Women’s Coalition urges President Mnangagwa to urgently address deteriorating healthcare provision

By Anyway Yotamu The Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ), a woman’s organization umbrella board has blasted the deteriorating health sector in the country and urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to urgently address the situation. In a statement, the pressure group says women and girls have lost the little hope they had realised before the COVID-19 pandemic induced…

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Breaking research advances announced ahead of virtual COVID-19 Conference

Important advances in COVID-19 research, including promising data on new treatments, were announced today ahead of the virtual COVID-19 Conference, the world’s first abstract-driven scientific meeting dedicated to the global pandemic. Hosted by IAS – International AIDS Society, the COVID-19 Conference will take place on 10 July (extending into July 11 in some time zones), following…

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How Do We Move Towards More Sustainable and Transparent Mechanisms to Prevent and Address Corruption?

By ZIMCODD The dismissal of the former Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Obadiah Moyo by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday, 7 July 2020 highlights the perversity of public corruption and the inadequacy of oversight mechanisms in Zimbabwe. Conditions of weak oversight mechanisms, poor remuneration, breakdown in the rule of law and weakened commitment…

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WHO calls for equitable access to future COVID-19 vaccines in Africa

WHO and partners launched the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator to speed up the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines The World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa (www.Afro.WHO.int) joined immunization experts in urging the international community and countries in Africa to take concrete actions to ensure equitable access to…

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HDF procures lifesaving equipment to fight COVID-19 and strengthen immunization in Zimbabwe

The Health Development Fund (HDF), managed by UNICEF and UNFPA with funding from the United Kingdom (DFID), European Union (EU) Sida-Sweden, Irish Aid and the Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi),  continues to support the Government of Zimbabwe in the strengthening of its health systems with the procurement of 198 Oxygen Concentrators for the fight against COVID-19; and…

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Look out for returnees absconding quarantine: President Mnangagwa

By Anyway Yotamu President Emmerson Mnangagwa has expressed concern over the number of returnees who are absconding from quarantine facilities around the country and has urged Zimbabweans to be on the lookout for returning residents who do not have COVID-19 clearance certificates. COVID-19 is wreaking havoc across the globe with Zimbabwe not being spared. This…

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Government of Zimbabwe Receives $1, 755, 890 from ARC Ins. Ltd to Combat Drought Risk Amidst COVID19 Pandemic

The African Risk Capacity Insurance Company Limited (ARC Ltd) today made payouts of USD 1.4 million to the Government of Zimbabwe and another US$ 290,288 to UN World Food Programme (WFP), in parametric drought risk insurance payouts to support the extensive drought response efforts in Zimbabwe. The payouts announced via a virtual ceremony were the…

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Sunny Yi Feng Tiles pledges environmental compliance

Following an outcry from the community about flouting of rules, the management of tile manufacturer, Sunny Yi Feng in Norton, has pledged environmental compliance. Briefing Environment Minister, Hon. Mangaliso Ndlovu who was accompanied by Minister of State for Mashonaland West Province Mrs. Mary Mliswa Chikoka at a tour organised on the behest of Norton legislator,…

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UNFPA, partners call for urgent action to confront the silent and endemic crisis of Gender-Based Violence & harmful practices

Every year, millions of girls are subjected to practices that harm them physically and emotionally with the full knowledge and consent of their families, friends and communities, according to the State of World Population 2020, recently launched by UNFPA, the United Nations’ sexual and reproductive health agency. Findings from the State of the World Population…

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The knowledge brokering role of transporters in African food systems

By Charles Dhew Beyond transporting commodities from production zones to markets, transporters have a much more important knowledge brokering role in African food systems. Transporters are unique informants who get information from diverse actors and sources such as farmers, traders, other transporters, fuel dealers, equipment manufacturers and others. They also convey information from the market…

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ZNOART piles pressure on City of Harare to end graft

By Anyway Yotamu The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts (ZNOART) is piling pressure on the Harare City Council to end corruption and improve service delivery. In a statement to this publication, ZNOART  National Chairperson Mr. Shalvar Chikomba said, “City Council officials and councillors have a major problem on their hands. The truth…

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U.S. contributes $60.55 million to the WFP to assist Zimbabwe during the lean season

The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will provide $60.55 million toward the World Food Programme’s (WFP) 2020/21 Lean Season Food Assistance program in Zimbabwe.  The lean season assistance will begin in August and will feed nearly one million people during the peak of the season, from January to April 2021. …

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Strive Masiyiwa Buys Back Mascom Botswana For USD$300 Million

Masiyiwa salutes frontline healthcare workers in the Diaspora & in Africa

Econet founder and Africa Union Special Envoy for COVID-19, philanthropist and businessman Strive Masiyiwa, has paid a stirring tribute to African frontline health professionals working in the Diaspora, as well as all healthcare workers serving on the African continent. Writing on his popular Facebook blog, the businessman expresses his gratitude to the health professionals for…

