Drought mitigation in Masvingo Province: UN and partners support irrigation schemes
Following the negative impact of the El-Nino-induced drought that affected Southern Africa, Zimbabwe included, the United Nations (UN) country team is supporting smallholder farmers in irrigation schemes in Masvingo Province. One such initiative is the Mushandike Irrigation Scheme located in Masvingo District which is one of the oldest irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe. The scheme…
Smallholder farmers’ savings and lending groups providing lifeline to children’s education
“I dropped out of school just after starting my secondary level, there was no point – where was I going to get school fees? What about exam registration fees? Dropping out to help my mother work and to take care of my younger siblings was my option”, said Ashley Marime clenching her jaw, clearly trying…
Livestock farming boosts Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector
Livestock farming is vital in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector because it boosts the country’s economy, food security, and rural livelihoods. Farmers, agricultural service providers, and other actors in the livestock value chain rely on livestock for employment and revenue. In a speech read on behalf of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee chairperson in the Ministry of…
AFSA Launches New Booklet Showcasing Agroecology Success Stories From Kenya At COP29
Writes Kirubel Tadele Baku, Azerbaijan – As the second week of COP29 negotiations continues, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) launches its latest publication, Agroecology Works: Evidence from Kenya. This booklet offers a deep dive into the transformative power of agroecology through 15 inspiring stories from across ten counties in Kenya, providing a rich…
UN helps Zimbabwe sustain food and nutrition security: Hon Chadzamira
The Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Masvingo Province, Hon Ezra Chadzamira, has said Zimbabwe has managed to sustain food and nutrition security through United Nations Agencies’ support in the country. He made the remarks in Masvingo today at a workshop by the United Nations in Zimbabwe to build partnerships and…
FAO seeks urgent action to address Eastern Africa’s food security crisis
Eastern Africa is a region of stark contrasts, where immense potential coexists with pressing challenges. On one hand, it presents a myriad of business opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors worldwide, offering a gateway to emerging markets with significant growth potential. However, this promising outlook is tempered by the persistent threat of drought and severe…
AU-IBAR highlights urgent need to address Antimicrobial Resistance
Yesterday, during the opening of the 6th World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) campaign for Africa in Cameroon, AU-IBAR’s Director Dr. Huyam Salih highlighted the urgent need to address Antimicrobial Resistance (hashtag#AMR)—a growing global threat that knows no borders. Dr. Salih underscored that 60-75% of emerging human pathogens originate from animals, making the responsible use of…
CAMFED Learner Guide Program supporting learners to stay and perform well in school
Background Mentoring is a crucial student support service that is aimed at helping individuals discover and develop their educational, vocational, and psychological potentials and thereby achieve an optimal level of personal happiness and social usefulness. To effectively meet the needs of all learners, it is essential that the foundation of mentoring is both systematic…
COP29: Better take no deal as a good deal for a bad deal
COP29 is attempting to replace the supposedly “met” political target of $100 billion with a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance amid tactics of filibustering. Is Africa ready for calls of radical approaches and decisions? By Martha Bekele, Co-founder and Head of Financing at DevTransform; And Wellington Madumira, Coordinator for Climate Action…
Innovative ICT Training Program Launches at Borrowdale Methodist Church
HARARE, ZIMBABWE – Exciting news! Innovative ICT training sessions for children are launching today at Borrowdale Methodist Church in Harare, delivered by local EduTech startup Teach Me Too. This initiative is part of the church’s CSR program, providing a safe environment for kids to explore their creativity and interests while steering them away from harmful…
UN strengthens alliances with the media and other stakeholders in Zimbabwe
The United Nations in Zimbabwe is strengthening alliances with the media and other stakeholders in Zimbabwe to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 goals. This was revealed by His Excellency Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in his remarks at the UN-Media Seminar on Development…
Evangelist Wellington Gweru praises Prophet Shepherd Bushiri for spiritual guidance
Evangelist Wellington Gweru has said a turning point in his spiritual work in serving God was his greatest encounter with Prophet Shepherd Bushiri popularly known as Major 1 in Malawi. Evangelist Gweru was born in the Samambwa area of Zhombe in the Mashavave Village on 10 April 1981 in a hut with traditional midwives….
