On 18th March, MTN Uganda announced the winners of the 2016 edition of the annual MTN Women In Business Awards which were established to honour outstanding women who are leveraging the power of technology to better manage their businesses. This year, MTN gave women in business an opportunity to not only profile their businesses on a grand platform but also to showcase innovative ICT solutions working in businesses in Uganda.
This year’s event saw the Awards winners selected by a prestigous panel of judges and falling under three main categories of Excellence in ICT Award, Excellence in Financial Services Award and the CEO of the Year Award. Alice Karugaba, the well-known owner of Nina Interiors Limited, was named the winner of the prestigious CEO of the Year Award. The Nina Interiors journey started 25 years ago when Alice Karugaba’s friend who owned a furniture company asked her to sell his furniture and compliment it with curtains and other products. From humble beginnings, Alice has taken her company to great heights including Superbrands and ISO certification. Today, the company has 87 staff and branches in both Uganda and Rwanda, and is one of Uganda’s best known luxury goods businesses.
“The MTN Women in Business Awards recognize and celebrate the spirit of excellence that is demonstrated by those outstanding women that have harnessed technology/ICT and talent to grow their businesses and consequently have stood out as drivers of positive change in our communities,” said MTN’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mapula Bodibe. “MTN Uganda has created a platform for women who desire to support the drive for women empowerment by reaching out and collaborate with other women who are passionate about driving positive change in communities throughout Uganda. I am personally delighted to take part in the now annual property that continues to transform society,” she added.
Over the years, MTN Uganda has been at the forefront of supporting Business communities in Uganda through its extensive Enterprise business offering as well as the MTN Business training programs for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The initiative has helped equip business owners with the relevant ICT tools and expertise to not only start up new business ventures but to also grow and enhance their current business to ensure optimum output, increased efficiency and improved profitability. This program has over the last three years extended to Women in Business (WiB) in particular, in an effort to accelerate the role of women in driving enterprise development and job creation.