “We are destined for Uhuru Peak at a height of 5,895 meters. We will follow the Machame Route, which approaches Kilimanjaro from the south,” said Robert Nkwangu (deaf) through an interpreter. “The six-day adventure is going to remain engraved in my mind for the rest of my life,” he noted. The adventure, code-named AbleChildAfrica, is to begin on November 26 in Moshi. “I have braved many hurdles, but the biting cold and the steep cliffs on Mount Kilimanjaro are new ones,” said physically handicapped Paddy Kasirye. “By December 3, we will be at Uhuru to coincide with International Disability Day.” The theme of the day is Empowerment Through Inclusiveness and Choice. Four Kenyans, four Ugandans, four Tanzanians and 20 Britons will take part in the adventure. Each climb costs about £2,000 per person. An entourage comprising journalists, charity organisations and sympathisers from across the world will witness the event, which comes at a time when Uganda Society for the Disabled (USDC) statistics show that 7.2% of the country’s population has some form of disability. The USDC executive director, Suzan Kisitu, said: “Four out of every 10 disabled persons are neglected by their families.” “Unfortunately, 50% of them are children. We hope to raise sh100m to support them and enable them to have another chance in life.” The most common form of disability is cerebral palsy (a side effect of malaria). Disability is often associated with witchcraft. In some instances, families break up if a child is either born crippled or deformed. “Some physically handicapped persons are kept away from society for fear of being laughed at by their peers,” Kisitu said. The proceeds from the expedition are to facilitate the numerous activities of USDC such as counselling and the provision of crutches and wheel chairs to the disabled in 22 districts in Uganda.

