Ambition Mission is all about inspiring young people

Ambition Mission, a community of young Ugandans aged 15-25 who are united in their desires to achieve their personal ambitions in life is currently playing a key role in shaping the future of the country.

Across Uganda, thousands of young people have pledged to show the world that they are focused on achieving their dreams by joining Ambition Mission and fundamentally agreeing to say no to tobacco. Which is one of the two key pillars of Ambition Mission.

Yosia Lukwago, the key contact of Ambition Mission,says that the Ambition Mission community has two goals; to inspire young Ugandans to achieve their personal ambitions in life by encouraging them to believe in themselves, respect themselves and stay focused on their goals; secondly to encourage these motivated young people to reject tobacco in all its forms as a way of showing themselves and the world that they are on the right path to achieving their dreams.

                    

According to Yosia, young people play a critical role in the development of society and that the groundwork for the future is now.

“Teenagers are often held hostage by the assumption that they are troublemakers and can do no good. That is quite a stereotype because they are the next generation. They will be running the world someday; as such, we have to give them the necessary guidance to ensure they meet their life aspirations,” says Yosia.

Statistics from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics indicate that Uganda has a high population of young people under the age of 25 years.The statistics further reveal that 47.3% of the population is below the age 15, 23.3% are adolescents and 33.5% are generally classified as young people. This therefore makes the case for empowering young people more profound because they are not only the future, but also the present.

Ambition Mission supports and inspires young people to achieve their dreams through activities such as weekly radio shows, a regular youth magazine and an inspiring Facebook page. Competitions like Rising Stars give motivated, ambitious young people the opportunity to be recognised for their ambitions and to meet and be inspired by their celebrity role models.

The Ambition Mission community is supported and sponsored by a group of people and organisations who believe in the potential of young Ugandans and want to help them in achieving their dreams of a better life. These include Limelight, Buzz, Kinaya, Every1Mobile, Good Business and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Concerning recent chatter on social media and in some tabloids about Ambition Mission Yosia has this to say “All the allegations concerning Ambition Mission are totally false. It saddens me that one of the few youth initiatives that teaches our kids to be more focused and driven and at the same time encourages them to stay away from vices that will hinder their ability to be the best individuals they can be would receive such terribly false and malicious accusations.” He went on to advise “Ambition Mission has never sent out messages encouraging the illuminati or homosexuality so if you have received a message of that kind, in any form, it is fraudulent and you should report it to the authorities. Please provide details of the person / number from which you were contacted – they have nothing to do with Ambition Mission".

About Ambition Mission

Ambition Mission is all about daring to dream. We believe that within all young people is greatness and we are here to inspire and help you to fulfill your potential and achieve your goals.

Staying clear of tobacco is how we show we believe in ourselves, respect ourselves and are focused on our ambitions.

So if you are age 15-25 and committed to achieving your dreams then fall in and take the Pledge to join Ambition Mission!

The Ambition Mission Pledge:

I am a rising star. I am not afraid.
I am young. But I know what’s right.
I am ambitious. I am not tobacco.
I am focus. I am respect. I am self-belief.
I AM AMBITION MISSION.

After taking the pledge, go to Shoprite at Lugogo and Clock Tower or any Nakumatt supermarket in Kampala and Entebbe or Smart Shoppers supermarket in Masaka, show the manager on duty your SMS from AmbitionUG to get your Ambition Mission wristband.

Young Ugandans everywhere are keeping it 100 at Ambition Mission so be about that life!
 Website: http://www.ambitionmission.ug/

MTN Enables Shell Customers to Purchase Fuel Using MTN Mobile Money

Shell Customers can now purchase fuel and other Shell products using MTN Mobile Money. This follows an agreement between Vivo Energy, the operators of Shell in Uganda, and MTN Uganda that will enable customers purchasing products from Shell stations nationwide to pay for the latter’s services using Mobile Money on their phones.

MTN, through its Mobile Money service, has embarked on a series of innovations geared towards transitioning Ugandan’s into a cashless society. With this launch, MTN Mobile Money customers will be able to make transactions for all Shell services at 51 stations countrywide.

As MTN Chief Executive Officer Brian Gouldie noted; “It is yet another step in MTN’s intent towards the creation of a cashless society, where lives are improved through the ease, and convenience of MTN Mobile Money."

Mobile Money will be used to transact at Shell service stations across Uganda, starting with 51 stations.

“The Mobile Money experience is simple, easy to use, secure and reliable, affording MTN and Shell customers’ the convenience of paying for their fuel or purchases, without having to worry about carrying enough cash. Our vision for Mobile Money is for a solution that drives efficiency, productivity and enhances the lifestyles of our customers through a cashless way of living” said MTN’s General Manager for Mobile Financial Services, Phrase Lubega.

By June 30^th 2015, MTN had recorded a 12.8 percent increase in Mobile Money subscribers, from 7.3 million (at the end of 2014) to 8.2 million.

