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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Western Union, MTN Group to Introduce Cross-Border Mobile Money Transfer Service in 21 Countries



Englewood/Johannesburg, 10 November 2010 --- MTN Group, (JSE: MTN), the leading mobile operator in Africa and the Middle East, and Western Union, (NYSE: WU) a leader in global payment services, today announced a commercial agreement to introduce international mobile remittance services in the 21 countries where MTN operates.

Once introduced, the service will allow MTN subscribers to conveniently send and receive Western Union Money Transfer® transactions using their MTN MobileMoney accounts.

The service will first be introduced in Uganda, where MTN’s MobileMoney service already has over 1m registered users, making it one of the most successful mobile wallet deployments in the world. According to the World Bank, Uganda receives nearly USD500 million in remittances every year, making up 3% of the country’s GDP.

Once the new international remittance service is activated, MTN subscribers registered for MobileMoney will be able to receive Western Union Money Transfer transactions in their mobile accounts. In addition, MobileMoney users in certain countries will be able to send Western Union Money Transfer transactions directly from their mobile phones for payout at one of Western Union’s 386,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories around the world.

An MTN subscriber who receives a Western Union Money Transfer transaction in his MobileMoney account will be able to use the funds to pay bills, top-up airtime, send money domestically and internationally, or withdraw cash at MobileMoney agents or any participating ATM.

“The Western Union Mobile Money Transfer service is a key part of our multi-channel strategy to offer our consumers numerous ways to send and receive money,” said Khalid Fellahi, Western Union’s Head of Mobile Transaction Services. “This alliance with MTN, one of the world’s most successful mobile operators, will introduce cross-border remittances to an entirely new segment of customers by allowing them to send and receive money using just their mobile phones.”

Pieter Verkade, MTN Executive of MobileMoney, said, “After bringing domestic financial services to many of our customers, we will now enable customers to receive money from abroad on their mobile phones to take out at their convenience with their local merchant, send it to family or pay a bill.”

MTN’s MobileMoney service is currently available in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda, with pilots underway in several other markets. The service offers consumers a convenient, secure and affordable way to send money within the same country (domestically), buy airtime and make basic utility payments using their MTN mobile phones. MTN offers the service in partnership with local banks.

Western Union offers the Mobile Money Transfer service in the Philippines with Smart Communications and Globe Telecom; in Kenya with Safaricom; and in Malaysia with Maxis. The company also recently announced an agreement with EnStream in Canada and State Bank of India in India and has other agreements for Mobile Money Transfer with banks in Tunisia, Libya and South Africa.

Essar Emerge as Preferred Bidder for ZISCO



Essar Africa Holdings Limited (EAHL), privately held company of the Essar Group, confirmed having received official notification from the Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) for its selection as the preferred bidder for revival of Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO) by way of purchase of GOZ’s 60% equity interest and has been invited to finalise the terms and conditions to complete the transaction.

Essar Group’s current operations in Africa include oil and gas assets in Nigeria, Kenya and Madagascar, telecom assets in East Africa, BPO operations in South Africa and coal concessions in Mozambique.

ZISCO is an integrated steel company with an annual capacity of 1m tonnes engaged in manufacture of long products through BF/BOF process. ZISCO’s operations are situated in Redcliff with distribution centres in Bulawayo, Kwekwe and Harare. ZISCO derives raw material security through its subsidiary Buchwa Iron Mining Company (BIMCO) that owns and operates several iron ore mines and limestone quarries. ZISCO has been operating at low capacity levels for the last several years due to shortage of working capital, and funds for maintenance and modernisation of plant and equipment. As part of its proposal, Essar will invest in the revival and expansion of ZISCO and enhance its productivity by leveraging Essar’s expertise in the steel sector, ZISCO’s existing infrastructure and availability of key raw materials including coal and iron ore.

Firdhose Coovadia, Resident Director, Essar (Middle East & Africa) said: “We are delighted to have been selected as the preferred bidder for the revival of ZISCO. We believe ZISCO is well positioned to be a low cost steel producer that can meet the growing demands of the regional steel market and capitalise on the robust forecasted growth in sub Saharan Africa. We also recognise ZISCO as a vital and strategic asset for the Zimbabwean economy and Essar looks forward to making a meaningful contribution to the future development of Zimbabwe and its people.”

The Essar Group is a leading global steel producer on track to operating 14 MTPA steel capacity and has an excellent track record in successfully commissioning and operating greenfield and brownfield steelplants in different parts of the world including Canada, USA, UK, India and Indonesia.

