Retail shops reject the local currency

By Habakkuk Trust Reports coming in from Habakkuk Trust Community Advocacy Action Teams in Matabeleland Province indicate that a significant number of shops are refusing to transact in local currency. Shops in Umzingwane and Matobo Districts are reportedly refusing to accept payments in local currency, a move that has left some communities stranded. The deepening…

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Qualcomm pushes 5G to lower-tier smartphones

Qualcomm made good on a pledge to drive 5G into mass-market devices by incorporating the technology into its 6-series chipset, predicting this would address growing demand for next-generation services. In a briefing, Qualcomm senior director of product management Deepu John argued 5G is “more than simply” a next-generation leap, with the technology enabling the vendor…

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Times of Unprecedented Crisis present Unique Opportunities for Unprecedented Action

By Graça Machel, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Vera Songwe, Maria Ramos COVID 19 has unearthed massive inequalities within our societies and brought to glaring light the unique burdens which women carry the world over. Allocation of response resources should be targeted towards the immediate needs of managing the virus as well as future-looking to simultaneously…

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African Parliamentarians aim for increased health budgets amid COVID-19 pandemic

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has urged its members to ensure that African Union (AU) member states allocate adequate funding to cater for healthcare systems when budgets are submitted to Parliaments for consideration. The call follows a briefing to members of the PAP Committees on Health and Gender by the Africa CDC, which revealed that inadequate…

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Donors allocate additional funds to the Health Development Fund in Zimbabwe

The European Union (EU) and Sweden have provided significant new funding to the multi-donor Health Development Fund (HDF) – managed by UNICEF and UNFPA. The HDF supports health system strengthening in Zimbabwe since its inception in 2011 under the Health Transition Fund. The EU has  provided new funds amounting to over USD 41 million as…

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Government outlines measures to ensure safety when schools reopen

By Anyway Yotamu The government continues to put in place intervention measures to increase the capacity to fight the coronavirus pandemic as infections stood at 387 on Monday. Addressing journalists after the Covid-19 inter-ministerial Taskforce meeting at State House in Harare this Monday, Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said the government…

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Zimnat continues to make life better for the elderly

Zimnat has lived to its promise to continuously support the elderly by providing free motor insurance cover for some of Melfort Old People’s Home vehicles for the year 2020, a continuation from 2019. Located along Mutare Road, in Harare, Melfort Old People’s Home, which is registered with Help Age, accommodates up to 60 elderly residents,…

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Germany helps African countries maintain drought insurance in view of COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the German government assumes premium payments of around EUR 19 million for the drought insurance offered by the African Risk Capacity (ARC). This will reliably protect up to 20 million poor and vulnerable people in Africa against drought in the coming agricultural season and mitigate the risk of a…

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Prospectors urge Ministry of Mines to put their house in order

The Zimbabwe Prospectors Association (Z.P.A) is urging the Ministry of Mines to improve its systems of operations across all mining provinces. The association argues that there are a lot of problems that require serious attention if the mining industry is to improve in production, efficiency, and effectiveness. “The pertinent issues range from delays in the…

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Communities seek fine reprieve on livestock

Communities surrounding Matobo National Park are seeking a reprieve on fines paid when their livestock encroach into the Park boundary. This plea comes after the Parks authorities unilaterally increased fines from ZWL6 per day for each beast that encroaches into the National Park to ZWL50 which is beyond the reach of many villagers whose livelihoods were dependent…

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DRC: COVID-19 continues to spread, with potentially deadly secondary impacts

Since Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared its first case of COVID-19 on March 10, the coronavirus has gradually spread across the country. Congolese authorities are working to reduce the spread of disease, especially in the capital, Kinshasa, with some 13 million residents. The government implemented preventive measures, including movement restrictions, a partial lockdown of…

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Masiyiwa and his global partners donate 1 000 ventilators

Strive Masiyiwa has announced the arrival of 45 full ICU ventilators in Zimbabwe which the businessman ordered a couple of months back. The billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, who is the African Union’s Special Envoy to Coordinate the Africa Private Sector Initiative for the Procurement of Personal Protective Equipment and other Essential Supplies, also announced that…

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COVID-19 stalling the update of NDCs