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African ministers, social partners join ILO high-level summit on COVID-19 and the World of Work

The pandemic has devastated the world of work, causing massive human suffering and exposing the extreme vulnerability of millions of workers and enterprises on the continent More than 50 African ministers of labour or employment, along with representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations and international organizations joined the International Labour Organization (www.ILO.org) Regional Office for…

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Action Alert from Adolescent Girls and Young Women with support from ATHENA network

Across the world, the public health emergency posed by COVID-19 continues to impact and unfold in multiple and intersecting ways in our communities. A crisis has the power to make the invisible visible. When it comes to adolescent girls and young women and COVID19, this is certain because while COVID19 is a public health crisis,…

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Unravelling the legends, myths, and taboos of Chibvumani National Monument in Bikita

By Nimrod Ushe The Chibvumani National Monument is one of the dry-stone fortresses of the Munhumutapa Empire. It is believed that the Shona speaking people inhabited this place between 12th – 15th soon after the demise of Great Zimbabwe (Caton-Tompson 1931). According to heritage practitioners,this site was engineered using biotite granite blocks quarried from the…

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Stella Madzimbamuto: Rest In Power Forerunner of our Liberation Struggle

By Richard Mahomva Stella Madzimbamuto is no more. This warrior woman set the inaugural precedence to challenge the legality/illegitimacy of Smith’s UDI in a court of law. To this very minute, the Madzimbamuto versus Lardner Burke landmark judgment is a global point of reference in cases of sovereignty, territorial, and state conflict.  To this end,…

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COVID-19: Women and girls face greater dangers during COVID-19 pandemic

INTERVIEW FROM SOUTH AFRICA: Providing safe abortion care during a national lockdown The COVID-19 pandemic is having potentially catastrophic secondary impacts on the health of women and girls around the world. Decisions made at every level of the response to the pandemic are resulting in women being further cut off from sexual and reproductive health…

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Caribbean countries get access to Africa Medical Supplies Platform for procurement of COVID-19 supplies

Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have been given access to the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP), a procurement system for supplies and equipment in the fight against COVID-19.  The AMSP unlocks immediate access to an African and global base of vetted manufacturers and procurement strategic partners.  It enables African Union Member States to…

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Ecobank Group spearheads new private-sector initiative to end malaria

Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative supports global movement for malaria elimination in Africa Today, Ecobank Group (www.Ecobank.com) confirms its commitment to support ending malaria, launching the first-of-its-kind Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative in partnership with Dakar-based not-for-profit strategic communications and advocacy organization, Speak Up Africa, and the UN-hosted RBM Partnership to End Malaria. The new…

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Multilateral development banks and the World Trade Organization (WTO) supporting trade finance during the COVID-19 crisis

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, multilateral development banks have stepped up trade finance programs to support essential imports and key exports The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked the deepest economic downturn of our lifetimes. In addition to the ongoing shocks to supply and demand, international trade has been affected by a reduction in the…

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‘We are ready to step up, involve us more’ – African youth tells the PAP

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) held its first virtual public lecture on 30 June 2020 under the theme: “The Role of the African Youth in Achieving the Mandate of the PAP”. Young Africans who took part in the engagement with members of the continental Parliament signaled the youths’ readiness to participate in the building of the…

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Econet responds to Cyclone Idai emergency with $5 million

Masiyiwa donates 120 000 Test Kits and border laboratories to Zimbabwe

UK-based Econet founder and philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa, who also serves as AU Special Envoy for COVID-19, has donated 120 000 Test Kits to Zimbabwe, along with Mobile Test Laboratories to be used at the country’s border posts. The donation of Test Kits also includes 50 000 of the highly accurate PCR type Test,  used by…

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MultiChoice Group Joins the UN as Official African Media Supporter for Global COVID-19 Campaign

The MultiChoice Group is proud to announce its latest initiative in the fight against COVID-19.  The group has supported a number of initiatives in the fight against the spread of the pandemic which continues to wreak havoc across the globe, and it is being acutely felt across Africa. Early in the spread of the pandemic…

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COVID-19: Debt and investment transparency for better outcomes

By DAVID MALPASS Since the COVID-19 outbreak, developing economies have suffered unprecedented capital outflows. To reverse these outflows and make debt and investment more productive, it is critical to embrace strong principles of debt and investment transparency. Such transparency involves many difficult steps, but today we’re taking an important one: we are disclosing new information on the…

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Government and private sector to construct 200 000 affordable houses countrywide