Fly540 Launch Daily Flights to Kenya’s South Coast



Fly540 Aviation has expanded its network at the coast by introducing daily flights to Ukunda, Diani on the South Coast. The inaugural flight will take off on Friday, 12 November 2010. The services will be operated from Unit 3 at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport via Mombasa for an introductory return fare of KES9,540 inclusive of taxes.

The departure time from Nairobi is 9.00 a.m. and passengers will reach the Ukunda Airstrip at 10.25 am The return flight departs from Ukunda at 10.35 am to arrive in Nairobi at 12.00 noon.

Ukunda becomes Fly540’s fourth destination on the Kenya coast after Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu. The additional route will meet the requirements of visitors to the South Coast, a popular holiday destination.

Nixon Ooko, the Fly540 Operations Director said, “The flights to Ukunda follow the successful launch of daily return services from Wilson Airport to Amboseli, Nanyuki and Samburu last month. We continue to respond to the demands of passengers with the introduction of more services and the South Coast has been top on their list. “

Fly540 commenced operations in November 2006 with a daily flight between Nairobi and Mombasa for local and overseas business and holiday travellers. The airline’s value for money flights won instant popularity and Fly540 now has 13 destinations in Kenya with regional services to Bujumbura, Entebbe, Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro.

Safaricom Returns 7.6 Billion Shillings H1 Profit After Tax



Financial Results for H1 Ending 30 September 2010

Bob Collymore, Safaricom Group CEO commented: “Once again, the group delivered impressive results despite an increasingly competitive environment. This was the result of continued strong growth in all aspects of the business, augmented by a further expanded and enhanced network, a robust and superior distribution channel, innovative products and a clear focus on value added services and data offerings. As we anticipated, data is proving to be the next frontier, delivering significant benefits”

Key Highlights

Growth in:

* Active customers by 15.2% to 16.7m compared to 30 September 2009
* Revenue by 15.9% to KES47.1bn
* EBITDA by 13.8% to KES18.8bn
* Net profit by 15.1% and earnings per share to KES0.193


Growth in total data:

* 23.8% of total revenue compared to 17.7% as at 30 September 2009
* Mobile and fixed data revenue by 68.5%
* M-PESA revenue by 63.9%
* M-PESA registered users to 13.5m, i.e. 81% of our customer base


EBITDA margin of 40.0%

166.7% growth in free cash flow

As in previous years, the directors do not propose a payment of an interim dividend.

Major Initiatives in the Period
Safaricom defended its market share in the period under review despite increased competitor activity. According to the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK), total mobile phone customers at the end of September 2010 were 21.78m with Safaricom customers at 16.71m. This represents a market share of 76.7%. Innovative products, services and promotions have continued to defend our customer market share.

Safaricom has continued to invest heavily in its data infrastructure. The number of 3G enabled sites has increased significantly to 829 in the period, and the Wimax network has grown to a total of 164 sites with both networks offering coverage to a large proportion of the Kenya population. In order to strengthen our position in the data market, the company was finalising and has subsequently concluded the acquisition of 100% stake in two Wimax service providers namely, IGO Wireless Ltd and Instaconnect Ltd. This will add 7MHz of spectrum to the existing 15MHz Wimax frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band. Safaricom is now positioned to provide better and faster mobile and fixed data products and services to corporate, medium sized enterprises and individual customers.

Safaricom is connected to two of the undersea cables, TEAMS and SEACOM and this has greatly improved the speed of internet and data services as well as the quality of international voice services. This has allowed us to retire the bulk of expensive satellite capacity, thereby increasing bandwidth and reliability and lowering our underlying related costs

In addition to facilitate increased data penetration Safaricom continues to actively engage handset and laptop vendors to drive down the cost of devices. Over 8,000 laptops, 45,000 data modems and 400,000 data enabled handsets were sold in the period, contributing greatly to the impressive overall data revenue growth.

The popularity of the M-PESA service continues to grow, with 13.5m customers registered representing 81% of the Safaricom customer base. The M-PESA customers can access M-PESA at over 20,000 agent outlets countrywide. In May, 2010 the M-KESHO service was launched in partnership with Equity Bank with the aim of deepening financial access of M-PESA customers. M-KESHO is a mobile-centric bank account linked to M-PESA where customers can deposit and withdraw money from their bank account, purchase insurance and apply for overdrafts. Initial take-up of M-KESHO is very encouraging with over 613,000 registered in the first five months.

Safaricom is now facilitating payments to more partners with over 400 organisations now accepting bill payment via M-PESA. Safaricom will again be using M-PESA to pay dividends to shareholders following the success of this exercise last year. More and more companies are using the service to pay salaries, promotion payments and cash transfers.

