Congolese mobile duo given until June 2015 to complete network improvements

MTN Congo and Airtel Congo have invested USD50 million and USD20 million, respectively, on enhancing their networks with a view to improving coverage and quality of service, Biztech Africa reports.

As noted in TeleGeography's GlobalComms Database, Yves Castanou, director-general of the Agence de Regulation des Postes et Communications (ARPCE), revealed in April 2014 that both mobile network operators had been fined failing to adhere to legal and regulatory obligations related to performance, quality and availability of their mobile infrastructure. With both having committed to carrying out work to improve their networks, these projects had initially been scheduled for completion by December 2014. Now, however, Mr Castanou has confirmed that both MTN and Airtel will continue work until June 2015, following delays which had been attributed to electricity and logistics challenges. Having recently met with officials of both companies, the regulatory head noted that he had extended the deadline for work after considering requests from the cellcos, saying: ‘It's true that the operators are experiencing a couple of problems, but they are working. We postponed the deadline to June as we believe that all the work will be completed by then.

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Paga launches Android customer transaction app

Paga, one of Nigeria's leading mobile payment companies, has announced the launch of a new customer transaction channel - Paga for Android in a bid to make payment more accessible for its users.

The firm, in a statement explained that the application is available for download at Google play store. It also stated that the application designed by Paga's in-house technical team, gives users direct access to Paga services from any android device.

In addition, with limited reliance on Internet, low data consumption and network connectivity the application, according to the firm, had been positioned to provide users with a better and faster experience.

Commenting on the launch of Paga for Android, the Head of Consumer Business at Paga, Daniel Oparison said: "At Paga our service offerings are carefully designed to respond to our customer's pain points and this additional channel simply reinforces our commitment towards eliminating the stress of traffic, bank queues or carrying cash around.

"Paga for Android is designed to put the power back in the hands of the consumer; by giving them the freedom to pay their bills, buy airtime, and send money to bank accounts and much more, on the go.

"The ability to solve issues around payments unique to our region of the world, is one of the many reasons Paga continues to be the number one option for millions of Nigerians looking for simple solutions to pay and get paid.”

Furthermore, the statement stressed that in line with the company's promise to deliver accessible payments options, the application allows users to transact with a debit card.

They can also use the app to send money or airtime directly to contacts on their phones list; or find their nearest Paga agent, it added.

Commenting on why Paga introduced the additional transaction channel to the market, the company's Founder/CEO, Tayo Oviosu said: "Paga for Android brings a world of convenience to the fingertips of every Nigerian with an Android phone. I am very excited about that and about the various payment innovations we plan to bring to the market

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Liquid Telecom raises US$150m to extend broadband in Africa

The Liquid T e l e c o m Group recently announced that it has raised US$150 million which will fund the further expansion of its fibre network in Africa.

Liquid Telecom is a pioneering company that has improved the telecoms infrastructure of Africa.

It has spent more than five years building what is now Africa's largest independent cross-border fibre network which runs across 15 nations in East and Central Africa, covering Africa's fast-growing economies where no fixed network has existed before and connecting to all the subsea cables.

The network currently spans over 18,000km and includes fibre rings around a multitude of towns and cities and The East Africa Fibre Ring - the first fully redundant regional fibre ring in East Africa.

The new investment will be used to extend Liquid Telecom's fibre network into additional countries as part of the company's continuous expansion strategy. It will also finance ongoing Fibre to the Home (FTTH) builds in Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe which will provide homes and businesses with unlimited data packages and 100Mbps, the fastest broadband ever available in Africa. Liquid Telecom's customers include other wholesale carriers, mobile network operators, ISPs, financial institutions and businesses of all sizes and homes. It also operates retail businesses in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Nic Rudnick, CEO of the Liquid Telecom Group, who has been listed as one of the top 100 most influential people in the global telecoms industry said, "We believe in the power of connectivity to transform lives and our goal is to connect as many people in Africa as possible. Our fibre networks provide capacity for high-speed fixed and mobile broadband networks, enabling Africans to access digital content, apps and OTT services. This funding will help us in our mission of building Africa's digital future.”

The US$150 million loan for Liquid Telecom was facilitated by Standard Chartered and provided by large global investment banks.

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DHL Named Africa’s Number One International Freight Forwarder

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist within Deutsche Post, has scooped the award for Africa’s International Freight Forwarder of the Year for the 3rd time. The International Award for Excellence in Air Cargo was voted by STAT Times’ readers worldwide and given to DHL at the STAT Times Awards in Johannesburg on February 26.

Roger Olsson, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Sub Saharan Africa, who received the award, said: “DHL offers tailor-made solutions to businesses in Africa and it’s a service that’s second to none. It’s a tribute – to be named number one by STAT Time’s readers – to DHL’s strong African team that their dedication to excellence in international freight forwarding has been recognised yet again. DHL has been supporting the business in Africa for more than 35 years now but what’s most important is that we have continued to anticipate, adapt and create services that clearly meet Africa’s fast evolving business needs and help fulfill its vast potential.”

