Zimbabwe Young Influencers networking meeting emphasises importance of raising social capital | Spiked.co.zw

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The Zimbabwe Young Influencers (ZYI) get-together networking meeting held in Harare on Saturday 10 August 2024 brought to the fore the importance of social capital in self-development and career growth.

Addressing the young influencers, Dr. Banabasi Marambire, the author of the book “The Herd Boy”, emphasised the importance of creating social capital, hard work, and perseverance in the pursuit of success.

“To grow in business, one needs social capital – the networks, relationships, and cooperation that exist between individuals, businesses, and communities which enable collective action, cooperation, and mutual benefit. Social media is a powerful tool for getting one’s work known by various stakeholders.

“When I started my business in construction, initially I had very few followers on social media. I kept on posting on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Even my book “The Herd Boy” was not known but I kept on posting and talking about my journey to success from humble beginnings. Due to consistency and motivational speeches, my posts are now followed by millions of people. Young influencers should turn their social capital into money,” Dr. Marimbire said.

To build social capital, he said there is a need to build trust within one’s social circles. This encompasses being reliable, following through on commitments, and demonstrating dependability.

“It’s important to push reciprocity through exchanging favours, support, and resources with your social contacts, to create mutual benefit. Help others, and provide support, advice, or resources to others when needed. Volunteer and engage in community service, participate in community gatherings, and contribute to collective efforts,” he added.

Christine Charumbira, a Member of the Zimbabwe Young Influencers, said the networking meeting gave her an opportunity to share notes and ideas as content creators and how they can make money in the digital space.

“70% of our population now use cyberspace to market, communicate, collaborate, and interact. Hence, the Zimbabwe Young Influencers help you to connect with the right people, and provide brands with high quality. The platform also helps one to create content that has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others. It also reshapes our cultural norms and values. Above all, the Zimbabwe Young Influencers promote products and services and foster connections,” Charumbira said.

Fagio Marowa, the Chairman of Zimbabwe Young Influencers, said their platform fosters meaningful connections.

“The Zimbabwe Young Influencers is a catalyst for change. We promote products, help you market through various platforms, make you and your business trend, and help you grow your business.

“The Zimbabwe Young Influencers has been decentralised to all provinces. We also invite powerful social media personalities to share their success stories. Our organisation is apolitical, everyone is free to join despite their political affiliation. Here at this meeting, we have a councillor among us. It is high time young people get into leadership positions, even in politics. We will help you succeed in every sector that you are involved in. Young people should also upgrade themselves in terms of education. They must have important documents like the birth certificate and national identity documents. Critically important for young influencers is the need to be directors of companies,” Marowa said.

Present at the Zimbabwe Young Influencers networking meeting were veteran broadcaster Zandile Ndlovu popularly known as Zazalicious; comedian Admire Kuzhangaira known as Bhutisi; and brand strategist Tariro Gezi among other popular social media personalities.

There were also ZYI board of trustees, National Executive Members, and Provincial Members in attendance. Event sponsors included Dariro Mode, Bamlo Construction, Realtor Ville Real Estate, Faggy Networks, Brand Zaza, and Grill Shake.