The Paris Agreement effectively came into force in 2020, replacing the Kyoto Protocol which has lapsed. Now the COVID-19 is dampening the prospects of countries to update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and implement their commitments to reduce and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Zimbabwe has communicated an NDC that seeks to reduce by 33 percent…

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Mounting costs, soaring inflation threaten the telecommunications industry

Rising costs as a result of high inflation and a depreciating local currency are threatening the viability of telecommunication companies (telcos) as margins continue to be squeezed, putting the entire industry at risk. This is according to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) in its sector performance report for the first quarter…

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Prof. Benedict Oramah Re-appointed as Afreximbank President

Shareholders of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have voted and re-appointed Prof. Benedict Oramah as President of the Pan-African multilateral financial institution for a second 5-year term. The decision was announced today in Cairo following Afreximbank’s 27th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders which was held by circulation of resolutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. In an acceptance statement…

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African Development Bank COVID-19 response: moving from commitment to action

The African Development Bank (https://www.AfDB.org) has responded swiftly to the needs of its member countries during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Bank’s operations have continued to run smoothly since the first cases appeared in early March, despite the wide range of lockdowns and measures imposed by governments to flatten the curve. The COVID-19 pandemic is…

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The informal sector to reopen: President Mnangagwa

By Anyway Yotamu President Emmerson Mnangagwa has moved to reopen the country’s informal market after over two months closure as part of his government’s attempts to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In his address at State House on Friday 12th of June 2020, President Mnangagwa also reopened churches but maintained the number of congregants at…

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Stinking municipal corruption suffocating residents

By Anyway Yotamu Local authorities have been accused of robbing residents in broad daylight by hiking service fees without delivering basic amenities in spite of paying parking fees, water bills, and tollgate fees among others, a residents lobby group said. Addressing a press conference in Harare, the  Chairman of Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and…

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Nine arrested over Penhalonga underground gold heist

Staff Writer Nine men have been arrested over a Penhalonga underground gold ore heist.  Innocent Chinonzwa, 39, Lovemore Chinonzwa, 37, Maxwell Masamvu, 39, Bright Mabonore, 40, John Mbeu, 42, Wiskes Kovhiwa, 32, Marlon Maringa, 28, Wellington Moyo, 35, and Terrence Mukodza, 34, were not asked to plead when they were arraigned before a Mutare magistrate…

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COVID-19: The Decline of Global Remittances Puts Rural Families at Risk

By Pedro de Vasconcelos The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the loss of millions of jobs in the developed and developing world. Migrant workers are among the most directly affected. They work in economic sectors adversely impacted by the economic slowdown such as construction, the hospitality industry, tourism, food, agribusinesses, transport…

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POTRAZ Director-General Gift Machengete Trial Postponed To Next Week

The ICT sector is dependent on economic performance: POTRAZ

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) has said the performance of the sector continues to be dependent on the economic environment. In his statement on the sector performance report for the first quarter of 2020, Dr. Gift Machengete, the POTRAZ Director-General said the economic environment impacts the sector through service demand and consumption levels,…

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ZimTrade targets raising US$14 billion from regional and international markets

By Anyway Yotamu ZimTrade is working towards increasing export promotion activities in regional and international markets as a way of meeting the National Export Strategy (NES) target of US$14 billion by 2030. Speaking with this publication, ZimTrade Chief Executive Officer Mr. Allan Majuru said his organisation is at the core of implementing the National Export…

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African Risk Capacity Conference of Parties (CoP) Elects a New Director-General

The Conference of Parties (CoP) of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) has elected Mr. Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, of the Republic of Senegal as the new ARC Group Director-General, for a term of four (4) years. The election of Mr. Diong, which was ‘without objection’ from all the Members, was consistent with provisions of the Procedure for…

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Ecocash Online Self-service portal hailed for its convenience

Ecocash’s online self-service portal allows its agents, merchants, billers, bulk payers, and payroll channel partners to submit their applications online without the need to physically visit Econet shops or offices to be served. The self-service portal, which is open to existing and prospective channel partners, allows them to register on an online portal, submit their…

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Boost for Zimbabwe students, learners as Cassava Edutech launches Akello E-library

Cassava Edutech has launched the Akello E-library, an online library platform offering hundreds of school curriculum books that are set to strengthen Zimbabwe’s education sector by providing learners, students and teachers with easy access to a wide variety of Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) prescribed text books in schools. “We are introducing the Akello E-Library…

