Manage livestock properly to ensure food and nutrition security

By Byron Mutingwende   Livestock contributes immensely to food and nutrition security as well as to foreign currency generation and economic growth, hence the importance of managing it properly, it has emerged.   In his address at a meeting of the Inclusive Policy Dialogue for Social Development (IPDSD), Abdul Nyathi, the President of the Zimbabwe…

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Going green a pathway to sustainable growth, productivity and jobs

By Byron Mutingwende   Born and bred in rural Marondera where farmers used organic farming to grow crops, Clive Nyapokoto experienced the hard and intense labour involved in the daily farm activities which sometimes he had to do before going to school in the morning. That background motivated him to come up with innovations to…

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Grassroots women mothers of children with disability grapple with adverse effects of climate change

By Byron Mutingwende   The Global Community is living no stone unturned in their endeavour to develop sustainable community responsive strategies to ensure adaptability and resilience in the wake of extreme hunger and severe poverty. Zimbabwe Parents of the Handicapped Children joined the Global Community in making frantic efforts to ensure grassroots women particularly mothers…

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Economist calls for cut in wasteful recurrent expenditures in health

By Byron Mutingwende   Renowned economist, Prosper Chitambara has said the 2018 National Budget contains pragmatic measures to cut unproductive and wasteful recurrent expenditures while scaling up social and capital expenditures, a situation that provides a solid foundation for medium term development if implemented.   Chitambara was analysing the health implications of the 2018 National…

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Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes

Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes   By Byron Mutingwende   Ward 9 and 19 of Chipinge District are role models of successful small-scale farming under the land reform programme. The Food and Nutrition Security Committee (FNSC) initiated programmes saw women in the wards running successful banana, cassava, poultry, dairy and value…

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Livelihoods under threat as Chilonga Irrigation Scheme becomes dysfunctional

By Byron Mutingwende   The drive through Hippo Valley Estates from Chiredzi Town heading towards the south is panoramic and breath-taking. There is a hive of activity as sugar-cane cutters are ferried by huge tractors to and from work. Huge piles of molasses bags are heaped at the Tongaat Hullet Sugar Refinery and in the…

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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 with disabilities monitor the UNCRPD implementation

By Byron Mutingwende   In pursuit of improving human rights through the participation of people with disabilities in social, economic and political spheres in Zimbabwe, youths with disabilities are monitoring the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD).   Elisa Ravengai, the National Coordinator of the Federation of…

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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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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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ZEC impressed by Habakkuk Trust civic education programmes

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) Matabeleland South Provincial Education Coordinator Mr. Andrew Tlou has applauded Habakkuk Trust for youth oriented programmes on voter registration in Gwanda District. Speaking at a Sports and Arts Coaching Clinic organized by Habakkuk Trust  in Mzimuni, Gwanda Ward 3, Tlou said some weeks ago he met some Habakkuk Trust trained youths doing…

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Standardise and decentralise psychiatric assessment reports: Stakeholders urged

By Byron Mutingwende   Girls and women with mental disability are highly vulnerable to sexual violence and encounter enormous obstacles which impede easy access to post gender based violence services such as health, justice, counselling and shelter. As a result, stakeholders called for standardising and decentralisation of psychiatric assessment reports.   Nobuhle Moyo, the Project Officer…

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Sexual harassment against women and girls rampant in society

By Byron Mutingwende   A Cabinet minister has bemoaned the increasing levels of sexual harassment cases in society, with the scourge rampant in tertiary institutions as the current economic hardhips take their toll on women and girls.   Nyasha Chikwinya, the minister of women affairs, gender and community development made the remarks during the launch…

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Women and girls are givers of life – they need protection and respect

By Byron Mutingwende   “In Shona they say “Musha Mukadzi” loosely translated to: The home is the woman. In Ibbo language they say “Nneka” meaning Mother is Supreme. All these narratives and proverbs are meant to debunk the widely held notion that the African culture is predominantly male-chauvinist,” says sociologist John Maramwira.   From 25…

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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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Zimbabwe up-scales response to human trafficking

By Byron Mutingwende   The Anti-Trafficking Inter-Ministerial Committee (ATIMC) capacity building workshop held in Harare recently is a sign that Zimbabwe is committed to addressing human trafficking.   In his keynote address while officially opening the workshop, Obert Mpofu, the Minister of Home Affairs said it was imperative to have a national-driven response to the…

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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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Work towards ending all forms of malnutrition: Stakeholders urged

By Byron Mutingwende   Stakeholders have reiterated the call to end malnutrition in all its forms in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. This emerged at the Zimbabwe Nutrition Association (ZimNA) inaugural conference held at Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare.   The conference was a platform for sharing ideas and experiences as a way of…

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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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Voter registration: incentivising the voter

By Farai Chirimumimba Recent elections in Zimbabwe have been contentious with the voters roll narrative taking centre stage apart from the violence that has been witnessed. According to Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) report 2013 harmonised elections, ”past elections, successive audits of the voters’ roll done by civil society organisations have shown that the roll…

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IBM leads to secure, well-controlled borders

By Byron Mutingwende   There is a need for national and international coordination and cooperation among the relevant authorities and agencies involved in border management and trade facilitation to have open, but well controlled and secured borders, it has emerged.   Marcellino Ramkishun, Senior Migration Management Specialist from the IOM African Capacity Building Centre, in…

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Memorial for Zimbabwe’s Anglican Wabvuwi Guild accident victims

By Wallace Mawire The Anglican Wabvuwi Guild will this Saturday officially open  its memorial clinic, which was built at St Claire’s Mangwende in Murewa following the death of five members of the church in a road accident near the mission’s turn off. According to Precious Shumba, Chairperson of the Information and Publicity Committee of the guild, the…

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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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