Scrap for cash: He converts old PCs to TVs

Sebuliba assembling a television set By Gerald Tenywa IN Katwe, a Kampala city suburb, youthful Imran Sebuliba walks as though there are springs in his feet. Sebuliba has helped the residents of Katwe earn more bragging rights to the suburb, which is synonymous with artisan inventions. He literally gives old computers a second life by converting them into television sets. Though the sets do not have a “Made in Uganda” label, Sebuliba has become a household name. As motorists drive through Katwe spewing dust, little do they know that behind the roadside littered with rusty tin-roofed houses is a growing enterprise that is churning out more than 20 television sets a day. “I can make up to 20 television sets a day in a busy season like Christmas because many people want to have some form of entertainment then.” Sebuliba buys old computers of 15 inches at sh30,000 and 17 inches at sh40,000, which bring returns ranging from sh100,000 and sh140,000 respectively. He extracts the circuit boards and cathode ray tubes from the old computers, which he places into new television body (frames) imported from Dubai or China. The old frames are taken by people scavenging for waste to sell to recyclers. Kampala’s businessmen in electronics including Indians, Sebuliba says, purchase the sets and resale them in upper parts of the city at sh170,000. “They sell them as new because even imported television sets have nothing so special that distinguish them from mine,” says Sebuliba. According to sources who have bought Sebuliba’s television sets, they display sharper images and are more durable. His turnover has helped him stay afloat in business. “I can make a television set in about 10 minutes,” he says. “I owe this to people who have trained me as a technician and trusted me with their businesses.” He operates in a tiny workshop shared by six others, each of whom specialises in a different aspect. “It becomes easy to collectively pay rent since each of us contributes sh70,000 every month.” As we move to Sebuliba’s workshop, we encounter second-hand computers with “fat bellies” bearing inscriptions FIRRI (Fisheries Resources Research Institute) being ferried in and Sebuliba whispers to me that middlemen will soon take them to his workshop. Sebuliba exudes brilliance, patience and warmth which have helped him to stand out of the crowd. Born near Iganga town in 1985, Sebuliba lost his father when he was a baby and his mother, eight years later. He was brought up by one of his aunties before he landed in the hands of technicians at Kalitunsi in Katwe. “What I remember is they all assured me of their support provided that I remained trustworthy. I religiously followed their advice.” First, Sebuliba got skills of repairing television sets. “There are many television sets that are imported with faults. Many others are affected by power fluctuations and repairing such sets was my first area of accomplishment.” Two years ago, old computers imported into the country started flooding Katwe. When Sebuliba looked at them keenly, they had similarities with television sets. He put his mind into turning them into television sets and when his experiment worked, started an outlet for television sets made in Katwe. He is keen on going back to school so he can speak English which he believes will take him places, including China, where he hopes to go oneday, “for deals on buying television frames and other parts cheaply. Old computers hazardous As Sebuliba goes about his work, he is not fully aware of the hazardous emissions from old computers. “It is true that there are strange fumes that come from the computers when they break,” he says. “I keep away and only return when the fumes have disappeared.” But Margaret Aanyu of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) says artisans like Sebuliba working without protective gear are exposed to dangerous emissions with far-reaching implications. She says the impacts, which are not immediate, include cancer-related ailments. Other sources like Green Peace, an international non-Governmental Organisation, in a report entitled “Poisoning the poor: electronic waste in Ghana,” says hazardous chemicals in computers cause kidney complications. Aanyu says Sebuliba needs to work in a specialised workshop and use protective wear, but the country has not attained such capacity. In addition to safety concerns, NEMA’s director, Aryamanya Mugisha, says developed countries were exploiting the loopholes and dumping electronic waste in the country. He says the country faces risk of becoming a dumping ground for electronic waste if tough measures are not taken. The Government, in the budget statement last year, imposed a ban on second hand electronic equipment such as old computers and refrigerators as part of the measures to guard against wanton disposal of waste. But technicians are opposed to the ban. Their reasoning is that the kind of products Sebuliba has exhibited is the same that Uganda would import from China or India. “So banning electronic waste is like playing in the hands of the developing world,” concludes Hajji Habib Kulumba, a businessman. People like Sebuliba, Kulumba says, should be assisted because the so-called new computers that are being imported are also second-hand and only re-furbished and re-sold to countries like Uganda. “It is ridiculous to close Uganda’s small-scale industry and hand it over to countries whose welfare is better than ours,” says Kulumba. “If we ban second hand computers we will be making a market for China and India while denying our own youth employment.” NEMA on a sustainable path But the director of environmental compliance at NEMA, Waiswa Ayazika, says a regulation is being formulated to implement the Financial Act that will address issues such as Kulumba’s, over banning old electronic equipment also referred to as e-waste. Concerning computers which are currently in use, but expected to become obsolete in years to come, Waiswa pointed out that the regulation under the Financial Act will propose methods of their disposal. “We have companies that are interested in removing useful parts and then destroying the hazardous components,” says Waiswa. “We will look at all this. The good thing is that the formulation of the regulation is going to be a consultative process.” The decision to support people like Sebuliba to turn waste into wealth or ban importation of second-hand goods in order to protect the environment is like a hot potato for the Government. The regulation under the Financial Act will hopefully provide options for Sebuliba to conduct work without compromising health and the environment.

Mbarara Police arrest boy masquerading as woman

Brian Gumisiriza, who impersonated a woman called Aisha Ayebare By Fred Turyakira THE Police in Mbarara (about 250 km from Kla )are holding a 16-year-old boy over stealing a telephone set and masquerading as a woman. The dark-skinned boy, who claimed to be called Aisha Ayebare, on Wednesday morning stunned security officials at Mbarara Hospital when they discovered that he was male. He had been held on suspicion of stealing a mobile telephone set from a patient at the hospital. Ayebare said he was working for Peace Tibenderana of Makindye in Kampala as a housemaid and had been sent to attend to Anthony Asiimwe, who was at Mbarara Hospital. The southwestern regional Police spokesperson, Polly Namaye, said when she examined what appeared to be breasts on Ayabare�s chest, she discovered it was sponge stuffed into the bra. She said Ayebare also had artificial hips, supported by a pair of trousers inside a long dress. Clad in a dress, a veil on her head and painted nails, Ayebare admitted that he was a boy, born in Upper cell in Kabale municipality. He said he decided to masquerade as a woman to get a job after dropping out of school. He claimed to have been in Senior Four in Kabale Secondary School at the time. Ayebare disclosed that mistreatment by his stepmother drove him from home. He said he had been employed as a female maid for six months. Namaye warned people against employing workers before establishing their background. Ayebare will be charged with theft and impersonation.