Outlook
The business environment in Kenya continues to improve. Interest rates have declined in the period to lower single digit levels. The forecast GDP rate is expected to be above 5% in 2011 underpinned by faster global growth and rising confidence among local households and firms.

The telecommunications sector continues to be vibrant and we are confident that the sector will continue to experience significant growth with expectations that mobile penetration will increase to between 60-70% over the next two to three years from the current levels of over 50%. This reflects a significant opportunity for future growth.

Over the last two months we have seen increased competition and regulatory interventions and we expect this to continue. Voice tariffs and mobile termination rates have fallen by 50%. With internet and PC penetration estimated to still be below 10%, there is huge potential for ongoing growth in data revenues. The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) is implementing mobile number portability and new regulations covering fair competition have been gazetted by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The future growth in the number of customers and the recently reduced voice tariffs is expected to result in a further decline in voice ARPU and total contribution of voice revenues to total customer ongoing revenues. However, the continued growth in data is anticipated to partially alleviate the declining voice ARPU.

With the only 3G network in Kenya, the largest Wimax network nationally, significant capacity on fibre optic cable and the largest distribution network, Safaricom is the best placed telecommunications company to benefit from the growth in non voice revenues over the next few years.

Our capital investment level is expected to remain high to support the growth in the number of customers, rollout of data products and investment in capacity, coverage and network quality of our voice networks. To support this growth, we will continue with the ongoing technology upgrade initiatives of our network management and billing systems, product offerings and network optimisations that will guarantee a more diverse and robust portfolio of services to our customers.

M-PESA remains the most significant mobile money transfer system globally and further expansion of the customers and products offered will ensure future growth for M-PESA revenues. This October, the company launched an innovative service where customers can now pay for goods at the tills of participating supermarkets via the ‘Nunua na M-PESA’ service.

Safaricom will pay a KES8bn dividend in November 2010, the second since being listed, representing a growth of 100% over the prior year.

In March 2011, the company will complete the repayment of its syndicated loan currently standing at KES7bn. The company has in place a Domestic Medium Term Note of KES12bn, out of which KES7.513bn has already been issued, the balance of which is planned to be issued during Q4 2010. Safaricom will continue to review options for future funding requirements to leverage the balance sheet and support its aggressive growth strategy.

Summary Financial Information


The following are the key highlights of the results compared to the prior period ending 30 September 2009:

* Voice revenues continued to increase along with our customer growth despite increased competitive pressure.
* Total non voice revenues increased by 60.5% to KES14.62bn. The overall contribution of total data revenue increased to 23.8%, from 17.7% of total revenue, in line with our strategy to diversify our products, services and related revenue streams.
* The increase in operating expenses was attributed to growth in revenue-related expenses, principally commissions, cost of value added services, licence fees and customer acquisition initiatives. However, savings were realised through prudent procurement of scratch card vouchers and through increased distribution efficiencies achieved in delivering airtime to customers through M-PESA. The growth in network coverage was 15.7% but the company managed to maintain network costs largely in line with last year due to various cost efficiency initiatives.
* Selling, general and administrative expenses grew predominantly due to the increase in marketing and publicity costs where accelerated growth was in tandem with the increased market activity and consequent need to further engage our customer base with our expanding portfolio of product and service offerings. Payroll and personnel related costs increased as a result of yearly increases and augmented headcount to support our aggressive growth strategy. In addition, the growth in the number of retail shop outlets by 24% has resulted in corresponding increases in related cost structures.
* Capital employed increased in line with the strong growth in shareholder funds, from the favourable trading results and from proceeds obtained from issuance of the Domestic Medium Term Note of KES7.513bn in November 2009.
* The increase in the current assets was driven by high purchases of low end data enabled phones and laptops to support our robust data growth strategy, and an increase in accounts receivables due to delayed settlements that have been received subsequently.
* The increase in current liabilities was due to the accrual for the final declared dividend of KES8bn compared to KES4bn in September 2009.
* Net debt declined as a result of the repayment of a portion of the syndicated loan and a short-term bridge facility during the period, however this was complemented by proceeds from the first tranche of our corporate bond and an increase in cash mainly from operating activities.
* We will continue to review our long term funding requirements to adequately leverage the balance sheet at favourable margins to support future growth plans.
* Capital expenditure increased during the year in line with our continued strategy of expanding and improving the quality of the network. The main expenditure areas in the period were in fixed data, 3G equipment, fibre, and the upgrade of existing 2G coverage to support the growth in customers.
* Cash flow from operating activities remained strong during the period. The increase was as a result of an increase in operating cash flow combined with a positive impact of working capital optimisation initiatives.
* Interest paid declined due to more favouble interest rates during the period.

