African legislators draft “model law” to strengthen Food Security and Nutrition in Africa

By Staff Reporter The Pan-African Parliamentary (PAP) Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources recently came up with this draft model law on food security and nutrition in Africa whose main objective is  to strengthen and consolidate positions on food security and nutrition, as well as the right to adequate food. The model…

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Government embraces bio-fortification

By Owami Sithole The Government is supporting the scaling up of the fight against hidden hunger by promoting bio-fortified crops, a promising, cost-effective and sustainable technique of delivering micronutrients to a population that has limited access to diverse diets and other micronutrient interventions. Agriculture is one of the sustainable key sectors towards achieving the nation‘s…

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Cash barons fuelling EcoCash transaction costs

By Byron Mutingwende   The media has been awash with reports that mobile money platforms, particularly EcoCash, whose agents are demanding high percentages in exchange for cash-outs, are fuelling price hikes and exploiting customers.   Yesterday, The Herald newspaper ran a story titled, “Ecocash agents make a killing… demand for bond notes, coins soars” where…

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Inter-Parliament Union supports Africa’s development

By Staff Reporter The Inter-Parliament Union (IPU) President Gabriela Cuevas Barrons pledged to work closely with Africa as a token of appreciation for the support they gave her in the run-up to IPU presidential elections in 2017. Addressing the just ended 10th Conference of Speakers of African Assemblies and Senate during the ongoing  Pan-African Parliament’s…

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Good corporate governance guides investment decisions, not procurement policies

Writes Robin Vela Pension and other social/ welfare protection funds around the world that are tasked with paying pensions over future decades have a serious responsibility. They must safeguard their cash while ensuring pension contributions earn a real return above inflation in the long term. The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) is such a pension…

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Investigation into NSSA corruption should date back to the 1990s: JM Busha

Politician and eminent businessman, Mr. Joseph Makamba (JM) Busha has said investigations into corruption at the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) should date back to the 1990s and not start and end with arrested former Minister Priscah Mupfumira. “The corruption at NSSA is not new at all. The entity might have been prejudiced of billions…

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£49 million UKAID Fund for Zimbabwe’s new humanitarian and resilience programme

By Joyce Mukucha Following a United Nations appeal concerning Zimbabwe which is facing a chronic food crisis, the International Development Secretary Alok Sharma has announced a £49 million UKAID Fund which is meant to support and help malnourished children, families and communities. Without support more than 5, 5 million people will not have access to…

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Kadoma Ndizvo Trust Eyes Infrastructure Development

By Lovemore Chazingwa Empowerment focused organisation Kadoma Ndizvo Trust (KNT) aims to move to infrastructure development as a tool to empower under-privileged and marginalised communities. Delivering his keynote speech at this month’s National Clean-up Day, KNT administrator and spokesperson Floyd Chimboza emphasised the need to, not only clean in-door and out-door environments but also rehabilitate…

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Sustainable palm oil, mind the smallholder gap!

New research: From elites to subsistence farmers, policies must be inclusive New research reveals the significant diversity of palm oil smallholders in Indonesia and provides essential information to help better target policies around producer compliance to sustainability standards. The study: Certification, good agricultural practice and smallholder heterogeneity: Differentiated pathways for resolving compliance gaps in the Indonesian…

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Hotel Association Of Zimbabwe readies for Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel Expo

The Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe is readying for the 12th edition of Sanganai/Hlanganani scheduled for September 12 to 14 at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Grounds in Bulawayo. In an interview, HAZ president Mr Innocent Manyera, said the region was now geared up for Africa’s premier business exchange. “I would say the region and other…

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ZCTU Critique Of The 2019 Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review and Supplementary Budget Statement

 Introduction The mid-term fiscal policy review and supplementary budget statement was unveiled by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development on 1 August. The country is facing its worst crisis in 10 years with serious shortages of cash, water, power, fuel, wheat, maize. Economic growth slowed down from 4.7% in 2017 to an estimated 3.5%…