Two killed in new wave of city crime

The Police at the scene where a mob killed a suspected robber TWO people have been killed since Monday in a new wave of crime in the Naguru Go-down slums between the Kololo and Naguru hills posh city suburbs. Yesterday, a mob killed a suspect said to have participated in killing Robert Okumu, a bar owner in the area. Okumu was hit with iron bars and stabbed on Monday as he was returning home from his bar. He died at Mulago Hospital. Chaos ensued as crowds flocked to his bar where the body lay in state. Many wailing residents launched a hunt for the assailants. The first suspect, only identified as Okenyi, was beaten to death. One of the residents said Okumu named three accomplices, who are yet to be arrested. Residents attributed the increased crime to the Police which has been releasing several suspects without committing them to court. “They are always set free a day after without charge and upon return, they cause more havoc,” Alex Mutebi said.

US doctors perform free brain tumor operations

Haglund together with local doctors and nurses carry out a tumor operation on a patient at Mulago Hospital By Eddie Sejjoba A team of neurosurgeons from the United States of America on Monday carried out nine brain tumor and spinal operations at Mulago Hospital. The beneficiaries included one senior government official and two babies. The 22-man team was led by Prof. Michael Haglund, nurses and other support staff from Duke University in North Carolina. The cases were among the 50 which were scheduled to be done in five days. They arrived on Saturday and worked closely with four senior neurosurgeons and other medical staff from the neurosurgical and the orthopedics departments of Mulago. Haglund handed over modern medical equipment worth $1m. The equipment will be used to handle complicated surgical cases. Michael Edgar Muhumuza, the head of the neurosurgical unit, said one complex brain operation in a US hospital costs over $50,000 minus insurance and transport costs. He added that the same operation is done at a cost of over $10,000 in Kenya. “This camp is a huge contribution towards Mulago Hospital and the Government because the 50 cases we are going to handle with the visiting team would cost billions if we were to refer them abroad,” he said. Muhumuza said the team would also train the neurosurgeons and orthopedics staff how to handle complex cases.

Top Earning web sites

Rank	Website	Founders	Annual Revenue	Per Second
1	Google	Larry Page and Sergey Brin	$21,800,000,000	$691.27
2	Amazon	Jeff Bezos	$19,166,000,000	$607.75
3	Yahoo	Jerry Yang and David Filo	$7,200,000,000	$228.31
4	eBay	Pierre Omidyar	$6,290,000,000	$199.45
5	MSN/Live	Nathan Myhrvold.	$3,214,000,000	$101.92
6	PayPal	Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, and Luke Nosek,	$2,250,000,000	$71.35
7	iTunes	Jeff Robbin	$1,900,000,000	$60.25
8	Reuters	Marshal Vace	$1,892,000,000	$59.99
9	Priceline	Jesse Fink	$1,884,000,000	$59.74
10	Expedia	Added Mark Schroeder	$1,447,000,000	$45.88
11	NetFlix	Reed Hastings	$1,200,000,000	$38.05
12	Travelocity	Terry Jones	$1,100,000,000	$34.88
13	Zappos	Nick Swinmurn	$1,000,000,000	$31.71
14	Hotels.com	David Litman	$1,000,000,000	$31.71
15	AOL	Erik Prince	$968,000,000	$30.70
16	Orbitz	Jeff Katz	$870,000,000	$27.59
17	Overstock	Robert Brazell	$834,000,000	$26.45
18	MySpace	Tom Anderson	$800,000,000	$25.37
19	Skype	Niklas Zennstrom	$550,841,000	$17.47
20	Sohu	Zhang Chaoyang	$429,000,000	$13.60
21	Buy.com	Robb Brock	$400,000,000	$12.68
22	StubHub	Eric Baker	$400,000,000	$12.68
23	Alibaba	Jack Ma	$316,000,000	$10.02
24	Facebook	Mark Zuckerberg	$300,000,000	$9.51
25	YouTube	Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim,	$300,000,000	$9.51
26	Blue Nile	Mark Vadon	$295,000,000	$9.35
27	Tripadvisor	Stephen Kaufer	$260,000,000	$8.24
28	Getty Images	Mark Getty	$233,200,000	$7.39
29	Bidz	Garry Itkin	$207,000,000	$6.56
30	NYTimes	Henry Jarvis Raymond	$175,000,000	$5.55