KenolKobil Finalizes Zimbabwe Plans



The KenolKobil Group has finalized plans to open an office in Zimbabwe effective January 1, 2011. The move will consolidate the company’s presence towards the Southern African region, and comes only four months after it registered a company in Mozambique in July 2010. The company is preparing for the commencement of business activities in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique effective 2011, and is already scouting for investment opportunities in both countries.

This is in line with the company’s “Move South” business strategy prepared by Management and approved by the Board for 2011 calendar year, and will see the company consolidate its business in the South African region, outside of South Africa. The move will support growth outside Kenya in line with the company’s diversification strategy, and enhances KenolKobil’s position as a key player in the East, Central and Southern Africa’s downstream oil business.

Apart from investment in subsidiaries, KenolKobil has been growing its existing portfolios in the different countries it has invested in, to grow their contribution to the bottomline.

The company has commissioned two state of the art LPG Filling Plants, one in Uganda and the other in Rwanda, to support its LPG brand, K-gas, which has been undergoing phenomenal growth in the two markets.

KenolKobil is set to continue evaluating its investment baskets to enhance better return on investments for its shareholders.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Banking sector registers improved performance



The banking sector registered an improved performance in the quarter ending 30th September 2010. This was indicated by the size of assets which stood at Ksh. 1.6 trillion, loans & advances worth Ksh. 879 billion, deposits of Ksh 1.3 trillion and profit before tax of Ksh. 53.2 billion as at 30th September 2010. The profit before tax of Ksh. 53.2 billion as at September 2010 already exceeds the 2009 full year profit of Ksh. 48.9 bn. In addition the number of bank customer deposit accounts stood at 11.14 million with a branch network of 1,030.

The sector is expected to register higher performance in 2010 compared to performance registered in 2009. The performance in the fourth quarter of 2010 will largely be supported by credit referencing and agent banking among other initiatives being pursued by the Central Bank as well as the continued positive economic climate.

Download the full Central Bank report here.

CBK Licenses The Third Deposit Taking Microfinance Institution (DTM) – Uwezo DTM Limited



The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) yesterday granted a licence to Uwezo DTM Limited to carry out community deposit-taking microfinance (DTM) business. Uwezo DTM Limited becomes the first community deposit taking microfinance institution to be licensed. The Licence has been issued pursuant to Section 6(1) of the Microfinance Act, 2006 and Regulation 5(3) of the Microfinance (Deposit-Taking Microfinance Institutions) Regulations, 2008. Uwezo DTM Limited is the third DTM to be licensed after Faulu Kenya Deposit Taking Microfinance Limited, which was licensed in May 2009, and Kenya Women Finance Trust Deposit Taking Microfinance Limited, which was licensed in April 2010.

Deposit taking microfinance business in Kenya can be carried out by both nationwide and community deposit taking microfinance institutions, as indicated in the Microfinance Act 2006 and the attendant Regulations. The main distinction between the two categories is based on minimum core capital requirements and operational jurisdiction. The minimum core capital requirement for nationwide and community DTM business is KSh. 60 million and KSh. 20 million, respectively. While a nationwide DTM may establish operations in any part of the country, operations of a community DTM are restricted to specific administrative boundaries as prescribed by law. Further, community DTM business is mainly focused on a definite target market that seeks accessible and efficient financial services. In this regard, Uwezo DTM Limited will operate in Starehe Division of Nairobi City.


The establishment of community DTMs is expected to increase outreach and consequently enhance financial inclusion in the jurisdictional areas of operation. This is especially pertinent as Kenya moves to a developed governance system following the recent promulgation of the new constitution. Indeed, the licensing of DTMs has already had a significant impact in enhancing financial inclusion as is evidenced by the total value of deposits of KSh. 7.3 billion and a total loan portfolio value of KSh. 14.8 billion by the two licensed DTMs as at September 2010. Further, the two licensed DTMs have a total of thirty-four (34) branches spread through-out the country, 597,633 active deposit accounts and 510,676 loan accounts.
The Central Bank of Kenya will continue to reform policy and regulation with the aim of enhancing the level of financial inclusion in Kenya. Accordingly, the Bank is reviewing the legal and regulatory framework for DTMs to facilitate their incorporation in the recently launched credit information sharing initiative. Credit information sharing will increase transparency amongst institutions and reduce the number of non performing loans in the sector. Further, the Bank is also reviewing the delivery channels for DTMs to enable them leverage on innovative models such as agent banking. This will reduce service delivery costs for DTMs and extend their reach to financially unserved and underserved areas.