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Tourism sector optimistic ahead of Sanganai Hlanganani World Travel

The Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe says it remains optimistic that this year’s edition of Sanganai Hlanganani World Travel Expo slated for September 12 to 14 will be a success despite fuel challenges. Zimbabwe’s tourism industry has been enjoying a purple patch since November last year due to the positive perception the country has had…

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Everyone needs to help achieve 2030 vision, Health Minister says

Everyone has a role to play in helping Zimbabwe achieve the vision of becoming a middle income economy by 2030, Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo said on Friday, when he toured the newly renovated Cimas Medical Laboratory in Harare.   Speaking after touring the laboratory, which has been re-equipped as well as refurbished,…

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Female tech entrepreneurs and scientists essential for economic development

Women’s under-representation in formal entrepreneurial activities has great consequences for Africa’s overall development. The dearth of female scientists and techies has left major untapped potential issues for national economies and future employability. Without access, understanding and participation, women are at greater risk of being left behind as agents of change and leaders in a rapidly…

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Billions poised for Africa’s real estate sector

The growth and opportunity displayed by a diverse spread of International funds, DFIs, Banks, PE firms, institutional investors and others is evidence that despite apparent indifference to African opportunities in SA boardrooms, the continent’s real estate sector has evolved As Central and Eastern Europe become increasingly popular for South Africa’s property sector due to subdued…

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Zimbabwe Launches Revised Humanitarian Appeal to Respond to Increased Vulnerabilities

With new evidence of increasing vulnerabilities in Zimbabwe as a result of climate and economic shocks, the Government, the United Nations and the humanitarian partners felt the urgency to revise the appeal to cover the multi-sectoral humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable communities up to April 2020. UN Resident Coordinator, Ambassador Bishow Parajuli made the…

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National Energy Policy to Yield Positive Results

The National Energy Policy ((NEP) is expected to yield positive results through advocating for initiatives that promotes generation of power from clean sources. In this regard, Riverside Power Station in Mutoko continues to operate in the way advocated by the policy. The station is generating 2,5MW power to the national grid. The project is in…

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Buy Zimbabwe urges SME to acquire knowledge for better performance

By Tatenda Mujeyi The country’s local production and consumption motivational association ,Buy Zimbabwe, has engaged SME’s in Harare on a discussion that is geared towards generating knowledge on how they can better perform. The dialogue tackled a variety of issues from certification, challenges, potential engagement areas, procurement issues, building competitive advantage among other issues geared…

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EU provides additional USD 11.15 million for humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe

The EU has announced that it is providing an additional €10 million in funding (about USD 11.15 million) to help address growing humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe A combination of climatic shocks, exacerbated by the economic crisis, led to critical food shortages. The situation is not expected to improve until April 2020, when the next harvest…

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Fear of Kariba Hydro-Power Plant shut down

By Joyce Mukucha There are fears that the Kariba hydro power station which is the Zimbabwe’s massive power plant might shut down next month as the water inflows continue to decrease. Worries are that power constraints will continue in the country until there is reliable, sustainable and universal energy to the Zimbabwean populace. Contentions between…

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Zimnat helps Epworth school improve its sanitation

Zimnat, one of the country’s leading insurance and financial services groups, on Friday (August 2) handed over an ablution block for girls to Chizungu Primary School in Epworth. Zimnat undertook the construction of the ablution block in partnership with Fund a Child’s Education Zimbabwe (FACEZ), a non-profit making organisation that assists marginalised and underprivileged children….

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Accompany Market Opening with Industrialisation and Capacity Building: Afreximbank Rep

Efforts to achieve market opening should be accompanied with industrialisation and capacity building initiatives to help African countries produce value-added goods, Kanayo Awani, Managing Director of the Intra-African Trade Initiative at the African Export-Import (bank (Afreximbank), has said.   In a keynote address during the opening of the Trade with Africa (TWA) Business Summit in…

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ZCTU on 2019 Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review and Supplementary Budget Statement

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has said it is seriously concerned with the negative effect of the 2019 Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review and Supplementary Budget Statement presented by Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube on 1 August 2019. The union said the supplementary budget, instead of giving hard pressed Zimbabweans some room…

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A food systems approach or bio fortification – which is more relevant?

