Business round up

MTN to give away Rwf100m in new promotion During the launch of its festive season promotion, MTN Rwanda said it will be giving out Rwf 100 million, a move that is also aimed at protecting the companys` clients from its competitors Tigo Rwanda and Rwandatel. The promotion will give MTN customers to win up to Rwf 1million daily as well as Rwf 20 million to two monthly winners for 60 days. For one to be a winner, sends a text ‘Win or Tsinda’ using a Short Message Service (SMS) to code 180 and an automatic system responds by sending a question one has to answer correctly to be awarded points that enables him or her to join the competition. MTN`s Chief Executive Officer, Khaled Mikkawi, said that “For 60 days, someone on our network will win Rwf1 million and two people will win Rwf20 million, meaning a total of Rwf100 million is up for grabs.” The draws will be done every Friday and the system will be selecting the top 11 numbers with the highest points which will enter the draw and select the winner. Star Times targets country wide reach by 2012 The CEO, Star Times-a pay-per-view TV company, Dr Ken Xie, announced that the company is working hard to ensure that by 2012, subscribers over the whole country can be able to subscribe. Xie told Business Times that this will be done by the help of the new technology which will enable easy and high speed signal transmission. “We are making sure that the remaining areas can, by June, be getting our signals clearly,” Xie said. The official noted that the aim will be achieved based on the measures put in place so as to contribute towards government’s vision of shifting the broadcast media from the current analog to digital era by 2012. “After introducing digital TV sets which does not require decoders as well as embarking on the terrestrial technology- a high quality in the communication link, we now aim at enabling Rwandans access the service irrespective of where they are,” he said. RRA in VAT Campaign In a bid to increase tax compliance, Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) launched a campaign to sensitize the business community about registering for Value Added Tax (VAT) and issuing VAT invoices. The exercise also involved cracking down deliberate VAT defaulters among the business community. RRA’s Director for Tax Payer Services, Gerard Nkusi Mukubu, noted that while many traders and entrepreneurs are aware of VAT registration procedures, there is still need for more sensitization to increase compliance. Mukubu said that “We have launched this operation to specifically educate traders on the importance of paying VAT, as well as to penalize those who deliberately default.”The operation began in Nyarugenge central business area and will be rolled out countrywide in the next few weeks. Bralirwa scoops Heineken’s brand building award It was reported that Bralirwa won Heineken’s prestigious “Brand Building Award” for its nationwide activation and celebration of Primus’ 50th anniversary last year.The activation pushed Primus to a continued growth of over 20 percent and significantly impacted on and improved the Primus brand strength and equity. The awards was open to all Heineken operations in the world, where Bralirwa was selected and invited to the gala in Amsterdam as one of the 15 finalists,and honoured with award for the category brand activation. The brand building awards recognised five different categories commercial initiatives including brand innovation, brand communication, brand activation and customer marketing. Bralirwa’s Commercial Director, Alexander Koch said that “We are very proud to have won this award. It is a great achievement and recognition for Bralirwa, and even Rwanda.” He added that the award confirms that Bralirwa is living up to its mission to be a world-class beverage producing company. RIG foresees growth in profit Rwanda Investment Group (RIG) anticipates posting significant profit this year due to improved local and global economic conditions. RIG`s Director General, Fiacre Birasa, said that the expectation is due to the global economic recovery. “The major difference this year is that we have been able to mobilize financing for some of our projects due to improved economic environment,” Birasa said. Birasa also commented on how the company has been successful in accessing two loans valued at Rwf 170 million saying this has helped in the company`s plans to invest more. RIG reported a net profit of Rwf977.8 million earned last year. Owned by some 41 shareholders, RIG comprises of 6 institutional investors, 4 mid-sized private companies, and 31 individuals. Recently, the African Development Bank (AFDB) approved a $30m loan to allow RIG’s subsidiary, CIMERWA, Rwanda’s largest cement factory to construct its planned energy-efficient 600,000 tonne capacity cement plant. Rwanda adopts embryo transfer for quality dairy output In a move that will boost milk production with good genetics in the country, Government turned to the embryo transfer system. According to Theogene Rutagwenda, the Director General of Rwanda Animal Resources Development Authority (RARDA), Rwanda started transforming her indigenous cattle herd by transferring local cows with embryo from dairy exotic bulls like Friesians and Jerseys. “The embryo transferred to traditional breed will have strong immunity of the mother and will successfully adapt to an extraordinary range of diseases and climate changes,” Rutagwenda said. The effort will yield good results in increasing milk production in the country since cross-breeds produce more milk than local cows. , Rutagwenda added that embryo transfer is a more advanced process compared to artificial insemination. “It (embryo transfer) gives assurance than the limited chances involved in artificial insemination.” RARDA, the government agency responsible for the development of animal production, trained five staff members to conduct the embryo transfer. Rutagwenda, however, warned that the breed will still need extra care and maintenance to improve productivity. Ends