The microfinance industry is expected to play a pivotal role in pushing forward Kenya’s financial inclusion frontiers through provision of a variety of financial services. As the microfinance industry moves to new realms of increasing financial access and outreach through deposit mobilization, it is envisaged that new innovations will be introduced, leveraging on technology and a deep understanding of the niche segment targeted by DTMs.

The Central Bank of Kenya has taken this opportunity once again to underscore its commitment to fostering an environment conducive for a robust, inclusive and efficient financial system. This is in tandem with Vision 2030 aspirations, which place the onus on the financial sector to mobilize savings required to underwrite wealth creation, employment creation and poverty reduction.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

HassConsult Named The Best Real Estate Agency in Africa



HassConsult has won the Best Real Estate Agency in Africa award,at the International Property Awards held in London, UK.


HassConsult has also been nominated for World's Best Real Estate Agency Awards which will be held later this month.

The second,third and fourth positions were taken up by South Africa Agencies, Anne Porter Properties,Seeff Properties and Tyson Properties, respectively.

HassConsult Limited was formed in 1992 with a vision to establish a comprehensive Real Estate firm that reinvented the market patterns by introducing transparency, integrity and professionalism in a market calling for more global standards.

The agency offers a variety of services ranging from new property development and consultancy to letting, selling and managing of residential and commercial properties, and more recently valuations of all kinds of properties, including hotels, businesses and industries.

In the last two years, the agency has rolled out a nationwide property price index of property asking prices based on more than 45,000 prices in the public domain and HassConsult's own internal records, with break-outs showing how the prices of stand-alone houses and apartments are moving.

The awards, which were sponsored by the New York Times, Bloomberg, the International Herald Tribune, and all leading global real estate organisations,are the property industry's most prestigious awards in the world.

Nakumatt Opens 24 hour Outlet in Uganda’s Bugolobi Suburb



Nakumatt Holdings, the East African retail chain that brought 24 hours shopping to Kampala, has today formally opened its second 24 hours outlet in Bugolobi, an up market Kampala suburb, and announced that it has invested UGX2.7bn for its expansion drive this year. The opening of the new branch now boosts Nakumatt’s branch network to 30 outlets across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Nakumatt expect to open their third outlet at Bukoto later in November after acquiring two new locations.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Nakumatt Holdings Managing Director Mr. Atul Shah said the supermarket’s expansion plans in Uganda were on course and apart from the two new outlets; new stores would be opened around Kampala in coming months. “We have already identified the areas and we are working on the logistics of opening the new outlets,” Shah explained. He added that the two new stores in Uganda will employ 200 people directly and another 5000 indirectly, mainly through suppliers and other business associates. Nakumatt Oasis, the chain’s Uganda flagship located at the Oasis Mall, already employs over 200 people directly.

“Since Nakumatt came to Uganda in 2009, the supermarket has provided an important outlet for many Ugandan products not just in Uganda but in the wider East African region, especially farm products which is a huge boost to local farming and the economy as a whole” he said.

He said that after opening the first 24 hours shopping experience in Uganda, Nakumatt had embarked on training its employees on customer care and other skills necessary for this type of operation. “We moved fast to train our people and now we are confident that we have enough skilled people in the retail sector to support our expansion plans.”

Zain Kenya Appoint Dick Omondi to Head Corporate Communications


As competition in the Kenyan telecommunications market intensifies; Zain Kenya has announced the appointment of a leading marketing communications executive ahead of its planned rebranding to Bharti Airtel.

In a strategic move geared at enhancing its integrated marketing communications capacity, Zain Kenya has today announced the appointment of Mr. Dick Omondi to head its Corporate Communications docket.

Prior to his new appointment at Zain Kenya, Mr. Omondi served at Kenya Airways as the Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication. He joins Zain at an interesting time when part of his responsibilities will include the rebranding and repositioning of Zain Kenya to Bharti Airtel.

Speaking when he confirmed the appointment, Zain Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza said the senior level appointment had been effected as part of the firm’s growth strategies. “As part of our ongoing market storm efforts, we are constantly seeking for fresh and capable local talent that can help us drive the Zain brand to the next level,” Meza said, adding: “Mr. Dick Omondi’s entry to the Zain family given his wealth of experience locally and within the region is a big boost to our overall strategies.”

Mr. Omondi brings to Zain Kenya a wealth of domestic and international experience in marketing and advertising, public relations and corporate communications with proven track record in telecommunications and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brands.

He previously served as the Marketing Director at Vodacom in Tanzania and Celtel in Uganda. He has also previously held senior marketing and management positions in East African Breweries Ltd, Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Safaricom Unveils The Biggest Brand Commercial in Kenya



Kenya’s leading telecoms operator Safaricom has unveiled a major brand campaign aimed at further cementing its connection with the Kenyan market.