“Vivo Energy is currently running 120 services stations in Uganda and operates across 16 African markets, distributing and marketing Shell branded products. This alliance with MTN affirms Vivo Energy’s commitment to continuously bring innovative solutions to our growing number of customers,” noted Hans Paulsen, the Managing Director, Vivo Energy Uganda.

To use the service, a customer will simply have to talk to a Shell attendant, who wills the guide the customer through the steps to complete the transaction.

About MTN Uganda

Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services and Internet Service Provisioning. As of 30^th June 2015, MTN Uganda recorded 11.1 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com.

Customers can also follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnug  for assistance.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30th June 2015, MTN recorded 231 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit us at, www.mtnbusiness.com, www.mtn.com  and www.mtnmmo.com

Gulu up next as the Airtel Rising Stars Regional Games wind up in Mbale

The Airtel Rising Stars Eastern and North Eastern regional qualifier games were held in Mbale town over the weekend. The games were played at different venues in Mbale with the finals being held at Mbale Municipal Stadium.

The regional games took place on Friday 29^thand Saturday 30^thof August with Pallisa United (boys from Eastern region), Highway High School, Sironko (girls from Eastern region) and Light High School (boys from North Eastern region), Olila High School (girls from North Eastern region) emerging as the regions’ champions.

The Winning teams for both boys and girls from the East and North Eastern regions, won trophies, certificates, balls, kits and cash prize of UGX 1,000,000 each. While the boys’ and girls’ first runners up, took home trophies, certificates, and a cash of UGX 500,000 each.

The boys and girls that exhibited remarkable talent were selected from the different regional teams to represent their regions in the national championships to take place in Mbarara inOctober.

Speaking at the games in Mbale, Airtel Uganda Brands Assets and Properties Executive, Musa Mayanja, said; “Airtel is dedicated to nurturing young talent through the Under 17 grassroots football initiative that enables us to reach out to the youth. It is our desire to see young people live their dream and soccer is one of our major platforms in doing so .This soccer tournament provides this opportunity to the youngsters and creates a great opportunity for the players to engage more in the game.”

The Airtel Rising Stars football initiative is the the biggest Under-17 grassroots tournament on the African continent and aims at identifying talent and nurturing upcoming footballers. This is one of the few football equal opportunity initiatives that targets boys and girls. Over the years, the Airtel Rising Stars initiative has yielded many success stories and has enabled several upcoming soccer talents to join Africa Premier League clubs and their countries’ national teams.

                           

                                 

The final regional games will be in Gulu on the 10^th and 11^th of September, 2015. Airtel, currently the largest supporter of youth football on the continent, has partnered with FUFA to ensure that football regulations are followed in Uganda.

About Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 328 million customers across its operations at the end of May 2015. To know more please visit:www.airtel.com

Uganda’s Sax Aces bring Jazz to town at the Qwela Junction

The second edition of the Qwela Junction left many in awe and confident about the future of Uganda’s Jazz music industry.

Happening at the Kampala Serena Hotel, the Jazz concert dubbed as Qwela Junction and powered by Airtel Uganda, was part of the latest move by the telecom giant to support the music industry. Having earlier had a successful jazz concert with South African Jazz Legend, Hugh Masereka alongside Isaiah Katumwa, Airtel partnered with Qwela Band to bring together the Old School and New School of Uganda’s Jazz industry.

With Uganda’s Jazz legend, Moses Matovu celebrating over 40 years in the music industry, the show was as electrifying as had been expected.

First came Kenneth Mugabi, renowned music storyteller and guitarist. And with his every verse came more cheers from the audience as he scripted his music to fit the evening’s mood. Then came the new generation Jazz artists; Brian Mugyenyi, Michael Kitanda, Mo Roots, Joseph Sax and Happy K. Serenading the crowd with the ever soothing saxophone sounds with their latest songs and collaborations. This had the crowd on their feet singing to the new and old music where deceased legendary musician Elly Wamala was honored with a couple of hits.

Isaiah Katumwa had a grand performance while collaborating with the new generation Jazz artists in songs that awed everyone. Playing with his mini saxophone, he entertained the audience to some of his latest and greatest works.

Then came Moses Matovu, celebrating over 40 years in the industry, he played his heart out and showed how far Uganda’s Jazz music  has come. He performed alongside the new generation artists and was full of praise of the way Jazz music is taking and what Airtel has done to support the genre.

Speaking at the concert, Airtel Uganda Trade Marketing Executive, Cissy Nakiwu, applauded the Sax Aces and congratulated Moses Matovu on his disciplined and long music career.

“We are delighted to be part of this generation of Jazz music. The genre has come a long way in Uganda and continues to grow. Airtel will continue supporting the music genre with a series of partnerships with local and international artists.” She said.

About Bharti Airtel 

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 333 million customers across its operations at the end of July 2015. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com