Deliberately Forgetting Cultural Changes in Zimbabwe
Writes Takura Zhangazha On a recent trip to Bikita, Masvingo we did not have the now ubiquitous flash drive for uninterrupted journey music. What was interesting was that we could purchase one without music and then get someone else to transfer music to it. The person who was to transfer the music to it was…
NetOne Brings Christmas Joy to Matthew Rusike Children’s Home
In a heartwarming demonstration of corporate social responsibility, Zimbabwe’s leading mobile network operator NetOne is set to bring festive cheer to Matthew Rusike Children’s Home in Mzingwane, Matabeleland South Province, through their Christmas Cheers initiative. The event, which will see NetOne executives and team members spending a full day with orphaned children at the facility,…
EAFF Raises Concerns over Food Safety in Eastern Africa Amid Aflatoxin Threats
The Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF) has raised alarm over food safety in the region, particularly in maize production, amid concerns that failure to address these issues could impact negatively on regional trade. Speaking at a workshop in Bomet County, EAFF Chairman Philip Kiriro emphasized the importance of tackling food safety challenges to prevent…
COP29: Climate finance negotiations come to a standstill
Wellington Madumira, the National Coordinator of Climate Action Network (CAN) Zimbabwe has said as we reach the midpoint of COP29, it is deeply disturbing to witness the climate finance negotiations come to a standstill. He said developed nations continue to display a disturbing level of apathy, viewing vital climate finance as mere investments rather than…
Leaders Commit to Creating Pathways for Transformative Education, Skill Development for Children in Southern Africa
Writes Sirak Gebrehiwot 16 November 2024, Victoria Falls – A historic gathering of seven Southern African leaders, international representatives, over 7000 children, and youth took place at Baobab Primary School in the resort town of Victoria Falls to commemorate regional World Children’s Day. The event, attended by dignitaries from across the southern Africa region, emphasized…
Zimbabwe Parliament at COP29: Parliamentary involvement critical in climate change dialogue
Parliamentary involvement is critical in the climate change dialogue and to demonstrate this, the Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe, Hon Advocate Jacob F.N. Mudenda is leading the legislative delegation from the Southern African country in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the parliamentary meeting on the occasion of COP29. The Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Advocate J.F.N Mudenda,…
ZIMSOFF exchange visits help farmers improve agro-ecological practices
Writes Lloyd Rabaya Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers’ Forum (ZIMSOFF)’s recent exchange visit in Shashe, Masvingo, has proved to be of great importance to farmers as they taught each other various agroecology elements. During the two-day visit, farmers had the opportunity to watch and learn from other practicing farmers on best sustainable practices that include water…
Zimbabwe to host African Union Regional Sports Museum
Writes Wallace Mawire Zimbabwe will on Friday 15 November 2024 launch the African Union Sports Council Region Five sports museum after it won this year’s bid to host the continental regional event. The African Union Sports Council Region Five is in Zimbabwe for a series of meetings to discuss matters related to sports…
The Imperative of Upholding Climate Agreements for Local Communities and LMICs
Writes Ebrima Jarra, Soil Scientist and Civil Actor from The Gambia A Path Toward Equitable and Sustainable Development by “The Soil Solution” (NGO) Abstract As climate change accelerates, its impacts disproportionately burden local communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These communities, often with minimal contributions to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, face severe challenges,…
Climate change threatens Africa’s developmental gains
African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Ambassador Josefa Correia Sacko reaffirmed in Baku, Azerbaijan, that climate change poses a threat to Africa’s economies and jeopardises the continent’s developmental gains. Amb Josefa Sacko, who was speaking at the United Nations event on Africa’s climate achievements and the importance of…
USAID supports youth innovation programmes in Zimbabwe
Writes Wallace Mawire The Youth Engagement for Accountability in Zimbabwe (YEAZ) Project Flexible Initiatives to Support Youth Innovations (YEAQZ)’s Explosion! Innovators Pitch Deck held on November 8, 2024, in Harare, Zimbabwe seeks to enhance youth participation in sustainable community leadership, resource governance, and social accountability. The project has capacitated partners to use new and creative…
Gwevedzi Redefined to represent Zimbabwe in Pan-African Music Project “East Meets South”
Fresh off a rebranding and the introduction of a new soulful sound, Zimbabwe’s beloved Afro-acoustic group, Gwevedzi Redefined, is set to make waves on the international stage as part of a new Pan-African music project, East Meets South. This unique collaboration features artists from across Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda,…
Honour commitment to eliminate cholera by 2028: CWGH urges government
Writes Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) commends the government for taking bold and tangible measures to address major public health challenges through its supreme law, the Constitution, the Public Health Act, and indeed other legal and policy frameworks. There have also been corresponding structural arrangements in…
Zimbabwe needs an Independent Complaints Commission now
Writes Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi The recent bribery scandal involving two police officers in Mabvuku, Harare, has once again highlighted the urgent need for reform within Zimbabwe’s law enforcement agencies. This incident is emblematic of a broader pattern of misconduct that has plagued the police and military, raising serious concerns about accountability and public…
Understanding Kidney Disease And Dialysis: A Lifeline for Renal Failure
Writes Wendy Olivier Dialysis is a treatment process of removing excess fluid and waste from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally. Kidney disease is a condition where the kidneys lose their ability to efficiently filter waste products and excess fluids from the blood. This natural function is critical…
Israel deprives Gaza Strip civilians of their most basic human rights
For more than 400 days the people in the Gaza Strip have been subjected to a war of extermination, displacement, and destruction of all human and human life habitats and Israel also continues to use starvation as a weapon in its war on the Gaza Strip by depriving civilians of their most basic human rights…
Regenerative Agriculture and Agro-biodiversity for Food Security in Africa and India
Empowering Smallholders through Market Approaches The lack of agricultural biodiversity in farming systems threatens nutritional security for nearly 3 billion people in India and Africa or roughly 40 percent of the global population. Around 600 million smallholder farmers (with a bulk in India and Africa), who are working on less than two hectares…