The campaign, which builds on the existing Niko na Safaricom tagline which has been hailed for its resonance with the firm’s over 16 million subscribers and other Kenyans, is by scope and outlay the biggest brand commercial ever executed in the country.

The commercial, shot with a huge cast of Safaricom staff, who are members of the Safaricom Choir, and put together by the firm’s advertising agency Redsky, will be relayed through a fully integrated 360 degree execution that will see it on TV, radio, retail units, press, billboards, websites, cinema screens and digital media platforms.

Former Safaricom CEO and brand champion Michael Joseph said the new campaign was a deliberate move by the company to deepen its emotional connection with Kenyans.

“This campaign is a celebration of our Kenyanness. It portrays Safaricom as a brand for everyone. It is a metaphor for the diversity of our customer base and our deep-rooted connection with the Kenyan market, which has been Safaricom’s winning strategy for the 10 years we have been here,” said Mr Joseph.

The new campaign comes at a time when Safaricom is celebrating 10 years of immense success. It covers every bit of the journey Safaricom has been through to get where it is today as the country’s leading telecoms operator.

Featuring a longer-than-usual 90-second take, it is a showcase of the diversity of the Kenyan culture and brings together literally all the aspects of the country ranging from social to economic lifestyles.

“We are keen on highlighting what Safaricom stands for, which is the wellbeing of all Kenyans. We have over the years touched Kenyan lives in ways never seen before and made a tangible impact on Kenyan communities and Kenyan lives. This is what this commercial is all about.

Safaricom, through its diverse product and services portfolio, including the award winning M-PESA has won the loyalty of most Kenyans, currently controlling close to 80 per cent of the market. This constant connection is further reinforced through the company’s corporate social investment arm, the Safaricom Foundation, which is engaged in various projects and causes aimed at improving lives among Kenyan communities.

Safaricom runs the biggest budget in the Kenyan advertising industry and the latest campaign, which will run for the balance of the year, is likely to spawn a major revenue stream for media organizations. According to ad-trackers Synovate, Safaricom was able to gross ad exposure worth about Sh3.55 billion in the first nine months of 2010 compared to Sh2.33 billion grossed over a similar period in 2009. Actual ad-spend is likely to be much lower. Exposure would vary year-on-year, depending on our messages and strategic objectives.

“There is nothing quite as beautiful as Kenyans coming together, wherever they are all over Kenya to speak with one voice, to sing one song. I thank all those who have been involved in this venture for capturing the true spirit and genetic core of the Safaricom brand,” said Mr Joseph.

Subscribers will be able to assign the campaign jingle as their Skiza tune or ringtone, at no charge. The jingle or wallpapers related to the campaign can also be downloaded from the Safaricom web portal www.safaricom.com free of charge.

Safaricom commercials started out with The Better Option campaign in 2000, which led to many Kenyans choosing it as their preferred service provider. This would later be followed in 2006 by the landmark “Masai Mara” campaign whose aim was to deepen the connection with Kenyans. With a tourist, tour guide and Maasai herdsman as its characters, it showcased the beauty of Kenya, the recognition and inter-dependence of her people and deep respect for one another.

A 2007 execution sought to celebrate Kenya’s different cultures with different renditions specific to Western, Eastern/Nairobi, Central, Rift Valley and Coast regions. This campaign was particularly apt in an election year. A collage of the five campaigns would later be aired during the period of the post-election violence, underlining the ability of Kenyans to live harmoniously together and appealing to them to uphold peace.

Yu Opens 27 Customer Care Centres



YU, the mobile phone brand of Essar Telecom Kenya Ltd, has today announced one of its most ambitious plans to bring their Customer Experience and Brand Experience closer to its 1.6m customer base spread across Kenya. Yu announced opening of its 27 relationship centres countrywide and this number will go up to 40 by the end of 2010. These relationship centres will bring the brand experience through an extensive range of products and services closer to the consumers, as well as be an avenue for customers have their concerns responded to.

In addition to yu SIM cards and airtime, services like peperusha, FacebookChat, as well as attractive handset bundles can be bought from these relationship centers. Services like eneza and yuCash will also be offered in these centres.

Speaking during the launch of a relationship centre in Highridge Shopping Centre, Nairobi, the Country Manager, Mr. Atul Chaturvedi said: “yu is responding to the needs of the consumers to have company customer experience centers closer and more accessible, particularly for those in other parts of the country, outside of Nairobi. The relationship centers will also boost product availability and improve the customer experience. We appreciate our existing subscribers and welcome those who have crossed over from other networks and what we can assure them that we will not compromise on the quality and reliability of our services.”

