President Mnangagwa unveils ZC tourism campaign

President Emmerson Mnagangwa has officially launched a promotional campaign spearheaded by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) aimed at boosting the country’s tourism. ZC is working on the project in partnership with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. The initiative, unveiled on Tuesday evening at a colourful event held at the State House in Harare, is expected to leverage on…

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Econet Group and subsidiaries partner to create a Wi-Fi marketplace for digital inclusion in Africa

Econet, through its subsidiaries Liquid Telecom Group (LTG) and Cassava Fintech International (CFI) has launched a network of #SasaiWiFiFinder hotspots in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Rwanda, providing locals with the most affordable internet access. This partnership unlocks the ‘African Missing Network’ that will accelerate sustainable economic development through digital inclusion for all Africans. The partnership…

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Solar is becoming the new king of the world’s electricity markets: IEA

By Anyway Yotamu HARARE – Solar output is expected to lead a surge in renewable power supply worldwide in the next decade, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said. Renewables account for 80%  growth in global electricity generation under current conditions. In its annual World Energy Outlook released on Tuesday 13 October 2020, the IEA…

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How Is Artificial Intelligence Used In B2B Companies: Here Are Powerful Examples

Bernard Marr  There’s often a misconception that artificial intelligence (AI) is only applicable to businesses in the B2C space. It’s thought that since B2C companies have more customers, they have more data to leverage to make AI impactful. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. AI is as relevant to a B2B company as it is…

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UN Secretary-General congratulates WFP for winning Nobel Peace Prize

The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres has said he was delighted by the decision of the Nobel Committee to award this year’s Prize for Peace to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).  The World Food Programme is the world’s first responder on the frontlines of food insecurity.   Mr. Guterres said in a world…

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Well-managed migration fosters sustainable development: IOM

In this era of unprecedented mobility, there is a need to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said. In a speech read on his behalf at the Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) Inter-ministerial Consultation at the Holiday Inn Hotel on 8 October 2020 by the progamme…

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Microsoft, Shell Announce New Partnership To Use AI And Tech To Reduce Carbon Emissions

Bernard Marr  Tackling carbon emissions is one of the biggest challenges faced by the world today. For big business, this means making a strategic and managed move towards increasing the use of renewable energy sources, as well as creating efficiencies across all aspects of their operations. It’s a difficult task to manage alone, even for…

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World Bank, ZIMSTAT avail data on COVID-19 Impact on Zimbabwean Households

On 8 October 2020, the World Bank (supported by the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund) and the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) held online dissemination of the first round of results of the Rapid Poverty Income and Consumption Expenditure Survey (PICES) conducted by telephone among 1,747 households during July 6–24, 2020 to measure the socio-economic impact of COVID-19…

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Teacher training contributes to quality ECD education: Dr. Nyarugwe

It is known that qualified and knowledgeable teachers are a means towards quality provisions and practices in early childhood development (ECD) hence the importance of teacher training, a prominent educator has said. Speaking on the last day of the Early Childhood Development Indaba workshop today at the Cresta Lodge Hotel in Harare held under the…

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World Bank Confirms Economic Downturn in Sub-Saharan Africa, Outlines Key Polices Needed for Recovery

Driven by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 global pandemic, growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to fall to -3.3 percent in 2020, pushing the region into its first recession in 25 years, according to the latest regional economic analysis Africa’s Pulse: Charting the Road to Recovery. The pandemic could also drive up to 40…

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EcoCash launches $30 million-dollar ‘My EcoCash Rewards’ promotion

Cassava Smartech’s mobile money platform EcoCash has launched a multimillion-dollar loyalty promotion called “My EcoCash Rewards” in which customers will earn points and get rewarded for transacting with EcoCash. The loyalty promotion offers over ZWL$30m worth of guaranteed rewards to customers for sending money, paying merchants, paying bills, buying airtime and data bundles, receiving remittances…

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Surge in demand for Econet’s self-care solutions

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (Econet) says demand for its virtual self-service platforms is surging as customers adapt, amid ongoing social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic. Zimbabwe, like most countries in the world, introduced a national lockdown in March to combat the spread of the deadly Coronavirus, which has affected millions of people globally. The authorities…

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US launches US$5 million initiative to expand economic opportunities for Zimbabwe’s youths

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Local Works Zimbabwe Youth Program, a US$5 million economic empowerment initiative.  This youth-led initiative will help create economic opportunities to address youth unemployment, increase incomes, and combat rising poverty among young people in urban and rural areas.    In his remarks at the Local Works Zimbabwe…