FAO workshop focuses on supporting agri-food system transformation in Southern Africa
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for Southern Africa convened a Multidisciplinary Team meeting to discuss and agree on how FAO can better support agrifood system transformation in Southern African countries. The meeting was held today 11 November 2024 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe. …
COP29: A test of wealthy countries’ commitment to securing a liveable planet
OWN CORRESPONDENT As COP29 opens in Baku, Azerbaijan, tomorrow, ActionAid International’s Global Lead on Climate Justice, Teresa Anderson, says: “Frontline countries who have done almost nothing to cause the problem are being pushed deeper into debt by the climate crisis. Yet they are the ones getting stuck with an escalating climate bill as they bear…
Rural women take the lead in Zimbabwe’s food sovereignty
Writes Lloyd Rabaya With the sharp voices of the Zvamahande Primary School pupils cutting through the air echoing the food sovereignty message with their poems, the farmers from various provinces who were gathered at Shashe Agroecology School celebrating the International Day of Rural Women, which was preceded by International Food Sovereignty Day, lauded and ululated…
Africa Energy Expo: a platform for advancing Africa’s energy and utilities industry
KIGALI, Rwanda, November 8, 2024 – As the first-ever Africa Energy Expo (AEE) wrapped up at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda, delegates and participants alike expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to collaborate to find solutions to the continent’s energy and utilities challenges and leverage its immense opportunities. Organised by Informa Markets (www.InformaMarkets.com) and…
Tinubu reappoints Mustapha as DG National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency
Writes Toyin Omozuwa The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the reappointment of the Director General of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA), Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha for a second tenure of 5 years. His reappointment was conveyed in a letter signed by the…
The Bipartisan Appeal of Kamala Harris and the Limits of American Progress in the 2024 Presidential Race
Writes Lukong Stella Shulika (Institute of the Future of Knowledge, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa) The 2024 presidential election was touted as a landmark moment for American democracy, promising to challenge both political ideologies and societal norms. Kamala Harris, with her clear, inclusive vision and unprecedented candidacy as the first woman of colour…
The role of baseline studies in anchoring local solutions and resilience
Writes Charles Dhewa In addition to unearthing community resilience and coping mechanisms, baseline studies can be good at identifying relevant partners and local expertise. A lot of market infrastructure in many African countries has remained unused because construction has not been adequately informed by baseline studies. The absence of baseline data also leads to…
All Set for LitFest Harare International Literature Festival 2024
Zimbabwe’s premier literature festival, LitFest Harare International Literature Festival makes its highly anticipated return from November 27 to 30, 2024. This year’s festival, marking its 11th edition, runs under the theme, “Stories: The Measure of Life,” and will celebrate the power of storytelling and its profound impact on our lives and communities. The festival…
COP16 Biodiversity Summit: Delayed crucial agreements may hamper Global Biodiversity Framework implementation
Dr. Christian K. Tiambo, Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) – International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Progress at COP16 The “People’s COP”, COP16 summit concluded on the 2nd of November in Cali, in the Valle del Pacífico Event Center, the second largest and most modern event space in Colombia and the…
Addressing emerging and legacy diseases: Africa needs locally manufactured vaccines
Writes Sakhile Khaweka Prioritizing local vaccine manufacturing, distribution, and rollout remains crucial to addressing some of the challenges that are faced by the African continent’s health systems. Making sure that vulnerable communities have access to life-saving health innovations is not only going to ensure that millions of people live longer but will also yield…
Global commodity markets react to Trump victory
Commodities from grains to oil and gas dropped on Wednesday morning as the U.S. dollar rallied and victory for Republican Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election stoked concerns about tariffs and economic growth. Trump recaptured the White House by securing more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency. …
Conference spotlights strategies to eliminate hunger by 2025
A high-level political forum on global action against hunger is underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with stakeholders seeking to achieve this goal, importantly in Africa where a large proportion of the population is food insecure annually and increasingly goes hungry. These were the sentiments for His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,…
PARM Stories Challenge: Winners speak at 20th CAADP PP, 15th ADFNS
The winners of the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) Stories Challenge were sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to attend the commemoration of the 15th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS), the 20th edition of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform (PP) and the associated Malabo…
United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework aligns with NDS1
The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) aligns with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) aimed at achieving economic growth and stability, food and nutrition security, structural transformation, and value chains among many common priorities. These were the sentiments of Mr. Spencer Dube, the Acting Chief Director of Political Affairs in the Ministry of…
A Food Security Statistics Project is Enhancing Food Security Data across Africa
Reliable food security statistics are essential for informed decisions on food access, quality, and affordability. Recognizing this, a regional collaboration between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Statistics Norway, funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), has supported eight African nations in strengthening their food and nutritional security…
NetOne, Salutem Launch Dollar-a-Month Medical Cover
NetOne, Zimbabwe’s state-owned mobile network operator, has partnered with Salutem International Medical Fund to launch an innovative healthcare product aimed at increasing access to primary healthcare services across the country. The Salutem One Health product, accessible through NetOne’s mobile money platform OneMoney, offers essential medical coverage for just US$1 per month. Speaking at the launch…