Atul further said that yu will endeavor to provide the best customer services to its growing subscriber base while at the same leading in innovation of customer tailored questions. “We not only want to create a good customer experience, but we certainly want to amaze our customers with excellent solutions and offers,” said Atul.

Orange Money is launched in Kenya




As part of its business strategy of adding value to its customers, Orange has partnered with Equity Bank to offer customers a money transfer service that offers them convenience in their financial transactions and management of their bank accounts.

Pitted as the most versatile service in the market so far, Orange Money combines the features of mobile money transfer products and mobile banking.

The new product will be powered by Equity Bank’s mobile money transfer platform- Easy 24-7, following the signing of a strategic partnership between the telecommunications giant and the bank, aimed at deepening financial access to the majority of Kenyans.

The service is mapped onto the customers’ bank accounts, making it possible for the customers to literally run their accounts from their mobile handsets, with the accounts security aligned to that of the bank. This will facilitate interbank transfers and apply for loans using the service, for Orange Money customers.

The strategic partnership between the two organizations aimed created synergies that enabled the technological enhancements that were integrated into the Orange Money product to make it the most versatile, functional, secure and easy to use money transfer service in the market. The partners also intend to build a joint distribution network with over 20,000 agents countrywide by the end of the first year.

Orange and Equity Bank also announced the launch of the 1st co – branded debit card linked to a money transfer service “the Orange Money Debit Card”. This feature will allow customers more flexibility in choices of how they can access their money 24 hours a day 7 days a week anywhere in Kenya through the wide banking and ATM network of Equity Bank. Orange Money is expected to become the single enabler for all utility payments and for purchase of goods and services across the country.

Orange Money will allow customers to send money to any mobile network; the convenience and reliability of the phonebook look up when transferring money and allow multiple transactions per day with an initial limit of Shs. 100,000. Additionally, customers will also use the service to pay their utility bills.

Speaking at the launch event, Orange CEO Mickael Ghossein said the introduction of Orange Money to Kenya demonstrates the benefits of a deep convergence between a telecommunications organization and a bank, by leveraging on recent advancements in the Information and Communications Technology.

He said the introduction of this innovative product in Kenya was informed by lessons from other countries where Orange Money has been introduced, as well as intensive research on the needs and preferences of Kenyans.

In addition to introducing a product that will be used for mobile money transfer and mobile banking, Orange said it have paid particular attention to introducing a user-friendly interface, reliable and convenient service- at an affordable cost.

Ghossein said the service is suited for organizations and individuals alike, saying it could be an alternative to make it easier for employers to pay salaries. He said in the coming months they will also scale the service up by adding to its functionality.

Through a strategic partnership with Orange at the Group Level, Equity Bank CEO Dr. James Mwangi says Orange Money will soon be introduced into the Ugandan market, where both France Telecom and the bank have a foothold in line with the Group’s strategy to launch the Orange Money service in several markets within Africa.

He said, “Corroboration with like- minded partners brings on board value added solutions, and Equity Bank will continue to seek partnerships that will not only focus on innovation, but will at the end of the day make a difference to the living standards of the majority of Kenyans. This is in line with the bank’s vision of championing the social economic prosperity of the people of Africa.”

Dr. Mwangi said Equity Bank had been at the forefront of coming up with mobile money transfer solutions in Kenya as part of the group’s bigger vision of bringing banking services closer to a majority of Kenyans through financial inclusivity.

While endorsing the new service, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Uhuru Kenyatta praised the two organisations for combining their collective strengths to meet the market needs with a versatile product that is easy to use and comes at an affordable rate.

Uhuru who was the Chief Guest at the launch ceremony said, “The advent of mobile money transfer solutions in the market has seen an increase in the number of people who can access financial services, leading to inclusivity. Orange Money is therefore a welcome innovation, as it will give Orange and Equity Bank customers more convenience as they run their bank accounts from their handsets”.

He challenged regulatory institutions to intensify their surveillance on banks and telecommunications organizations to ensure that customers do not lose their money.
Orange Money has been introduced in five African countries; Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali, Niger and Madagascar- and plans to introduce it in other countries are already at an advanced stage.

About Orange
www.orange-tkl.co.ke

Orange is the only integrated telecommunications solutions provider operating in Kenya. It offers mobile telephony services under the GSM and CDMA platforms, fixed line telephone services and internet services. Orange also owns shares in the TEAMS and EASSy cables, in addition to running the National Optic Fibre Backbone Initiative (NOFBI) and its own terrestrial fibre optic network- supporting it's data carrier-to-carrier business.