Hillary Clinton Report sides with Ugandan Opposition

Somali Army, AMISOM push Al Shabaab to the wall

World trade rises by 20% - WTO

THE value of world merchandise trade rose by 25% in the first six months of 2010, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) latest statistics indicate. Exports from Africa and the Middle East were 35% higher than in the corresponding period of 2009, fuelled by demand in Asia and the US, and higher commodity prices. “This surge in trade growth marks a continuation of the trend begun in the first quarter of the year,” read a statement posted by WTO this month. The value of world merchandise trade was around 25% higher in the first three months of 2010 than in the same period of 2009, according to WTO’s figures released in June. The highest price changes in the last quarter were in metals and crude petroleum, while the lowest were in food and beverages. Changes in foods and beverages were also lowest in the previous quarter. According to figures, world merchandise exports increased by 7% in the second quarter of 2010 in comparison with the first quarter. Available monthly statistics for 70 economies representing 90% of world trade show that merchandise trade declined in April and May 2010, but rose again in June. Asian exports and imports both rose by more than 35% in the second quarter of 2010, compared to the corresponding period of 2009. The Commonwealth of Independent States (former members of the Soviet Union), posted a buoyant 44% export growth. Similarly, extra-EU trade (external trade between the EU and the rest of the world) was more dynamic than trade within the EU.

German national held over drug trafficking

Heinrich after he was arrested A Germany national, aged 68 years, has been arrested at Entebbe Airport with suspected narcotics wrapped in four small boxes. Peters Volker Adolf Heinrich was arrested on Monday at 7:00am moments after he attempted to check in his luggage for a British Airways flight to London. After he failed to identify the contents of his luggage as demanded by the security personnel, he was handed over to the Aviation Police, who scanned his property and discovered boxes containing suspected cocaine. According to the Police, Heinrich said he did not know the contents of the packages, claiming he was requested by some people to carry the “gifts” to someone in the UK. The boxes were wrapped in two Masai blankets. The officer in charge of criminal investigations at the airport, Josephine Alupo, said Heinrich was the fifth suspected drug trafficker to be arrested at the airport this year. In March, a South African woman was arrested with five kilogrammes of heroine. In June, another Germany national was arrested after the Police discovered cocaine concealed in two leather bags. Last week, a Tanzanian travelling from Brazil to Dar-es-Salaam, was arrested while carrying 84 pellets of narcotics in his stomach.

Two more Kenyans charged with terrorism

Awadh and Kimathi at Nakawa court yesterday TWO more Kenyans were yesterday charged with terrorism in connection with the July 11 twin bomb blasts in Kampala. They were identified as Al Amin alias Joe Kimathi, 49, a Kenyan human rights activist, and Omar Awadh, 37, a businessman and resident of Halingham in Nairobi. The suspects were arrested last week with Mbugua Mureithi, a Kenyan advocate, on suspicion of being linked to the al-Qaeda Islamist terror group. Mureithi, who said he was in Uganda to defend terrorism suspects, was over the weekend deported to Kenya. The three were arrested at Niagara Hotel in Najjanankumbi, off the Kampala-Entebbe highway.

