NIB and Afreximbank sign EUR100 million loan facility

The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have signed a 10-year loan programme of EUR 100 million to finance various infrastructure projects in African countries. The EUR 100 million made available to Afreximbank under the joint facility will be used for financing eligible investments, which mainly include projects within infrastructure, such as energy,…

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ITFC to Implement U.S. $3 Billion Framework Agreements to Support Egypt’s Main Sectors

The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (www.ITFC-IDB.org) announced the signing of two new Agreements between ITFC & the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt represented by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) initiating the utilisation of the 5th Framework agreement. The first Master Murabaha agreement…

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Antelope Park’s wildlife conservation brings benefits to communities

By Byron Mutingwende   The wildlife conservation project being spearheaded by the Antelope Park is bringing numerous benefits to participating local communities and the environment.   Tourists from the United Kingdom who were on a tour of the country prior, during and after the Sanganai Hlanganani Tourism Expo, courtesy of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, had…

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Sanganai stands tall among international tourism exhibitions

By Byron Mutingwende   The Sanganai Hlanganani World Tourism Expo fits the bill of and stands tall among internationally recognised exhibitions, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry has said.   In her speech at the expo awards ceremony in Bulawayo on 7 September 2018, tourism minister Priscah Mupfumira expressed her deepest satisfaction with the…

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Glen Lodge offers clients excellent hospitality and fabulous holiday prizes

By Byron Mutingwende   The Glen Lodge in Bulawayo, the leading oasis of hospitality in the City of Kings and Queens, is the only place that offers the greatest value for money to its legions of clients.   As it hosted journalists attending the 11th edition of the Sanganai Hlanganani Tourism Expo in the country’s…

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Qatar among 10 most open Visa countries in the world

Qatar has become the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world in terms of visa facilitation. The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) recently updated its visa openness rankings, confirming Qatar’s recent visa facilitation improvements including allowing nationals of 88 countries to enter Qatar visa-free and free-of-charge. Actions Qatar…

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Zimbabwe’s reliance on coal described as tragic, unsustainable

…It’s  time for country   to tap on the abundant sunshine; many proponents say By Wallace Mawire Various stakeholders in the sustainable development sector in Zimbabwe have highlighted that its now time Zimbabwe should begin to seriously consider using other renewable forms of energy like the abundant solar energy, instead of continued use of dirty fossil…

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Government committed to increasing funding support to tourism: Chiwenga

By Byron Mutingwende   The government is committed to increasing funding support to tourism and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA)’s marketing and development programmes, Vice President Retired General Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.   The VP revealed this at the official opening of the 11th edition of the Sanganai Hlanganani Tourism Expo at the Zimbabwe…

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UZ Research Unmasks Fake Crop Chemicals

By Wisdom Mumera A University of Zimbabwe (UZ) research into crop preservation methods has released results questioning the effectiveness of most commercial chemicals as the country seeks to safeguard its food security. The exercise led by Professor Brighton Mvumi from the Department of Soil Science at UZ revealed that most of the commercial medicines and…

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Afreximbank Presents Trade Facilitation Programme To Egyptian Banks

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has met in Cairo with leaders of the Egyptian Banking sector to present a new trade facilitation programme which it has developed to transform Africa’s trade   The Afreximbabnk Trade Finance Facilitation Programme, which compromises a Trade Confirmation Programme and aTrade Confirmation Guarantee Programme, is being offered in response to the increasingly stringent compliance and regulatory requirements being imposed by international banks on African banks for trade confirmation lines. Those requirements…

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Africa’s insurance business rising: PWC insurance survey

Africa’s insurance industry is facing more disruption than any other industry, posing challenges for some while opening up business opportunities for others The opportunities for growth in Africa’s insurance industry are huge despite recent economic and political uncertainty. The insurance industry has done well to adapt to continuous disruption, with technological advances now considered the…

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Now is the time for local investors to step up and electrify Africa

After a foreign kickstart, African investors and regulators have to take over the lead in shaping the continent’s sustainable energy future For years, the African renewable energy development market has been dominated by foreign investors and financial institutions. Now is the time for African investors to step up to the plate and join the continent’s solar…

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Nine types of agricultural-related entrepreneurs in developing countries

By Charles Dhewa eMKambo has invested time and effort in understanding and classifying different archetypes of entrepreneurs in developing countries. While this effort has focused mainly on agriculture-related entrepreneurship, it has also embraced diverse socio-economic sectors. Unless, development actors, policy makers and financial institutions characterise economic actors in line with their different roles, it will…

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EcoSure Moovah motor insurance goes for broke

Launches million-dollar promotion in audacious bid to boost insurance penetration  Econet Insurance has unveiled yet another million-dollar promotion as vehicle insurer EcoSure Moovah moves to claim a large stake in the local motor insurance industry. Launched barely a month ago on the back of a micro-insurance technological platform, EcoSure Moovah has set its sights on…

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Mauritius Becomes the 30th Shareholder of Africa50

Casablanca, 29 August 2018: – Africa50, the pan-African investment platform, announced on Tuesday that the Republic of Mauritius became its 30th shareholder. Dharam Dev Manraj Gosh, Mauritian Minister of Finance and Economic Development, signed the Share Subscription Agreement on behalf of the Government, committing Mauritius to take the necessary steps for ratification of the agreement, as required under the Articles of…