The company currently covers the entire country on both the voice and data channels, with comprehensive plans in place to meet the Universal Service Provision’s requirements set out by the regulator.

Orange is part of the Lower Indian Ocean Network (LION) cable that is set to go live soon.


About Equity Bank
www.equitybank.co.ke

Equity Bank is the leading Microfinance Bank in Africa, listed at the Nairobi and Uganda Stock Exchanges. It is the largest bank in the region in terms of customer base with over 5 million bank accounts which is 54% of all bank accounts in Kenya and has presence in Uganda & Southern Sudan.
The vision of Equity Bank Ltd is to champion the social economic prosperity of the people of Africa and to transform the lives and livelihoods of our people socially and economically by availing them modern, inclusive financial services.

The Bank runs on a Global Robust State of the Art Information Technology Computer System supported by Infosys, HP, Oracle and Microsoft. The multi-currency, multi-company, multi- country system has a capacity of 35 million accounts and a processing speed of 300,000 transactions per minute. This system is integrated with WAY 4, an online Card Management System which has multi-institution and multi-currency transaction processing capability and has the ability to handle over 60 million cards with speed performance of 180,000 transactions per minute.


Orange Kenya Launches ORANGE MONEY in Kenya

Updates of The Launch of Orange Money

-Orange Kenya and Equity launching their ORANGEMONEY product at Equity Center.

-Orange Money allows sending money to any network.

-Orange Money is a mapped bank account with a limit of 100,000 which has been set to prevent fraud

-James Mwangi , CEO Equity touted ORANGEMONEY as a "very different service". He said its a real time banking service on SIM card

-ORANGE MONEY will be integrated with SWIFT enabling transfers to/from any bank accounts.

-Equity bank will be outsourcing their retail bank services to their
agents including a/c opening, loans, withdrawals, statements etc


Equity bank is rolling out 6000 agents and will be shared out with Orange Money and any mobile network.

Read More about Orange Money

Orange Kenya To Launch A 'Unique' Money Transfer Service



Orange Kenya will today launch a mobile money transfer service that is set to rival M-PESA of Safaricom.

Chief executive officer Mickael Ghossein in an earlier interview with Nation Media, had said that the service was going to be ‘unique’.

“We have taken long to launch it because we didn’t want to replicate what is already in the market,” he said.

Service had been st for launch in June this year, but it had not received approval from the government.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

KENYA PREMEIR LEAGUE WEEKEND FIXTURES


Saturday 6th November 2010:




 


 13.00: Posta Rangers v Mathare United 
(Karuturi) “live” on SuperSport 9  




 

15.00: Red Berets v Ulinzi Stars 
(Afraha, Nakuru) “live” on SuperSport 9





15.00Gor Mahia v Sony Sugar 
(City Stadium)





Sunday 7th November 2010:



 
 


13.00: KCB v Thika United 
(Karuturi) “live” on SuperSport 9


15.00: Karuturi Sports v Western Stima 
(Afraha, Nakuru) “live 
 

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE WEEKEND FIXTURES 2010/2011

Saturday 6th November 2010
Bolton Wanderersvs  Tottenham Hotspur12:45Reebok Stadium

Birmingham Cityvs  West Ham United15:00St. Andrews Ground

Blackburn Roversvs  Wigan Athletic15:00Ewood Park

Blackpoolvs Everton15:00Bloomfield Road

Fulhamvs Aston Villa15:00Craven Cottage

Manchester Unitedvs Wolverhampton Wanderers15:00Old Trafford

Sunderlandvs Stoke City15:00Stadium of Light

Sunday 7th November 2010
Arsenalvs   Newcastle United13:30Emirates Stadium










West Bromwich Albionvs Manchester City15:00The Hawthorns

Liverpoolvs Chelsea16:00Anfield
Tuesday 9th November 2010
Stoke Cityvs Birmingham City19:45Britannia Stadium
Tottenham Hotspurvs Sunderland20:00White Hart Lane

Wednesday 10th November 2010
Aston Villavs Blackpool19:45Villa Park


Chelseavs Fulham19:45Stamford Bridge

Newcastle Unitedvs Blackburn Rovers19:45St. James' Park

West Ham Unitedvs West Bromwich Albion19:45Boleyn Ground

Wigan Athleticvs Liverpool19:45DW Stadium

Evertonvs Bolton Wanderers20:00Goodison Park

Manchester Cityvs Manchester United20:00City of Mcr. Stadium

Wolverhampton Wanderersvs Arsenal20:00Molineux