Resettled communities building resilience on food and nutrition

By Byron Mutingwende   It is just nine o’clock in the morning but despite the air conditioner, everyone on the Toyota off-road vehicle is sweating profusely. We drive past the fence bordering the Marirangwe Game Park along the Chiredzi-Tanganda Highway in the hot Lowveld area and head straight to Village 3 of the Chizvirizvi area…

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Address occupational health and safety hazards and risks: media urged

By Byron Mutingwende   The media has been urged to initiate programmes for accident prevention and elimination of work related illnesses at the workplace in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.   Speaking at a workshop to facilitate appreciation of occupational health and safety hazards and risks in the media industry, Precious Nyika, the Human…

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Youths survive on green economy

By Patricia Mashiri No one has ever dreamt that waste management and recycling would be someones’s passion. Tinashe Manyonga a 29 year-old social entrepreneur started his green economy journey few years back. He studied for a degree in Crop science at the University of Zimbabwe before he turned to waste management and recycling. Manyonga who…

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EU Bank extends EUR 100m credit to Afreximbank, on the margins of AU-EU Summit in Abidjan

Abidjan, 29 November, 2017: The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) today in Abidjan, on the margins of the African Union-European Union Summit, entered into a line of credit agreement amounting to EUR 100 million, granted by EIB to Afreximbank. This facility is aimed at financing trade-related long-term productive investments by private…

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Industries harnessing SDGs for resource efficiency and low carbon development

By Byron Mutingwende and Patricia Mashiri   Zimbabwe is moving towards embracing a green economy through harnessing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs0 for resource efficient and low carbon development.   Speaking at the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Zimbabwe (BCSDZ) annual conference at Cresta Lodge in Harare, Cecilia Ndwabe, the manager is in…

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Making sense of wealth distribution in the new networked economy

By Charles Dhewa Just as they distribute commodities and knowledge to all classes of people and income levels, informal markets in developing countries continue to play a central role in redistributing wealth. African economies have traditionally been characterised and driven by community knowledge sharing and individual innovation. While individual innovation was privatised, local ideas were…

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PWDs calls for universal accessibility of tourism services

By Patricia Mashiri People with disabilities (PWDs) are calling for universal accessibility of tourism services as the minority group is usually left out in most tourism activities. The 2016 theme “tourism for all: Promoting Universal Accessibility’ calls for tourism and hospitality industry to focus on designing, developing, managing travel and tourism facilities and services accessible…

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Urban local authorities urged to embrace climate change adaptation strategies

By Byron Mutingwende   The ministry of water resources development and climate has introduced the National Adaption Plan (NAP) process to urban authorities to reduce their vulnerability to climate change impacts and facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation into their planning processes.   The National Adaptation Planning is a flexible process that builds on…

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Government embarks on reforms and initiatives to improve investment environment

By Byron Mutingwende   The Ministry of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion is spearheading various initiatives to promote investment in the country, it has emerged.   In a speech on behalf of the minister, Dr. Judith Kateera, the Permanent Secretary for the ministry of macro-economic planning and investment promotion said there was a need to…

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EcoCash signs up more banks, pushes for total integrated mobile financial services

By Byron Mutingwende Popular mobile money service, EcoCash, has integrated with MBCA Bank Limited, bringing to 11 the number of banks directly integrated with the mobile financial transacting system.   A company spokesman yesterday confirmed the integration, saying the development was set to offer EcoCash and MBCA customers more convenience, choice and flexibility.   “We…

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Women bear the brunt of extractive sector misgovernance

By Byron Mutingwende Watching the “Marange Voices” documentary on diamond mining in Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe, delegates attending the summer school on extractive sector governance organised by the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development in Namibia recently were left convinced that the effects of mining done improperly has a toll on women and…

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Mineral leakages hampering Africa’s development

By Byron Mutingwende Despite being a continent with abundant natural resources that present a massive potential for progress, mineral leakages are hampering Africa’s development.   Dr Fanwell Kenala Bokosi, the Executive Director of the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development revealed that at the summer school on “strengthening natural resource governance in Africa”…

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Poor countries spending climate cash on rich world consultants

Published on 02/11/2017, 11:42am Lack of expertise means money for climate protection is spent on consultancy fees, which African officials say end up back in wealthy countries By Mantoe Phakathi in Manzini Even as they plan to demand more cash at UN talks in Bonn this week, poor countries lack the ability to initiate and implement climate projects,…

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Districts linked to food and nutrition security information system

By Byron Mutingwende   The government has launched the “district risk profiles” in a bid to ensure a national integrated food and nutrition security information system that provides timely and reliable information on the food and nutrition security situation and the effectiveness of programmes and informs decision-making.   In his speech during the launch at…

