Tech

In brief: First Lady backs Rugyendo’s startup; your data not safe with NIRA; UCC, Bolt Uganda jobs; new SafeBoda app & more

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Janet Museveni Gokada

Good afternoon, Briefing reader!

In your Thursday briefing, we bring you the latest information in the tech and startup ecosystem, focusing mainly on Uganda and a few reports from across the continent.

The reports are presented briefly with referral links to detailed reports. We want people who published the original content to benefit from our readers.

Janet Museveni endorses e2 Young engineers

e2 Young engineers, an ed-tech startup managed by businessman Arinaitwe Rugyendo has been endorsed by First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni, who is also the minister of Education & Sports.

Headquartered in Israel, the firm, which promotes STEM education among young learners (4 to 15), has spread across the globe in more than forty countries through a franchise program.

Rugyendo accompanied the Israeli Deputy Ambassador to Uganda Eyal David who was meeting Janet Museveni at State House in Nakasero, Kampala.

She called on the ministry of education officials who attended the meeting to assess e2 Young engineers and see if it can be supported to drive the ministry’s vision.

Read the full story here

If hacked, Nira can’t recover your data

The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has revealed that it has no disaster recovery system to retrieve information in case it is lost after a disaster, say floods or hackers, strikes.

NIRA Executive Director Judy Obitre Gama told Parliaments committee on Commissions, Statutory Authority and State Enterprises (COSASE) that Authority requested Shs16bn to acquire a system to ensure there is a strong plan for data recovery but they are yet to get the funds.

Read the full story here

Jobs at UCC, SafeBoda, Bolt Uganda

There are vacant positions in the communications, engineering and operations departments of the aforementioned firms.

At UCC, there are 10 openings (and you can see them here), Bolt Uganda is recruiting a country manager (see here) and SafeBoda is hiring for Kenya and Uganda (see here.)

New SafeBoda app

Ride-hailing firm SafeBoda has rolled out a new application.

We tested the application and it has lots of new features.

For instance, you’ll now able to get updates on promotions through the app, they’re adding more feedback options, including being able to type a comment, they have made top-ups during the trip possible and you can now track your trip through the map.

Smile Group gets new CEO, deputy chairman

Smile Telecoms has unveiled Ahmad Farroukh and Irene Charnley as Group Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman respectively.

Farroukh has previously worked with Africa’s largest telecom firm MTN Group, serving as CEO for its subsidiaries in Nigeria and South Africa as well as CEO of Mobily, Saudi Arabia’s second largest telecommunications operator.

Charnley is a founder of and a shareholder in Smile Telecoms, which is currently operational in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Read the full story here

Gokada, SafeBoda’s main rival in Nigeria, gets new CEO, raises Series A

Ayodeji Adewunmi is the new co-CEO of Gokada, the biggest motorcycle taxi-hailing firm in Nigeria. Adewunmi is also the founder of Jobberman, Nigeria biggest recruitment website, which he left to work with Rise Capital as managing director.

Rise Capital has invested $5.3 million in Gokada, which will soon face fierce competition from SafeBoda that also recently nabbed a Series B. other motorcycle taxi-hailing firms in Nigeria are Max and ORide, which will be rolled out on May 27 by browser maker Opera.

Read the full story here

Related:

IT project to facilitate seamless data exchange among govt entities takes shape

SafeBoda revs up plans to launch food delivery service, launch in Nigeria

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