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Stakeholders seek inclusivity and enhanced access to quality ECD education

The Zimbabwe Network of Early Childhood Actors (ZINECDA) and the Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) have partnered in an initiative to enhance access to quality early childhood education so that vulnerable children are ready for primary education. The organisations entered into a partnership with the Roger Federer Foundation (RFF), a non-profit making foundation based in…

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Turkey-Africa: Partners in Resilience in Post-Pandemic World

The COVID-19 outbreak shows the necessity of multilateral responses, international cooperation and global solidarity. In this regard, the strategic partnership centered on mutual-benefits and economic development between Turkey and Africa has been maintained even during the pandemic. Download Brochure (French): https://bit.ly/36xPKc6 Turkey’s bilateral trade volume with Africa increased fourfold from 2003 to reach 22 billion dollar….

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Strive Masiyiwa Buys Back Mascom Botswana For USD$300 Million

Masiyiwa returns to Nigeria with a $100m Data Centre facility

Pan African businessman and  Econet Group Chairman Strive Masiyiwa says his Africa Data Centres [ADC] has started construction of Nigeria’s biggest Data Centre.  Masiyiwa writes:  We recently acquired a 5 Acre piece of land in Lagos, where we are starting construction of one of the largest buildings in the city. In Data Centre terms it…

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Reversing the infiltration of indigenous agricultural knowledge Systems

By Charles Dhewa Building reliable markets and strengthening the adaptive capacity of farmers should include bold actions to reverse the infiltration of indigenous knowledge by imported knowledge systems. While indigenous knowledge systems are being diluted and fractured at several levels, the most glaring example is in indigenous poultry. Having noted that health-conscious consumers are now…

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Connecting people with finance: new digital core in banks

By Vincent Chen In the banking industry, the stable running of IT systems is imperative. This is what drove the industry to begin IT construction relatively early and what continues to drive it to make significant investments each and every year. However, the IT architecture of the banking industry – particularly the core system –…

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Teachers’ strike: Prof Mavima confident of a settlement

The Minister of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare, Professor Paul Mavima has expressed confidence that the government is working on modalities to end the logjam with teachers who have downed tools countrywide in protest over poor salaries they claim have incapacitated them to go to work. Professor Mavima made the remarks in an interview…

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We must increase lending to the world’s poorest countries now – or pay the price later

Mark Lowcock Larger economies have been flexible and creative coping with Covid’s impact – the same mindset needs to be applied to helping poorer countries. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts Africa will suffer its worst recession since the 1970s. For the first time since the 1990s, extreme poverty will increase. The annual death toll…

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US-Africa Collaboration One of the Key Talking Points at AOW Virtual

The question of what will power Africa’s energy transition will be top of the agenda at AOW Virtual The participation of US Department of Energy’s Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and the US Development Finance Corporation’s Chief Development Officer in AOW Virtual highlights the importance that the United States places on fostering relationships with the continent. When the US…

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UNWTO to harness the power of AI to link tourism workers with jobs

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is to work with California-based Eightfold.ai to help connect tourism jobseekers with employers and so drive the global recovery of the sector. The new partnership will see UNWTO harness the power of the Eightfold Talent Exchange, a marketplace connecting workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with available jobs. Using advanced deep-learning AI, the Exchange matches…

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The Most Reliable COVID-19 Online Resources: Your Ultimate Guide

By Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD In the era of fake news, mask naysayers and, dare we say, covidiots, relevant news often gets lost under the rubble of conspiracy theories and what not. 2020 already feels like a lucid fever dream as it is and we would be better off being well-informed by trustworthy sources of information. However, even leading authorities…

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The Good Trade Summit spotlights gender equality, sustainability in COVID-19 recovery

WHAT: The Good Trade Summit 2020, organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC). Under the theme “Emerging Stronger from the COVID-19 Crisis”, the Summit highlights the need to place sustainability and gender equality at the heart of the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, while spotlighting the importance of “good trade” for a more inclusive and equitable world….

