MONDAY 19 JUNE 2017 MARKETPLACEMAR | 7 HEALTH | 10 BOLLYWOOD | 11 BlueB Salon unveils Parkinson’s begins Hrithik didn’t want anotheranother AAignerigne & Sabah Arbilli in gut cells: remake after ‘Knightht and and tie-up Study Day’: Siddharth Email: [email protected] Corner shops, markets and street traders are still the traditional way most Senegalese do their shopping, but micro- businesses are turning to digital means of tracking clients in the west African nation’s informal economy. P | 4-5 GOING DIGITAL 03 MONDAY 19 JUNE 2017 CAMPUS Rajagiri School organises closing ceremony of Environment Week he students of Grade 1 and 2 organised a color- ful function to mark the closing of Environment Week at Rajagiri. Apart Tfrom excellent speeches by Akshit Sumesh of 2B and Tanish of 1 D, students of 2 D presented a skit to highlight the importance of trees in nature and our responsibility to protect them in order to save life. Their slogan ‘stand for what you stand on’ helped them carry the message home. Qatar-Finland International School holds end of year celebrations he Qatar-Finland Interna- got to see strongmen, lions and hula one final encore before parading speech to thunderous applause. It tional School held their hoops. For the final circus act, the the hall to earn their well-deserved was a tough act to follow but Mr Tannual end of year celebra- stage exploded with colour as rib- standing ovation. Repo gave a final speech to all those tions on June 15. The grade 2 and 4 bon dancers, magicians and clowns Cuteness was provided by the assembled. The teachers wanted choir and the teacher’s band stole the limelight. school’s philosophical grade 0s. In their own share of the spotlight and opened the ceremony with a rous- The importance of Arabic in our what has become a yearly tradition, gave a performance of traditional ing rendition of ‘the Circus is school curriculum was highlighted the grade 6 students were given Finnish instrumental music to coming to town’. in a touching scene, showing a roses by their grade 0 friends to round off the day. Students were shown the young apprentice learning how to mark their graduation into the The Finnish educational system importance of practicing skills tame a lion with his Arabic speak- upper school. They then contem- is regarded as one of the best in the through a scene with the world’s ing master. plated their future years with an world. Qatar-Finland International saddest clown who desperately The lion theme continued as adorable version of ‘Que Sera, Sera’. School offers the best educational wanted to join the circus. The audi- Grade 4 showed their incredible One of the school’s shining stars, practices from Finland and a Finn- ence was then treated to an array choreography skills with a dance Jyry, spoke very little English when ish curriculum in English. From this of acrobats, jugglers and tightrope routine set to Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’. he started last year. He gave a won- September, the school will teach walkers. If that wasn’t enough, we The stars of the show performed derful, articulate and confident students from Grade 0-Grade 8. 04 COVER STORY MONDAY 19 JUNE 2017 Senegal’s corner shops go digital Dakar AFP orner shops, markets and street traders are still the traditional way most Senegalese do their shopping, but micro- Cbusinesses are turning to digital means of tracking clients in the west African nation’s informal economy. Amadou Bawol Bah, like many owners of the corner “boutiques” in Senegal, used to have a large ledger he filled in each day with purchases and credit offered to his customers. “One day I was filling in some details and some cooking oil tipped onto the ledger,” he recalled of the moment in 2015 that wiped out years of careful bookkeeping. Bawol Bah’s disaster became the inspiration for a locally- designed app called “Weebi”, meaning “easy” in the local Pulaar language, and the trader hasn’t looked back since downloading it. start-up with two other Senegalese Around half of Senegal’s regis- the end of the month. “Weebi simplifies sales and my and a Frenchman. tered businesses are one-man In the case of accidents like invoices. The tablet and smart- A micro-printer for receipts traders like Bawol Bah, according Bawol Bah’s, the app comes with phone replaces the notebook and completes the mix, Sene added. to government statistics, and oper- confidential backup for each user, pen,” explained Weebi’s co-founder ate at thin margins with clients according to Weebi, so data remains Cheikh Sene, who began his App ambitions often reliant on credit paid back at safe in case of loss or damage to a device. After winning a prize for digital innovation at the Africa-France summit held in Bamako in January, Weebi’s ambitions are growing in the capital. Although just 40 users so far have the app, which is a standalone download or can be bought for 118,000 FCFA ($200) preloaded onto a tablet, 300 clients have shown an interest in the product in the Dakar area. Marieme Assietou Diagne, who manages a health food delivery business, says she has gained “more free time and better sales” since using the software. “It helps us to follow clients — who are the regulars, the number of orders, and how many meals we are selling per day,” she said. “We can reward loyal customers at the end of the month.” 