Internet could spur businesses

A participant speaking at the conference that attracted students and enterpreneurs UGANDANS will be able to boost their businesses or other individual projects by exploiting the immense opportunities offered by the Internet. This will be made possible by a Google project in six African countries, including Uganda, officials revealed at a two-day web and mobile conference at the Speke Resort Munyonyo last week. The meeting attracted technology students and business people. The search giant will engage the creative minds of technology students to focus on mobile development, Google maps for business, website optimisation and online advertising, Julie Taylor, the Google spokesperson for sub-Saharan Africa, explained. He added that Uganda was chosen for the project because of the its stability, growth and a young educated population. Through trainings and partnerships, the world’s leading search engine, has designed programmes that should see people move away from just using the search engines get information and sending mails, to exploiting business positioning and related tools for growth, using the almost limitless power of technology. Through the projects, which are being pioneered in Nigeria in the next few weeks, 200 businesses will also be brought online where they can use Google templates to create websites. Global experts believe Africa can leap past the broadband generation, and completely exceed the rest of the world in the new mobile Internet generation, which is viewed as the future of the global economy platform. “Access barriers must be addressed because without solving that, Africa will never have a large number of Internet users. This can act as an incentive,” said Nelson Mattos, the Google vice-president for Europe, Middle-East and Africa, while speaking at the conference. Africa’s potential, largely remains on paper, waiting to be turned into reality. But there is already a glimmer of hope sweeping across the continent. Experts argue that any entrepreneur worth their salt cannot boast among peers if they have no presence in Africa. The continent is on the move with great returns, and, yet untapped reserves. This partly perhaps explains Google’s interest in a new frontier that offers great returns for the future, according to industry observers. Also, the entry of the undersea fibre optic cables has boosted Internet access because of its broadband size and reliability. However, prices are yet to drop significantly. According to Mattos, Internet becomes vibrant when there is local content. This is encourages people to come online and harness the value of net. “He who controls content also controls you,” said an expert. Mattos says experience shows that people stay online a little longer when they can relate to online content, and thus the need to localise content. Local content also cuts the cost of paying for international broadband. “Internet must provide value by providing relevant content,” said Mattos. Students have been encouraged to view and grasp the country’s numerous challenges as an opportunity and turn into practical solutions for the country. “Students have to look at the problems of their society and find solutions for them through products that appeal to the people,” said Mattos. Michael Niyitegeka, a lecturer in the Faculty of Computer Science at Makerere University, said the initiatives, involving students with great ideas, also act as a motivator for them to pursue products’ development. One way of doing this is to harness a vibrant eco-system of developers, who make products that have a mass appeal to woo people to use the Internet. However, Uganda, like many African states, still faces the challenge of poor infrastructure, low Internet penetration and widespread illiteracy. The continent also lags behind in the information age. The disparity is so great that just about 1% of global Internet content is from Africa. This can also be compared with the gaps in global trade where, despite Africa possessing the vast majority of resources, it controls just about 2% of global trade. This, however, is changing first with the continent leading in voice penetration and Internet catching fast. Uganda had 2.5 million Internet users as of August 2009, or about 7.7% of the population, according to the International Telecommunication Union, and 4,800 broadband Internet subscribers as of December 2009.