By Charles Dhewa At a time communities in developing countries are diversifying their food systems in order to cope with climate change, isn’t a narrow approach like bio-fortification counter-productive? Could this be yet another example of interventions that are influenced by funders and their collaborators? In several African countries including Zimbabwe, both urban and rural…

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AGCO Invests in Future Farm Training Facility in Zambia

The second phase of the Future farm will also include upgrades to the existing road and farm infrastructure and digitizing the mechanisation and agronomy training material AGCO, Your Agriculture Company (NYSE:AGCO) (www.AGCOCorp.com), has revealed plans for further development of the Future Farm project in Zambia. This was announced on 31 July, 2019, at the 150ha…

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Veld fires destroying biodiversity, human lives

By Joyce Mukucha The Ministry of Tourism, Hospitality and Industry in conjunction with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and other stakeholders urged Hurungwe residents to desist from causing veld fires. It has been observed that in Zimbabwe, the Hurungwe area has the highest rate of triggering veld fires. According to statistics, 122 people in this…

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Cassava International launches convenient, all-in-one SASAI App in Zimbabwe

Integrated App offers unique Pay, Chat and Explore features Cassava Fintech International (CFI), in partnership with its local subsidiary Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe, and with Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, have launched SASAI, an integrated social payments platform that combines Payments, Chat and Entertainment services on one single App. “We are excited to bring to the Zimbabwean market…

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Old Mutual launches the Value Creation Challenge

Old Mutual, Zimbabwe’s leading financial services provider in partnership with British Council launched the Value Creation challenge on 1st August 2019 at Three Anchor House in Harare. The Value Creation Challenge is a nationwide competition aimed at supporting ideas that provide innovative and sustainable solutions to socio-economic challenges. Speaking at the launch dubbed “Eight2Five Value…

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Multi-pronged approach imperative for Climate Change Funding

Financing from the government, private sector and development partners is an imperative to climate change mitigation, delegates at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMES) workshop in Harare were told. The Workshop is a follow-up to another one that focused on issues related to climate change that was meant to facilitate knowledge generation…

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Be calm as government works to improve economy: SB Moyo

By Tatenda Mujeyi The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Retired Lieutenant General Dr. Sibusiso Moyo has called for calmness and appraisal of government efforts to address economic challenges at an exporters’ breakfast workshop held in Harare. The minister’s remarks came following mutually shared calls by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), the Zimbabwe…

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ZUNDAF registers significant progress despite economic challenges

By Byron Mutingwende   The Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF) has recorded significant progress regardless of the current economic challenges, which have been exacerbated by climate change effects, Dr. Misheck Sibanda, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet has said.   In a speech read on his behalf at the High Level…

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COMESA converges for Emission Reduction Training Workshop

By Tatenda Mujeyi The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) country representatives are converged for a training workshop on country tracking compliance on the Paris Agreement by 2020. The workshop is aimed at creating locally designed solutions to the climate change issues as called for by the Paris agreement of 2015. “The Nationally…

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How do we liberate agriculture and development from academic preferences?

By Charles Dhewa Between key informants and literature reviews, which are the most reliable sources of knowledge in developing countries? There is an unfortunate tendency to under-value information and knowledge from key informants like farmers who are coping with climate change. Traders who have seen the informal market surviving several droughts and food processors who…

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Beijing Treaty on Audio Visual Performances Ratified

By Tatenda Mujeyi Cabinet ratified the Beijing Treaty on Audio and Visual performances in a development that will ensure that artists will benefit from their work. “Cabinet considered and approved the Ratification of the Beijing Treaty on Audio Visual Performances which was presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,” the Chairperson of…

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