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Econet’s “Swipe into Ecocash” boosts financial inclusion

By Byron Mutingwende   The launch of Econet’s “Swipe into Ecocash” facility today (Wednesday 25 October 2017) is set to improve financial inclusion among Zimbabweans battling a crippling liquidity crisis.   Natalie Jabangwe-Morris, the Ecocash Manager, speaking during the launch said Ecocash is indeed Zimbabwe’s largest mobile money platform, driving 98 per cent of mobile…

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Agriculture a key sector for youth employment

By Byron Mutingwende   Agriculture has the potential to create employment opportunities for young men and women, a senior government official has said.   Dr Desire Sibanda, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Development, Empowerment and Indigenisation of Zimbabwe hinted that trajectory in his keynote address at the SP3 Capacity Development Workshop on…

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Econet leads Zimbabwe’s telecommunication sector

By Byron Mutingwende Telecom regulator Potraz releases quarterly industry report Econet maintains top spot in mobile sector   The local telecommunications regulator, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Potraz) has just released its second quarter report (covering May to July 2017) highlighting how the sector’s performance, based on how key players in the industry performed…

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Nutrition sensitive agriculture eliminating food insecurity, hidden hunger in Zimbabwe

By Byron Mutingwende   Trinity Musarurwa tenders her lettuce in the community-owned garden in Masiyarwa area, Zvimba District of Mashonaland West Province. She has five beds of her own in the large piece of land fenced for a garden in which a borehole was also drilled, courtesy of the benevolence of a non-governmental organisation’s donation….

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Medical insurance regulator should be independent: Stakeholders

By Byron Mutingwende   Stakeholders have called for the setting up of an independent medical insurance regulator in order to close the gaps in the current system.   That emerged at the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZiMA) Workshop held on 17 October 2017 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare.   “The proposed regulatory authority, provided…

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Shocking incompetence as NSSA’s property gets attached by former executive

By Byron Mutingwende   The Sheriff of the High Court on Monday 16 October 2017 descended on the headquarters of cash rich National Social Security Authority (NSSA), attaching the giant pension fund’s assets in execution of a High Court order granted in favour of Chikuni Mutiswa.   Using a High Court order for High Court…

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Youths voice concern over unmet expectations

By Byron Mutingwende   It is often said that investing in youths creates a better generation but young people are not always given the opportunity for full participation in development programmes.   “Youth participation in politics at the moment is being driven by personalities rather than issues and content-related matters. Over the years our political…

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Security, peace a cornerstone of tourism development

By Byron Mutingwende   An environment conducive for peace and security is the cornerstone of tourism development, a Cabinet minister has said. In his address to on the occasion of the study visit by officers from the National Defence University in Harare on 9 October 2017, Walter Mzembi, the minister of tourism and hospitality industry…

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Technocrats explore ways of harnessing the youth demographic dividend

By Byron Mutingwende   Technocrats have urged the Government of Zimbabwe in partnership with development partners to find ways of harnessing the youth demographic dividend for economic growth.   The calls were made at the youth investment and inclusive growth conference held in Harare on 3 October 2017 that was organised by the ministry of…

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Impact of fluctuating commodity prices on government revenue explored

By Patricia Mashiri and Byron Mutingwende Fluctuations in mineral commodity prices hamper governments’ effort in mobilising domestic resources for economic development and poverty eradication, a study by one of the leading research thinktanks has revealed. The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) released a report on the Drivers and Impacts of global…

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Chinamasa outlines measures to revive tourism sector

By Byron Mutingwende   Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa has prescribed a cocktail of measures to revive tourism, which is a major foreign currency earner while officially opening the Sanganai/Hlanganai Tourism Expo in Bulawayo.   Chinamasa said tourism is an important sector in terms of its contribution to the key economic aggregates including national output, employment…

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Christ Embassy Church supports carnival initiative to drive tourism

By Byron Mutingwende   The Zimbabwean branch of the Christ Embassy Church has thrown its weight behind the carnival initiative and the Sanganai/Hlanganani Expo in a bid to drive tourism.   Christ Embassy Zonal Pastor, Pastor Ruth Musarurwa, speaking on the sidelines of a musical showcase by the Intwasa Arts Festival that followed a carnival…

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Company Secretaries play pivotal corporate governance roles

By Staff writer Company secretaries play a pivotal role in ensuring good corporate governance is practised in the institutions they work for, according to the visiting Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) International president, Mr David Venus.   Giving the keynote address at the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe annual conference…

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Beef industry to revive Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector

By Patricia Mashiri Agriculture is Zimbabwe’s economic backbone and the beef sector is one of the critical cogs in the improvement of the livelihood of the rural populace. Paddy Zhanda, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture underscored the importance of improving the quality and sales of beef at a study report meeting held by the Livestock…

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