When misfortune ignites creativity

Robert Kisutu holding the main ford and a break block for Nissan heavy duty vehicles By David Ssempijja IN 1993, Robert Kisitu experienced the world of �darkness� as he saw his future being threatened after the death of his father. This blow shaped him into a very creative individual. �I was 17 years when my father died. He was not a rich man on whose resources I would depend. I knew it was time to fly by my own �wings�. I had no other option than turning myself into a slave of my works,� says Kisitu. Now aged 33, Kisitu attained a vocational certificate in motor applied engineering in 2000 and worked in the motor repair induction at Spear Motors. He later joined the Pioneers Easy Bus up to 2005 after which he embarked on a journey to his own business, leading to the establishment of Pioneer Foundry Technologies (PFT) in 2006 through which he has unveiled the power of innovation. The level of technological advancement exhibited by PFT workforce is a clear testimony that given the necessary support, Uganda�s appropriate technology would have the capacity to lead the country�s import substitution strategy. Located on Mambule Road in Bwaise, a Kampala suburb, the company is involved in metal and aluminum casting from scrap, a major raw material for their products. The firm fabricates motor wheel alignment machines, motor vehicle spare parts like heavy duty main fords for Isuzu and Nissan brands, spring blocks for trailers, heavy duty Fuso door steps, industrial parts like fire bars for tea processors, screen welders and howling plates for coffee and maize factories. �We are also popular for manufacturing manhole covers, gear drives for concrete mixers, weighing scale stones, sugarcane crushers and gymnasium weights. In most cases, customers name their needs and we do the fabrication,� he says. �You will be surprised that some of our fabricated parts can be twice as good as the original vehicle or industrial parts can serve,� Kisitu brags. According to Simon Ssekankya of the Ntinda based giant hardware world, heavy duty customised manhole covers locally manufactured by PFT attract impressive demand from his range of corporate and individual clients involved in construction business. �All this young man�s business establishment needs is to build capacity such that he produces volumes that can satisfy the available market demand, otherwise his products have consistently received approval from users,� he said. Other firms that PFT has worked for include Rwenzori Commodities, Castle Estates, Dott Services, Tororo Cement, Sembule Steel Mills, Parambot Breweries, Associated Scale Company and Papco Industries. Kisitu asserts that he envisages nurturing a company of high productivity, competitive enough to firmly position itself and withstand the challenges in the liberalised East African Community market. Company products especially weighing scale machines have been exported to Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Enterprise achievements Kisitu�s biggest achievement has been seeing other people depend on his vision to survive. The firm directly employs 28 people in addition to the thousands of residents of Bwaise and surrounding areas who sell scrap to the company. �The original plan was to find a way of how I would secure my future, but in due course many people have earned a living from here, no success will ever be bigger than that,� he adds. Though Kisitu is a certificate holder, his business establishment has on a number of occasions served as a point of reference to many advanced researchers involved in technological enterprises and various universities have posted their students to PFT for industrial training. Last year, he won the construction award during the highly competitive annual Young Achievers Awards organised by TETEA Uganda and National Chamber of Commerce and Industry to reward creative young entrepreneurs whose works have been of significant benefit to society. �We also started talks with Kyambogo University , a deal which is expected to see us establish a mentorship programme for students pursuing technology-based courses,� he says. Challenges Given the fact that metal and aluminum scrap is the most important raw materials for fabricators, the advent of exporting it to China and India has hiked its prices. �We used to buy a kilogramme of metal scrap at sh100, after exports began in 2007, a kilogramme now costs between sh500-sh600. For the sake of protecting local industries, government should put a stop on this trend to save the country from losing more than it gains from the same,� Kisitu advises. �PFT lacks capacity to establish an automated processing line, which leads to delays in delivering orders. But President Museveni asked us during one of the exhibitions to send him a proposal of what we want to do which we did and are waiting for his response,� said Kisitu. He adds that it would be developmental if government starts arrangements for exempting promising young enterprises from tax payments in order to uplift their capacities to grow. Future plans In the short run, given financial resources, the firm intends to have its own land for expansion and set up a showroom in the city centre. �We are also planning to venture into glass manufacturing. This is an enterprise whose raw materials are locally available. We have the human capital but the resources like machinery to turn them into finished products are hard to get,� he said. �If government boosts our capacity, Uganda could easily be an industrialised country because there is no other magic used in industrialised countries like China and Japan than the zeal and passion for working hard coupled with the undying curiosity to learn continuously, says Kisitu.