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Zimnat hosts online cocktail party for clients

Zimnat has found an innovative way to interact with and entertain its clients during the Covid‑19 lockdown, by holding online cocktail parties, which it has branded Gungano/Umhlangano Online Cocktail Parties. The first of these was held on Friday for Zimnat Life Assurance corporate customers. More will be held in the coming weeks. Invitations to attend…

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Autonomous Delivery Robots – Demand Is Skyrocketing During The COVID-19 Pandemic

By Bernard Marr One thing that the novel coronavirus COVID-19 did for all of us was to push us outside comfort zones and to adapt to new ways of working and living no matter how resistant we might be. From enabling telecommuting for workers who hadn’t done so prior to tackling video conferencing, we expanded…

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Completion of major roads projects remains a priority: Minister Matiza

By Anyway Yotamu The Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Joel Biggie Matiza has toured the Bulawayo-Nkayi and Bulawayo-Tsholotsho road rehabilitation projects, where he expressed the government’s commitment to complete all major road projects despite the COVID-19 setback. Minister Matiza said completion of all road projects remains a major priority in line with achieving vision…

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All the Things in Digital Health You’ve Missed During COVID-19

By Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD Director of The Medical Futurist Institute (Keynote Speaker, Author & Futurist) It’s been enough for a bit, isn’t it? For three months now, there has been little space in the world for any other kind of news. That is, news without the word ‘coronavirus’. But there was innovation, there is excitement…

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Virtual Launch of the Internet of Good Things (IoGT) welcomed

UNICEF, in partnership with Econet Wireless and ZiFM Stereo is launching The Internet of Good Things (IoGT) through a virtual live music show featuring Jah Prayzah, Gemma Griffiths, Tamy Moyo, Long John, Nutty O and Asaph. The event will be aired live on ZiFM Radio as well as streamed through ZiFM, UNICEF Zimbabwe and Econet Wireless Facebook…

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Adesina vindicated by the Bureau of Governors of the AfDB

The African Development Bank (AfDB)’s Whistleblowers in contravention of bank rules, regulations, and laws provided not a single piece of evidence compared to 250 pages of official supporting documentation by President Akunwumi Adesina. The Bureau of Board of Governors upheld the conclusions of the decision in Adesina’s favour. An Independent reviewer will now take a…

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Small scale miners struggling to adhere to COVID-19 regulations

By Habakkuk Trust Some small scale mining companies are seemingly struggling to adhere to COVID-19 safety precautions at a time when positive cases are on the rise. These revelations came after a snap survey conducted by Habakkuk Trust in Bubi and Umzingwane Districts to ascertain COVID-19 compliance in the sector. Habakkuk Trust has noted with concern…

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Chikuku: the place where great minds converge on driving development

“Let’s meet on Chapwati – our WhatsApp group for the Chikuku Development Initiative. Chapwati in our Duma sub-dialect of the Karanga dialect of the Shona language means something awesome, amazing, extraordinary, and impactful,” says world-renowned author and historian, Claude Maredza as he makes reference to a social media group meant to uplift the area and…

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Stanbic distributes US$200 000 worth of goods towards Covid-19

By Anyway Yotamu. Leading financial services institution, Stanbic Bank has started distributing US$200 000 worth of equipment to health institutions throughout the country for use by frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19. The Standard Bank Group subsidiary pledged to purchase equipment to help fight COVID-19 in April and has now taken delivery of US$200…

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Afreximbank partners with ITC to prepare African businesses to grow through trade

The African Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank) and International Trade Centre (ITC) have teamed up to help businesses make the most of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Afreximbank is teaming up with ITC to train small-business owners and young entrepreneurs in Africa to trade with other African countries as part of the new African Continental Free…

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Africa Regional Mechanism Of The Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (ARMMGOS) launched

The Africa Regional Mechanism of the Major Groups and other Stakeholders (ARMMGOS) – formerly known as Africa Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (ARCSEM) – under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission of Africa (UNECA) was officially launched on the 24th February 2020 at the sixth session of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable…

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Financial Securities Exchange, Harare Institute of Technology sign MOU

The Financial Securities Exchange, a member of the Escrow Group a leading pan African fintech company, has been in discussions with the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) to facilitate the integration of the practical securities trading and capital raising platforms that FINSEC offers with the academic theory that is taught at the institution. These discussions…

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