During the two weeks of the conference, the African Development Bank assumed its role as primary champion of African interests and a steadfast supporter of African negotiators The curtain has fallen on COP24 (www.COP24afdb.org), this year’s global climate summit held in Katowice, Poland. However, negotiations continued throughout the weekend to reach agreement on specific parts of the…
Africa must unlock the power of its women and girls if it is to adapt to climate change, cope with disasters and build its green energy sector By Special Correspondent That is the message from African delegates as the world prepares to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change in Katowice, Poland, this week. Research…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has emphasised on the need to address Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Zimbabwe. Speaking at the HHP workshop held in Harare on 13 December 2018, Gabriele Ranieri (Officer in Charge) FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa, said the world over, countries are facing the challenge…
By Charles Dhewa In spite of millions of dollars that have gone into market linkage initiatives in developing countries over the past few years, farmers still struggle to sell their commodities profitably. Post-harvest losses have not gone down, gluts continue to alternate with shortages and relationships between farmers and processors have not improved. This suggests…
The details of the “Desert to Power Initiative” have been outlined as part of the Paris Agreement climate change talks at COP24 in Katowice, Poland this week. Energy poverty in Africa is estimated to cost the continent 2-4 % GDP annually, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org), which is leading the project. The…
The Embassy of Sweden announced today SEK 45 million grant to the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) to allow the timely roll out of the Crisis Modifier. Crisis modification is used in Resilience building as a tool to implement early actions based on early warning, in this case to better prepare the communities to withstand…
People in rural areas who largely depend on agriculture for their livelihoods are grappling a changing climate and unpredictable weather that are putting an additional strain on food production and increasing food prices, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Gilbert F. Houngbo has said. He made the remarks at a press conference attended by…
By Charles Dhewa In the absence of evidence-based agricultural policy formulation and implementation, most developing countries always rush to import food without sufficiently understanding their national contexts. During gluts, farmers in areas where fruits are produced in abundance do not benefit from selling nationally compared to when there are shortages. On the other hand, when…
Hubert Boulet is the Programme Coordinator of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme at Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) HQ in Rome, which is working in 13 pilot countries, including Zimbabwe. The SWM Programme is a major seven-year African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) initiative, implemented by FAO, that seeks to reduce hunting…
By Tendai Guvamombe The science is sobering; the global temperature in 2012 was among the hottest since records began in 1880. Make no mistake: without concerted action, the very future of our planet is in peril,” said the Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde said in 2012. This unfortunate situation among others now…
Nelson Chamisa, the President of the MDC Alliance on Saturday 1 December 2018 said it is noble to plant trees since they are good for the environment, the earth and its future. “Today, I was in Norton to plant what I termed ‘the New Zimbabwe Democracy tree’. We aim to plant two million trees annually…
In his first visit to Zimbabwe since taking office as President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Gilbert F. Houngbo will meet President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and other government officials to discuss investments to improve food and nutrition security, provide employment opportunities for rural youth, and reduce poverty. The visit will take…
By Miriam Zvomuya The Minister of Energy and Power Development Hon Minister Dr. Joram Gumbo is calling on households and industries to use solar thermal energy for heating to assist in saving and reducing the current power import bill. This emerged at a launch of the Solar Thermal Technology Roadmap and Implementation Plan for Zimbabwe…
Combining tourism and environment under one roof requires the creation of synergies to ensure a shared vision, and a team that will be united for the success of the new ministry of environment, tourism and hospitality industry. Speaking at her Ministry’s Strategic Plan in Mutare under the theme, “Towards a Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle Income…
By Byron Mutingwende The success of the Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (VAA) efforts in the SADC region depends on strengthening communication and advocacy and data and information management systems. This emerged at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (RVAA) workshop in Johannesburg from 19 to 21 November 2018….