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Delivery of COVID-19 vaccine: DHL study shows how PPPs can partner for success

White paper identifies critical challenges in COVID-19 logistics Global delivery of 10 billion doses of serum needs scaled-up medical supply chains; White paper identifies critical challenges in COVID-19 logistics; A framework is provided to tackle future health emergencies beyond COVID-19. With first emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines expected to be effective in the last…

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Chivero Challenge: promoting environmental conservation and tourism through sport

Concerned about the destruction of the environment and a dip in tourism around Lake Chivero, Gary Stafford, the Managing Director of Kuimbashiri Bird Sanctuary has come up with the Chivero Challenge to give a lifeline to the tourism giant in Zimbabwe. Introducing the concept during a press conference at Kuimba Shiri today, Stafford reminisced on…

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EC tipped to bless Google, Fitbit union

Google offered a range of guarantees to the European Commission (EC) around its use of data were it to acquire Fitbit, Financial Times reported, with the promises said to have tipped the balance in favour of the regulator approving the deal. The newspaper’s sources said Google’s pledges include: not using data derived from Fitbit wearables for targeted advertising…

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Steward Bank launches a new product to support agriculture

Steward Bank has partnered with businesses under parent company Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe to launch AgroFuture, a new agribusiness product that is set to improve agricultural production in the country. The product – to be delivered in partnership with Cassava entities EcoCash, EcoSure, Vaya, Moovah, and EcoFarmer – offers tailor-made solutions to specific needs of the…

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Zimnat honours Jah Master for “making life better”

Zimnat, a leading financial service provider in the country has honoured rising musical sensation Jah Master of the “Hello Mwari” fame through a treat to some of their products and services. The honour is in recognition of his contribution in making life better during the COVID-19 induced nation lockdown through his song which has become…

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COVID-19: UN Secretary-General Alludes To Financing for Development

Mr. Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General has noted the challenges and hardships brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and underscored the importance of financing for development in his opening remarks at the High-Level Meeting on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond. Below, Spiked Online Media shares his full speech: THE…

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Afreximbank provides $100 million for the procurement of COVID-19 supplies

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the pan-African multilateral EXIM bank, announces $100 million financing to enable its Member States to procure COVID-19 related medical resources through the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP). The funding is available to African governments to acquire medical supplies through the AMSP in the form of pre-approved overdraft limits for each African…

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Avenues for energizing commitment in African agricultural transformation

By Charles Dhewa Failure to implement agricultural policies by many African countries stems from processes through which such policies are developed. When different stakeholders do not adequately participate in the process of developing a national agricultural policy, their commitment in terms of technical and financial support is often very weak. Those leading processes of developing…

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The OPEC Fund approves US$20m for SMEs in East Africa

The bank is expanding its resource mobilization activities to meet the growing financing needs of SMEs he OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund) (www.OPECFund.org) has signed a US$20 million term loan in favor of East African Development Bank (EADB). EADB will use the loan to support small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and infrastructure…

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African Risk Capacity Limited, Pula to Deliver Best-in-Class Agric Index Insurance

The African Risk Capacity Limited (ARC Ltd), the commercial subsidiary of African Risk Capacity Group (ARC Group), has announced a partnership agreement with Pula to deliver best-in-class agriculture index insurance products to protect African farmers from climatic risks. Every farming season, African farmers are exposed to a wide range of climate risks including drought, excessive rainfall, pests…

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Slow pace of search, rescue and recovery efforts for trapped Task Mine artisanal miners disturbing

By Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) notes with concern the slow and poorly coordinated search, rescue or recovery efforts of five artisanal miners trapped underground at Task Mine in Chegutu. This disaster follows several others in the last two years that claimed lives of those trying to eke a living…

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Fastjet resumes flight services in Zimbabwe

As Zimbabwe relaxed the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and opened up flights and other tourism services, Fastjet has resumed its domestic flights in Zimbabwe. This reporter witnessed a remarkable improvement in security at the Robert Mugabe and the Joshua Nkomo International Airports in as far as COVID-19 preventive measures are concerned. Mr. Felix Nyangani, the Head…

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Afreximbank recognized for its role in promoting intra-African trade

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has been awarded the 2020 Africa-America Institute (AAI) ‘International Institution of Excellence Award’, during the Institute’s 36th Awards Virtual Awards Gala. Becoming the first organization to receive the award in the history of the institute since its establishment in 1953, Afreximbank was honored this award for its commitment to the creation and implementation of…

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ICT bridging the digital divide in coping with COVID-19

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, bridging the digital divide for the 3.6 billion people who remain off-line worldwide is being made possible through information communication technology, Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services has said. Dr. Muswere made the remarks at the official opening of the Sadza Community…

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US government committed to improving Zimbabwe’s health sector

By Anyway Yotamu The United States of America through USAID has announced that it is fully committed to improving the country’s health sector which is on its knees. The challenges in the health sector are due to shortages of much-needed equipment in hospitals and the deteriorating economic hardships precipitated by the outbreak of the COVID-19…

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