05 MONDAY 19 JUNE 2017 COVER STORY Overcoming illiteracy to run it all day are prohibitive for informal sector to manage their simpler and more accurate. Other small business owners most, and training in accountancy work more effectively, and gives Pricing is also flexible for cli- have begun using “Somtou”, a con- programmes or software such as them more precise estimates of ents without much upfront cash. sole launched in May with an Microsoft Excel hard to come by income, revenue and clients,” Bou- “Some will pay 13,000 FCFA interface specifically designed for without paying for classes. lou said. That can empower them ($22) per month for two years, or Senegal’s majority illiterate popu- With sturdy casing and bright to better bargain wholesale costs 500 FCFA (85 US cents) a day for lation that works with icons and graphics, Somtou is aimed squarely and promotions, making businesses two years,” Boulou explained, as the voice commands. at market traders and small busi- more effective, he added, while fil- single payment of 275,000 FCFA The upstart costs of buying a nesses, said its Cameroonian creator ing of tax returns and other was prohibitive for many — and he laptop and the electricity required Ted Boulou. “It allows those in the government documents became has taken 100 orders. 06 MARKETPLACE MONDAY 19 JUNE 2017 Alfardan Sports Motors honours staff with Iftar lfardan Sports Motors, the official dealer of Ferrari and Maserati in Qatar, hosted an exclusive Iftar gathering for its staff at Marsa Malaz Kempinski, in line with the Aspirit of giving that marks the holy month of Ramadan. The dealership brought together staff mem- bers from various departments including workers and technicians of the after-sales serv- ice centre for a team appreciation Iftar gathering at the luxury hotel’s palatial Ramadan tent. Attendees took this opportunity to enrich their ties by understanding the important role that each one plays in the organisation to achieve a unified goal of service excellence and cus- tomer satisfaction. The event reflected the sincere efforts towards building the brand. Our Motors. camaraderie between employees, regardless success stems from our people. We are grateful Alfardan Sports Motors continuously strives of their diverse roles, as they bonded over the for their hard work and dedication, and hope to to deliver automotive excellence standards to traditional flavours of the festive occasion. bring a smile on their faces by recognising their Qatar for both Maserati and Ferrari. Apart from “The Holy Month of Ramadan inspires us to support and respect for the values of work in every introducing world-class products and services, think beyond ourselves. Alfardan Sports Motors possible way. We wish our staff a prosperous the dealership is committed towards social is pleased to host a private Iftar for our staff as Ramadan,” said Charly Dagher, General Manager responsibility by organising year-round activ- we focus on honouring and appreciating their of Ferrari and Maserati Qatar at Alfardan Sports ities for its staff and the community. Holiday Villa Doha holds thanksgiving Suhoor n celebration of the Holy Month of Ramadan With the Southeast Asian serene ambiance of management interacted with the travel trade, and the coming 8th anniversary of Holiday the Emerald Ballroom, the gathering brought a corporate clients, media, embassies and part- IVilla Hotel & Residence Doha, the manage- fusion of Asian Ramadan experience and inter- ners to thank them for their unwavering support ment recently hosted a thanksgiving Suhoor for national dining to its delighted guests. and the attendees were thrilled with a gastro- its clients, partners, suppliers and the media. General Manager Joey Chen and the nomic fair of unforgettable fine mix of signature delicacies. The buffet offered a mouthwatering array of Asian, Arabic, Indian, Oriental and West- ern cuisines. The evening was filled with bursting flavours of delightful treats and good conversations. Chen said, “Ramadan has always given us the opportunity to share our banquets with the people who have supported Holiday Villa Doha all these years and this suhoor enabled us to thank them for always believing in our services.