By Byron Mutingwende The multi-stakeholder social dialogue underpinning the Zimbabwe Report on the Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises (EESE) that is being spearheaded by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is set to stimulate economic growth. In his remarks at the launch of the Zimbabwe Report on EESE, Senator Lovemore Matuke, the Deputy Minister…
By Byron Mutingwende Grassroots Women under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA) have vowed to ensure food security beyond the adverse effects of climate change. “Grassroots Women from Harare and Mashonaland East Provinces are implementing strategies to ensure food security and nutrition in spite of the adverse effects…
By Byron Mutingwende Ms. Caroline Mozhendi, the Econet Head of Agribusiness has encouraged the use of technology to combat the effects of climate change by farmers in Zimbabwe. Ms. Mozhendi made the remarks during an event whereby Ecofarmer joined the Shamva Agricultural College in celebrating 34 students who graduated at the institution on Friday…
Miriam Zvomuya and Tendai Guvamombe The Zimbabwean government has thrown its weight behind the global target in adaptation and mitigation of global warming ahead of World Summit on Climate Change to be held in Poland next month. Washington Zhakata, the Director of Climate Change Management Department in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and…
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Zimbabwe has begun the implementation of its Lean Season Assistance programme for the 2018/19 season in October with a contribution (US$22 million) from the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which will support more than 430,000 food insecure people. “This contribution…
By Byron Mutingwende Ecofarmer is working towards modernising agriculture by embracing technologies in order to improve production efficiency, achieve food security and profitability for farmers. In a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Leonard Munamati – the Provincial Crop and Livestock Production Officer for Mashonaland East Province at the Ecofarmer Agri-tech expo…
Millions of African farmers still face legal restrictions on water access, dating back to colonial times, according to a study released this week. Researchers with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Pegasys Institute reveal the obstacles that smallholders face, including potential legal penalties, due to laws that originated and led to “water grabbing” in…
By Michael Mashiri Oxfam Zimbabwe has launched a programme called Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods (CARL), which is an initiative designed to end poverty in rural areas. The project endeavours to make sure that rural women increase their income and economic power in sustainable agricultural crop supply chains such as groundnuts, pea beans, cattle and…
At Tsholotsho Hospital on Thursday 11 October 2018, the Government of Japan officially handed over a contribution of US$ 1 million to enhance the resilience of drought- and flood-affected communities in Zimbabwe through a comprehensive set of health, nutrition, food security and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) interventions. The project is being implemented by the…
Climate change has set our planet on fire, millions are already feeling the impacts Today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report detailing progress and pathways to liming global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Responding to the report, Mr. Apollos Nwafor, Pan Africa Director of Oxfam International (httpss://www.Oxfam.org) said: “Climate change has set…
By Byron Mutingwende The reduction of food losses and waste (FLW) is essential in the creation of efficient value chains, which are the core of sustainable food systems that contribute to food security, nutrition, economic growth and environmental benefit, it has been noted. Berhanu Bedane, the Livestock Development Officer for the Food and…
By Charles Dhewa It is lamentable that, in spite of setting up hundreds of universities and research institutes, developing countries continue to import knowledge. For instance, African countries are not just importing equipment and finished products from the West and East but also importing knowledge in the form of prescriptions on how to use those…
A new challenge calling on young innovators across Zimbabwe to design solutions that will improve education, skills development and training for young people, and empower them to take action on issues that affect them, was launched yesterday. Winning applicants will contribute to the success of Generation Unlimited, which is a new, ambitious partnership – launched at a…
IAS statement to global leaders Together we can prevent 2 million deaths by 2022 Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading killer of people living with HIV: it causes 40% of all HIV deaths worldwide. Every year, we lose almost half a million family members, friends and colleagues living with HIV to TB. But there is no…
The training will also address the needs and perspectives of women and men in policymaking and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change processes, adopted on 9 May 1992 The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) will conduct a seminar on gender mainstreaming in climate negotiations for the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) in Dakar, Senegal, on…
By Byron Mutingwende Although there were some notable reductions in stunting rates in some countries between 2015 and 2018, stunting remains worryingly high in East and Southern Africa, a study has shown. The Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) was part of the team that jointly commissioned a study to…
This will be an opportunity to consider the most effective measures to help close the Adaptation Gap in Africa, which experts estimate to be between USD 7 billion and 15 billion per year by 2020, increasing thereafter The first Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) Partners (https://AfricaAdaptationInitiative.org/rt/) Roundtable Meeting will take place on Monday 24 September 2018,…
FreeZim Congress leader and prominent businessman Joseph Makamba Busha has pledged five thousand dollars ($5 000) towards the construction of a science laboratory at Henry Low Primary school in Bulawayo last Friday. While officiating as the guest of honour at a Climate Change Awareness campaign launch in the city of Kings, organised by the Zimbabwe…
By Munyaradzi Dhure The shortage of wheat in the country is leading to an increase in the prices of bread, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has said. Speaking at a press conference in Harare on Thursday 13 September 2018, Tafadzwa Musarara, the Chairman of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe said current…
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…
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…
The Zimnat Group, which exhibited this year at the Harare Agricultural Show for the first time, won the Best First Commercial Exhibit in Any Sector Award for its stand. Its stand was judged the best from among more than 100 new entrants in this category. The entire Zimnat group, including its general insurance, life…
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…
By Byron Mutingwende The aggressive worldwide marketing of Destination Zimbabwe that is being spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has borne some low hanging fruits that the country is ready to devour in as far as economic revival is concerned. Riding on a wave of success due to the ZTA’s hardworking Chief…
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…
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…
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,…
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced the Resilient Waters, a five-year, $32.4 million project to address severe water challenges facing the Limpopo River Basin and Okavango River Basin communities. The US Embassy in Harare said in a statement that the Resilient Waters will increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation services for…
By Sirak Gebrehiwot (UN Communications Specialist) The UN team, led by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Bishow Parajuli, comprising of UNICEF Representative, Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya; IOM Chief of Mission, Ms. Lily Sanya; WFP Representative and Country Director, Mr. Eddie Rowe; and UNDP Country Director Mr. Georges van Montfort concluded a three-day field visit,…
By Byron Mutingwende In 2008, the Bindura South Constituency resembled a cemetery due to the grinding poverty brought about by hyperinflation. It is that time when Remigious Matangira, the current Member of the House of Assembly for the area began his philanthropic work by spearheading development initiatives. “Bindura became my permanent home in…