By Anyway Yotamu The government, in partnership with the private sector, has started the development of 2 200 stands on KockMallock estate in Norton, with roads now being tarred and sewer pipes laid, while the foundations of the first batch of three-bedroomed houses are under construction. The government has plans to construct all the 200…

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Masiyiwa in COVID-19 Home-Based care initiative: gives US$50 monthly support to help victims

Invites victims to step forward and get assistance for 3 months Worried that there are people suffering at home from COVID-19 that have not come forward, Strive Masiyiwa, through his Higher Life Foundation (HLF), called upon them to come forward on their own and report their status so that they can get assistance worth US$50…

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MSF opens 100-bed COVID-19 treatment centre in Bihar, India

As the number of people infected with COVID-19 continues to grow in India, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has set up a 100-bed temporary treatment centre for COVID-19 patients in Patna, the capital of Bihar state in the northeast of the country. The MSF COVID-19 treatment centre is housed in the remodelled Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna Indoor…

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Digital finance systems foster macro-economic health globally: ZIMCODD

The Zimbabwe Coalition od Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) has underscored the fact that digital finance systems are playing an increasing role in macro-economic health globally. The statement came after the government had given a Press Release on the Suspension of Monetary Transactions on Mobile Based Money Platforms (One Money, MyCash, Ecocash, and Telecash) dated 26…

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AfDB approves 100.5 million euros budget support for COVID-19

The loan will support the central African nation’s Budget Support Programme in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis or PABURC, which aims to strengthen the health system The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (https://www.AfDB.org/) has approved a 100.5 million euros loan to the government of Gabon as budget support to mitigate against the…

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Experts call for digitalisation, e-connectivity in post-COVID-19 world

The global coronavirus pandemic caused overnight challenges for governments around the world adapting to the impacts on supply chains and goods clearances. Now, a group of supply chain and Customs experts have come together virtually to underline the importance of digitalisation as the world starts its recovery in a post COVID-19 world. The first in a…

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Saving lives is more important than re-opening schools: PTUZ

By Ronnie Chisamba The Mashonaland East chapter of the Progressive Teachers Union Of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has expressed concern over the government’s plans to re-open the country’s schools in the wake of a sharp increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19. Addressing parents during a consultative meeting at Mbuya Nehanda Hall in Marondera on Wednesday, Progressive Teachers…

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South Korea church hit by COVID-19 says members to give plasma for research

SEOUL (Reuters) – Around 4,000 recovered COVID-19 patients from a religious group at the centre of South Korea’s largest outbreak will donate plasma for research, an official said on Tuesday, a day after local officials filed a lawsuit against the church. In February and March, a massive outbreak among members of the Shincheonji Church of…

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HLF steps up Testing in Zimbabwe with free testing for the poor

Businessman and Africa Union Special Envoy Strive Masiyiwa has announced free COVID-19 testing in Zimbabwe, along with ramped up testing for the broader population at cost, through his Higherlife Foundation (HLF) and Testing Alliance. The billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist wrote: #Free Testing in Zimbabwe! Starting today, any Zimbabwean who wants a COVID-19 test can get…

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PAP called upon to promote continental policies in the context of COVID-19

African Union (AU) specialized institutions and committees have turned to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to advocate for the domestication of policies adopted at continental level and aimed at mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on key African socio-economic sectors. This includes civil aviation and labour migration around the continent. Members of the PAP Permanent…

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Masiyiwa ventilators now in the country, ready for distribution

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ventilator suites that were donated by businessman and Econet founder Strive Masiyiwa are now in the country ready to be deployed. Through his Higher Life Foundation Zimbabwe, working with some donor partners, Mr Masiyiwa acquired 45 ventilators suites to be distributed to Zimbabwe’s public hospitals. The ventilator suites were manufactured…

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COVID-19 Hub to support global scientific response launched

As the UN warns of an impending global food emergency, researchers in health, nutrition and agriculture have united to support COVID-19 response, recovery and resilience. Montpellier, FRANCE, June 23, 2020 – Leading researchers across health, nutrition and agriculture have launched a new COVID-19 hub to consolidate existing scientific evidence and support response, recovery and resilience…

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Assessing the COVID-19 impact on SMEs and preparing for a new normal

By ITC News • International Trade Centre’s 2020 SME Competitiveness Outlook reveals profound disruptions to global supply chains• Global loss of manufacturing export due to lockdowns in the three global supply-chain hubs – China, the EU, and the US – will amount to $126 billion in losses in 2020• Almost 55% of SMEs say pandemic…

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Providing disability-inclusive education is challenging but worth it.

By Manos Antoninis Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa get bad press for their progress in providing inclusive education. Just two in three children complete primary school on time, while the number of out-of-school children and youth is 97 million and growing. Less is said, however, about the range of tools many countries in the region are deploying…

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