Bank on wheels, the new face of banking

People lining to bank and withdraw from a mobile bank van By David Ssempijja and Mubiru Kakebe OVER a couple of years, numerous innovations have been undertaken to create convenience in banking. For the last 10 years, more Ugandans have benefited from improved banking services after the introduction of services like Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), internet banking, and money transfer systems. The industry has also been improved with the advent of mobile telecom firms� involvement in electronic money transfer. Now the industry has introduction systems that involve moving banks in vans. The system is designed to extend banking services in very remote and hard to reach areas where commercial banks would definitely consider unfeasible to establish permanent branches. Juma Walusimbi, the director of communications at Bank of Uganda says that Bank on Wheels is among the central bank- approved systems of commercial banks� mobile banking services. These are some of the innovations we need to ensure that the country increases the number of the banked population, it introduces people in the hard to reach areas to the benefits of banking,� he said. He however, added that banks involved in this type of services have to ensure that there is sufficient security to avoid losing customers� money. �Security would also tally with the Central Bank�s requirement of modern risk management procedures that commercial banks must undertake,� he said. Michael Odong is a traders in Kikuubo, a Kampala busy trade area, he hails from Napak district. Sending money to his aging mother was always very difficult. Where as he could regularly send money by bus, his brother Jacob would ride over 60 miles from Bokora sub-county to Lokopo trading centre to access the money, yet at times some messengers would misbehave and deduct some of the money. Fausia Eperu, Odong�s mother now receives money from her son through her own bank account, courtesy of Post Bank�s mobile bank moved in vans from place to place. �My mother must safely and quickly access money at the end of the month, thanks to the new modern technology,� Odong noted. Code-named �Bank on Wheels�, the system that begun in 2008 has bailed out over 25,000 people in 17 districts out of the traditional systems of keeping money in tins and pots as well as difficulties in sending and receiving money. Mobile banking is currently done in the districts of Bududa, Mbale, Napak, Kotido, Moroto, Nakapiripit, Abim Amuria, Soroti and Kumi. According to the bank�s marketing manager William Alemi, over eighty units have been created where the vans make programmed stop-overs for withdrawals, deposits, account opening, loan acquisition, payments and applications. Other services include; money transfer through Western Union, effecting standing orders among others. �The vans are as equipped as banking halls, backed by technology to access customer accounts� information. The system is also fitted with ATMs,� says Alemi.

Business -supplier of Data capture software wanted and On site traing wanted

1. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has received funds from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to be used for the acquisition of Information Technology (IT) equipment, soft ware and training as support to the preparation for the 2012 National Population and Housing Census (UPHC). This is a readvert for the tender that appeared in the New Vision of 29th April 2010. Those who had applied earlier are encouraged to re-apply.

2.The Uganda Bureau of Statistics invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for the supply and delivery of:

Lot I-
-Automatic Image Scanner
-Barcode Reader/Scanner
- Automatic Data Capture Software
-Native Barcode Generator Software
-Onsite Training

3.Bidding will be conducted in accordance with the open domestic bidding procedures contained in the Government of Uganda’s Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, 2003 and is open to all bidders from eligible source countries.

4. Interested eligible bidders may obtain further information from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Procurement and Disposal Unit and inspect the bidding documents at the address given below from 8:00 am-5:00 pm.

5. A complete set of Bidding Documents in English may be purchased by interested bidders upon payment of a non-refundable fee of UGX 100,000 (Uganda Shillings One Hundred Thousand only). The method of payment will be by use of a Bank Payment Advice form to be obtained from the Procurement and Disposal Unit office in Room G.8 during working hours. The document will be picked from the address below. No liability will be accepted for loss or late delivery.

6. Bids must be delivered to the address below at or before 11:00am on All bids must be accompanied by a bid security of UGX 3,500,000 in the format provided in the Bid document.

Late bids shall be rejected. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below at 11:30pm on 10th September 2010.

The Executive Director
Uganda Bureau of Statistics,
Plot 9 Colville Street
P.O. Box 7186 Kampala.

e-commerce Tourism in Uganda

What is e-tourism about?
Electronic (e)-tourism is the use of technology in managing and marketing tourism. It’s not just about having websites or taking occasional e-mails from potential clients but it’s about using technology to manage and sell your business. You attract visitors to your business not just through your website but other social media like; Facebook, Twitter and YouTube videos and photos on flicker and through online travel reviews. It also involves being able to take a booking and payments in real time completely online without any human interaction. This is the way most tourism is being sold around the world.

Why should the industry players adopt e-tourism as opposed to business as usual tourism?
Half of all the tourism marketing globally is being done online from point of research to point of sale. In some of those critical markets like the United States or Western Europe, that goes up to 70 per cent. So the challenge for Africa and most emerging markets is the little tourism that we are selling. Uganda sells less than 2 per cent of its tourism online. Compare that to 50 per cent global average or 70 per cent in the US. What we (E-tourism Frontiers) do to our advantage is try and change that by educating people in emerging markets about e-marketing and how to increase the use of technology so that they can get payments online and increase their sales online.