According to the 2014 yearend report(1) by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), trade activity across the African region remained positive despite major economies Nigeria and South Africa underperforming for parts of 2014. Regional growth supported demand for air freight and capacity rose just 0.9% for the year as a whole, helping to strengthen load factors. African carriers’ freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) grew by 12.2% in December and 6.7% for the year as a whole. Globally, the air cargo business is growing again after several years of stagnation with demand growth up 4.5% compared to 2013 measured by freight FTKs. As a global market leader, DHL Global Forwarding has been the leading service provider in the region’s air freight industry. With a focus on the Oil and Gas and the Mining sectors in the past few years, DHL’s freight management team has been very successful in developing customized solutions for customers in these sectors. DHL Global Forwarding also saw significant volume growth in Africa in both its regular and charter operations connecting all regions with Africa for the Oil and Gas and the Mining sectors. In addition, the India-Africa and China-Africa lanes are growing strongly, driven mainly by the life sciences, pharmaceutical and high tech sectors. Organized by STAT Times, the international multimodal transport media, the International Award for Excellence in Air Cargo was launched in 2006 to support excellence across different sectors of the air cargo industry during its biennial International Air Cargo events.

Worldwide readers of STAT Times vote for the industry leader through an online poll, spanning a month. The award was presented to DHL at the Barnyard Theatre in Rivonia, South Africa, on February 26 as part of the AIR CARGO AFRICA 2015 event.

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Ghana winger Albert Adomah rediscovers scoring touch for Middlesbrough

Ghana winger Albert Adomah has rediscovered his scoring form for English side Middlesbrough after playing 20 matches without scoring for the Championship club.

The 27-year-old scored his first goal since October to secure a 1-0 Sky Bet Championship victory over Bolton at the Riverside Stadium.

The winger had gone 20 games without scoring, but showed no signs of nerves as he slotted a calm finish past Amos.

The Ghanaian is played behind strikers last season which resulted in goals, says the change in position might have affected his scoring form

Adomah told the Evening Gazette: “I have played in a very different role this season, but it has definitely, definitely developed me as a player.

Middlesbrough kept up the pressure on Sky Bet Championship leaders Derby as they ground out a scratchy 1-0 victory over Bolton.

Albert Adomah's first-half strike was enough to secure the Teessiders their first win in three matches, and ensure they remained in an automatic promotion place despite their slight recent wobble.

Tomlin was the architect again, threading a delightful ball between Dervite and David Wheater to release Adomah through the middle.

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Rwanda enters two teams for continental events

For the first time in the history of Rwandan cycling, two teams will compete at two concurrent events on the UCI Africa Tour which are the prestigious Tour of Algeria and Tour of Cameroon next month.

Team Karisimbi including reigning Tour du Rwanda winner Valens Ndayisenga, national team captain Janvier Hadi, Jean Bosco Nsengimana, Bonaventure Uwizeyimana, Joseph Biziyaremye and upcoming rider Jeremie Karegeya will compete at the Tour of Algeria from March 6-30 in a bid to earn points for qualification to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

The other team will comprise of youngster Patrick Byukusenge, his older brother Nathan Byukusenge, veteran Abraham Ruhumuriza, Hakuzimana, Emile Bintunimana and Jean Claude Uwizeye will be competing in the Tour of Cameroon from March 13-22. Coach Felix Sempoma, who will be in charge of the team in Cameroon, revealed that Rwanda is capable of winning this event considering the strong side that will be fielded.

“In Patrick Byukusenge, we have a very strong and experienced young rider who we can protect if he gets the yellow jersey. Abraham and Nathan are very experienced riders who know what to do at this level and will bring massive knowledge to Cameroon,” explained Sempoma.

Team Rwanda Cycling head of marketing and logistics Kimberly Coats, who is also the team manager explained that this is a very big achievement for the young riders like Bintunimana, Uwizeye and Karegeya to gain exposure and experience that comes with competing at many continental tournaments. The last time Team Rwanda competed at the Tour of Algeria was in 2012.

This year’s Tour of Algeria will comprise of stages including Circuit International d’Alger, Tour Internationale d’Oraine, Grand Prix de la Ville d’Oran, Tour International de Blida, Criterium International de Setif, Tour International de Setif, Tour Internationale de d’Annaba, Tour International de Constantine, Circuit Internationale de Constantine and Criterium International de Blida.

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Team Rwanda win best African team slot

Team Rwanda Cycling was crowned the best African team at the 10th edition of the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo Tour in Gabon.

The Rwandan riders emerged number one ahead of African giants like Eritrea, Morocco, South Africa, Algeria as well as hosts Gabon, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Ivory Coast.

Team Rwanda finished third in the general classification behind two professional teams, winners Skydive Dubai from the United Arab Emirates and Team Europcar from France.

“We are very excited about being the best African team. From the organizers to the teams and fans here in Gabon, everyone is awed by our performance. This is a very big achievement for Rwandan cycling and we are glad we could rewrite history for our country,” explained the excited coach Felix Sempoma.

Sempoma further mentioned that, “We were competing against very tough teams and to think that we finished above four professional teams from Europe is a very big achievement for us.”

Team Rwanda also finished above Bretagne Séché- Environment (France), Bike Aid (Germany), Roth-Skoda (Switzerland) and Wanty-Groupe Gobert (Belgium).

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Uwizeyimana emerged as the best U-23 rider after registering 23:05:17 to finish ahead of Morocco’s Eddine Salah Mraouni who got 23:05:55 with Eritrea’s Elias Afewerki coming in 3rd position after clocking 23:06:00.

Uwizeyimana also finished sixth in the general classification.

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