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Maren Hald Bjørgum
Chief Communications Officer (CCO) at Emata
Maren Hald Bjørgum is the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) at Emata, a startup that utilizes AI to provide financial solutions for farmers in Africa. She is recognized for her expertise in digital communication, focusing on strategies that enhance engagement and outreach within the fintech sector.
Professional Background
- Current Role: CCO at Emata, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's communication strategy and public relations efforts.
- Previous Experience: Maren has worked with Laboremus Uganda and has a strong background in digital media, communications strategy, and content creation.
Education
Maren holds a Master of Global Affairs, which she completed between 2015 and 2017. This educational background supports her role in navigating complex communication challenges in the tech and finance sectors.
Skills and Interests
Maren is skilled in:
- Communications Strategy
- Digital Media
- Social Media Management
- Copywriting
- Photography
She is actively involved in initiatives that promote the use of technology in agriculture and finance, aiming to improve the livelihoods of farmers through innovative solutions.
For more details about her professional journey, you can find her LinkedIn profile under the username marenbjorgum.
Highlights
Hats off to my Team #RwenzoriMarathon for this HUGE milestone. 👏 👏 👏 Our little big marathon is internationally certified by the World Athletics Federation. A huge win for our team, but also for the Ugandan running community we are representing! 🇺🇬
🌍 This elite status means our marathon course (and half marathon and 10k) is globally recognized, allowing Ugandan runners to qualify for international races (like the Olympics) without having to travel abroad!
📐 World Athletics is the global governing body for track and field, road and mountain running. The certification followed a comprehensive assessment led by Grade A measurer Gavin Wright in Kasese, Uganda, in March.
🏃🏾♀️ As the only Ugandan marathon certified by World Athletics, this is a significant milestone for us. Since our inception in 2022, we have worked to create a world-class event that showcases Uganda internationally. This certification comes earlier than expected, and I need to applaud our race director, Julius Nkuraija, for pushing this. Kudos also goes to the rest of Team Rwenzori Marathon: Amos Wekesa, Masiga Colline, ADIT, Mboha Melissa and Edward Matumbwe (and Kylan Wekesa).
📈 According to a Makerere University's Tourism Research & Development Centre study conducted last year, the Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon injected UGX 3.5 billion into Kasese's economy during last year's race. 30% of our runners visited Kasese for the first time for the marathon.
🛫 And to all the runners in my feed: Our third edition is coming up on August 24. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a world-class event that celebrates athleticism, community, and the beauty of the Rwenzori region.
Finally, to Andrew Kabuura, who forced me to do pushups in heels ON STAGE at the press conference: Vengeance will be served when you least expect it.
KYC is the foundation of financial services. However, lengthy, repetitive, manual KYC can break a startup trying to innovate.
Yesterday, I moderated an insightful panel on National Information Technology Authority-Uganda's #UGhub and the progress of data sharing between public and private entities.
Some thoughts ⬇
While Emata has tried to cut lengthy KYC processes down to the bare minimum, we still can't get around doing repeat work. By repeat work, I mean collecting information on our farmers that is already available from the databases of NIRA, URSB and other government entities.
Available, but not accessible.
What NITA-U has done with #UGhub is make public databases accessible through one centralized hub. This is, in many ways, a game-changer. And a big exercise in trust, and how tech can promote trust.
We often hear phrases like “data is the new oil” or “AI is the new oil,” emphasizing their transformative impact on society and the economy. In my home country Norway (incidentally an oil nation), we have coined a different phrase: Trust is the new oil.
Trust is the foundation upon which we build our institutions, innovations and collaborations.
With #UGhub, this means:
- Trust in the data’s accuracy and relevance
- Trust in the system’s security and privacy
- Trust among the stakeholders involved
In a country like Uganda, where trust is often fragile and foolhardy, the lack of trust across systems, institutions and people means huge operational costs.
In fostering trust, we allow for an efficient, innovative and inclusive private sector that can use government data for business growth AND societal good. The potential for positive impact is immense—ranging from improved financial services and inclusive banking to innovative tech solutions that address real-world challenges.
#UGhub is a starting point for all of this, and shows how technology can be used to build trust and transparency in a system that has been suffering from the lack thereof for a long time.
Yesterday's panel discussed benefits & challenges for the private sector players who've integrated with #UGhub:
- Ronald Mugisha (Uganda Bankers' Association)
- Barbra Among Arinda (Credit Reference Bureau Association of Uganda)
- Kenneth Muhangi (FITSPA Uganda)
- Timothy Musoke (Laboremus Uganda)
- Robert Ntalaka (Association of Microfinance Institutions of Uganda)
The conclusion? We are off to a great start. Our cautious first steps have been instrumental in Uganda being taken off the FATF greylist a few weeks back.
But #UGhub needs to expand. We want access to more data. And so we still have a long journey ahead. But this start is very promising!
Thank you to Collin Babirukamu, Tonny Bbosa, Florence Mukankusi and the entire team at NITA-U for the work and the event. 😊