In monetary terms, how big is the e-tourism industry globally?
Globally, it’s about $130 billion (Shs286 trillion) in sales. It’s the number one selling commodity, trading more than music downloads books and other commodities. For instance, in the US last year, the number one online spend was travel at 40 per cent and was followed by electronics at 11 per cent of all money spent online.

What would be the cost implication of adopting e-tourism for players in Uganda’s tourism industry?
The cost of marketing is a lot cheaper than conventional marketing. If you think about the cost that goes into printing a brochure, getting photographs taken, text written, get the printing done, and post those to markets it can be incredibly expensive whereas if you update your Facebook page, it costs almost nothing. If your clients are taking videos and photos of your products and sharing them with their friends on Facebook or YouTube and you are linking to that, there’s content of much more value there. So, there’s a huge cost saving.

So, how can Ugandan tourism companies take advantage of the e-tourism opportunity?
Well some are already doing it to some degree. People are starting to use websites and critically looking at social media because just about everyone is on Facebook now. It is a great example of how powerful social media can be. But there’s a long way to go. One of the critical problems we face in this region is the lack of e-commerce. And even if you do everything right to get somebody to come to your website, they want to book and pay but they cannot do it. Luckily, we have a conference coming up in Nairobi and Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) will be launching, for the first time, products for tourism businesses. This will cater for reservations that would allow tourists to make online bookings and make payments directly to KCB accounts. That’s huge for the tourism industry but that’s probably the most important thing they need to do. The financial sector needs to recognise that this is probably the strongest source of foreign exchange in any country. They need to create supporting solutions like KCB has done.

Which players in the industry do you recommend for fast-tracking the transition to e-tourism?
The hotel industry is the most obvious because if you look at the distribution of the industry globally, it’s almost entirely online. It takes them out of that commission relationship they used to have with agents and tour operators and they start direct selling and it’s so easy for them to start selling and making reservations. Tour operators and agents can be cut out of business and so they must think of how they can make themselves relevant and valuable. And that value can be in providing local content about the tourism industry.

The internet is a critical factor in e-commerce but in this region, reliability remains a major challenge. Isn’t that a limiting factor?
Yes it is a challenge but we have no option and you cannot use that as an excuse. It’s an issue but we have to find solutions. When you are in business saying there’s no electricity is not going help you. If you have clients abroad there are certain expectations they have. So, it’s about having backup systems in place. It’s about building websites and offering content that can respond to low broadband speeds. But speeds are becoming less of an excuse because we have fibre optic cables like SEACOM and TEAMS here. And increasingly, there’s need for less bandwidth to upload content on websites.

Selling a service

Selling a service involves creating a positive feeling in the prospective customer. Take the example of a well dressed person’s appearance. It says: Here’s an important person; intelligent, prosperous, and dependable.

In a tour business, the operators use graphic descriptions in words and pictures of what awaits you in the sites that you are being persuaded to visit - printed with state- of -art technology in brochures.

The sales person who may have been there himself/herself shows these places, highlighting their most attractive features with the kind of enthusiasm that entices you to give it a try. When you decide to book a tour, what you buy is a promise; as seen by your eyes and believed by your heart.

That promise is of; a good feeling, probably a lifetime experience, and real value for your time and money. Because you don’t touch, feel or taste a service before you consume it, a strong feeling of anticipation must be aroused in a prospective customer for him or her to make a buying decision.

You must provide the prospect, reason and logic for buying! Like the well dressed fellow, if he is male, the lady he asks out is persuaded by his appearance and manner of his dress.

The catch phrase thus in making money in services is: Become a master at creating anticipation of good and memorable experience when people choose to consume your service. That anticipation must be matched with reality. When your client buys, he or she must get what was anticipated and more.

If it’s a restaurant, the client must get “please have great day salutation” after the meal, for a tour; the client must get, “It has been great keeping company with you”, and so forth… The seed of money is service. Putting service first is an attitude that creates wealth. Put service first and money takes care of itself.