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Econet launches value-packed EcoFarmer club

Offers incredible bundle of benefits, convenience to farmers Econet Wireless has launched the EcoFarmer Club which offers farmers access to a rich bundle of services, that include agricultural commodity prices, valuable farming tips, relevant local weather information and a mobile trading platform which links farmers to buyers. Speaking at the launch of the EcoFarmer Club…

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EcoCash launch Scan & Pay, powered by Masterpass QR

Product set to drive adoption of smart, digital payments in Zimbabwe Harare, Zimbabwe – 29 August 2018: EcoCash and Mastercard today announced the launch of EcoCash Scan & Pay, a simple, secure and instant mobile payments solution for consumers and merchants, as part of their efforts to reduce cash usage and increase digital financial inclusion…

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The character-building role of African ‘informal’ economies

By Charles Dhewa People who co-exist with Kombi drivers in Zimbabwe, Matatu drivers in Nairobi’s traffic jammed roads, boda-boda motorcyclists in Kampala and similar situations in African cities have always wondered if those drivers are from the same mother. This is due to their character which is exactly the same. ‘Informal’ traders and MSMEs also…

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Zimbabwe is open for tourism business: International buyers

By Hildah Sipono International buyers from key source markets have said Zimbabwe is sellable and buyable. The buyers arrived in Harare yesterday on a familiarisation tour ahead of the 11th edition of Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel Expo scheduled for Bulawayo on September 6-8 at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds. “People do not want to see…

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Policy Innovation Labs (PILs) and their contribution to policy-making

Taking Lessons from Canada By Elmond Bandauko During the 70th Annual Conference of the Institute of Public Administration (IPAC) which was held in Quebec between the 19th to 22nd of August 2018, policy innovation was at the centre of the workshop discussions. The increased complexity of policy problems requires public administrations to be agile, creative…

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EcoSure Moovah set to become the largest vehicle insurer

Less than month after being launched, EcoSure Moovah is set to become Zimbabwe’s largest vehicle insurer, with management predicting that it will be a blockbuster rivalling other Econet brands such as EcoCash.   Mr Darlington Mandivenga, the Econet Group executive driving the initiative,  said tens of thousands of vehicle owners have already moved to the…

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MSF offers SRHR at Harare Agricultural Show

During the Harare Agricultural Show (Monday 27 August to Saturday, 1 September, 2018) Medecins Sans Frontieres/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) will be providing free sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services with specific focus on people aged between 10 to 24 years. MSF will partner with the National AIDS Council (NAC), Young Peoples’ Network on Sexual…

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Fund green revolution: Africa, developing world urged

By Nevson Mpofu Africa and the developing world have been urged to fund the Green Energy Revolution to the tune of at least $49, 4 billion from the current $9 billion. The World Bank has since 2007 financed $31 billion energy projects in developing countries especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce poverty, there is need…

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Zimnat rewards students who participated in hackathon

Zimnat, one of the country’s leading insurance groups, yesterday rewarded students from the Harare Institute of Technology who took part in a hackathon that the company organised. A hackathon is a competitive event where people work collaboratively in groups on software or even hardware projects with the aim of creating a functioning product by the…

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Nudging universities in developing countries to harness community based inquiry

By Charles Dhewa Contrary to prevailing formal approaches, knowledge sharing in most rural African communities is embedded in the way people work. For instance, knowledge sharing happens as farmers select seed or choose livestock breeds.  It also happens as they milk cows, plant crops, weed, harvest, store and market.  They do not stop and say,…

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Using performance measurement as a tool for decision-making in local government

By Elmond Bandauko The practice of public administration continues to face a lot of pressure emanating from rising citizen expectations, pressure for the privatisation of public services, legislative controls and the devolution of many responsibilities to lower levels of government. These forces have led to the renewed interest in performance measurement, to make government agencies…

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Afreximbank Releases Half-Year Results, Shows $343 million in Gross Revenue

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has released its unaudited financial statements for the half-year period ended 30 June 2018, showing gross revenue of $343 million. The figure represents a $21 million increase over the gross revenue for the same period in 2017. The results, released by the Bank in Cairo today, attributed the higher gross revenue to a significant increase in fee income by 119 per cent while interest and similar income recorded…

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Strategic planning in the City of Harare: what went wrong and what needs to be fixed?

By Elmond Bandauko During my strategic planning and management course, I did an analysis of the City of Harare’s current strategic plan (2012-2025), with the objective of identifying positive traits, weak points and provide policy recommendations that can strengthen the City’s strategic planning practices. This brief synthesises my perspectives on Harare’s vision of becoming a…

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Kwesé iflix now biggest TV platform in Zimbabwe

Harare, 16 August 2018 – Kwesé iflix, which took Zimbabwe by storm during the FIFA 2018 World Cup, is now the country’s largest television platform, with more than 1.2 million active account holders. The uptake figures were revealed by Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Chief Executive Officer, Mr Douglas Mboweni, at the launch of a new million-dollar…

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15th UNWTO Awards to recognise innovation and sustainability in tourism, applications open

Promoting innovation, job creation and sustainability are key considerations for the 15th World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Awards. UNWTO invites submissions until 31 October 2018. The UNWTO Awards recognise the contribution of public and private institutions and NGOs to development of a more competitive, responsible and sustainable tourism sector that works towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable…

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