In response to a barrage of criticism from subscribers who have become attached to the country’s leading mobile money transaction platform which underwent a system upgrade from Saturday, EcoCash has announced that it successfully migrated to a new platform over the weekend, and that it was now addressing post-cutover stabilisation issues. “We successfully implemented…
By Byron Mutingwende in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ambassador Albert Muchanga, the Commissioner of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission has said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents an opportunity to the continent to reposition its industrial production frontier. The Commissioner made the remarks today at the African Union Headquarters in Addis…
Sasai, the new all-in-one App from Cassava Fintech International (CFI), is exhibiting at AfricaTech, the fintech and digital expo that runs concurrently with AfricaCom, the continent’s largest telco and tech conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, every year. The conference, which brings together hundreds of telco, fintech and digital technology players, financial services…
EcoCash today announced a major upgrade of its platform scheduled for the weekend, which will result in a 24-hour downtime of all EcoCash services. Announcing the upgrade – which is set to take place between 9pm on Saturday (November 16) and 9pm on Sunday (November 17) 2019 – the company said the upgrade is…
The program will empower girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education Merck Foundation (Merck-Foundation.com) launches “Educating Linda” program in partnership with the First Lady of Malawi and Ministry of Education of Malawi; he program will empower girls in STEM education. Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany in partnership with The First Lady of…
By Byron Mutingwende The conference in Zimbabwe on intellectual property (IP), innovation and value addition for business competitiveness and sustainable development is set to put Africa on course to compete globally in terms of innovation. Officially opening the conference in Harare running from 6 to 8 November 2019 yesterday, Hon Ziyambi Ziyambi, Zimbabwe’s…
Content is king on social media – and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority is at the World Travel Market in London to deepen its knowledge on why it reigns supreme and hopefully reveal the secrets to success. Across the three days of WTM London – the event themed where ideas arrive – there will be 17 inspiring…
By Joyce Mukucha and Anyway Yotamu The Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) has ventured into a partnership with the Zimbabwe’s state-owned mobile telecommunications firm, NetOne in order to promote game changing innovations through research and development. The partnership will stimulate skills and knowledge transfer, access to facilities, expertise and idea incubation and support for both…
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is seeking to increase efficiency of regional traffic in an effort to address the slow and expensive exchange of African inter-country traffic via overseas hubs. This emerged at the SADC Capacity Building Workshop on Regional Internet Exchange Points (RIXPs) / National Internet Exchange Points (NIXPs) Connectivity and Monitoring and…
Zimbabwe will host a magnificent Conference on Intellectual Property (IP), Innovation and Value Addition for Business Competitiveness and Sustainable Development in Africa for the first time. This was revealed by the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Mrs Virginia Mabiza at a press conference held in Harare today. The conference…
By Wallace Mawire Two Zimbabwean aeronautical engineers have initiated a new crop spraying drone technology to provide a more efficient, effective and sustainable crop spraying service for Zimbabwean farmers. According to Piwai Chikasha, Managing Director at Alley Capital Group, a Zimbabwean engineering company offering crop spraying services using precision spraying drones, agriculture is one of…
Farmers from around the country have paid tribute to EcoFarmer Vaya Tractor, saying the service had come in handy in helping with mechanised equipment, and assisting them to meet delivery deadlines, especially for contract farmers. Vaya Tractor – which officially launched its services to the nation earlier this month at a ceremony attended by the…
By Byron Mutingwende Stakeholders in the world of work in Zimbabwe convened at a meeting to find solutions for the future of work at a time they are fixated on searching for evasive solutions to the daunting socio-economic problems they face today. This emerged at the Zimbabwe Labour Symposium on the Future of…
By International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) farmers across sub-Saharan Africa try to coax crops out of sandy soils that are not ideal for holding water and nutrients. Their harvests are predictably poor. A traditional approach would have them apply more fertilizers and use irrigation, but both of these options require access to resources and…
High demand for tractors through Vaya Tractor by large commercial farmers and organizations that do contract farming has surprised the Cassava management team as the service takes off. “We thought all the demand would come from smallholder farmers, who don’t own tractors. But even large commercial farmers are coming to us enquiring for the service….
By Nyasha Mutena The Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Hon Stembiso Nyoni has urged rural women across the country to embrace and exploit ICTs centres that have been availed by the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICTs) in the provinces. In her statement on the International Day of Rural…
With the internet fast becoming a part of everyday life for a large majority of Zimbabweans, data consumption has increased exponentially as almost all forms of communication are internet-based. Although price hikes have become a day to day occurrence in the country, the cost of data remains a heated debate amongst peers, with local telecom…
Leading mobile network operator, Econet Wireless has announced yet another increase in bundle prices for data and SMS with effect from 15 October 2019 in what analysts say is a move meant to keep pace with the current inflation. Dr. Prosper Chitambara, the Senior Programme Officer of the Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of…
Africa50, Colas, Jovena and SN Power signed a shareholders’ agreement last Friday to develop the Volobe hydropower plant in Madagascar. The project entails the construction and operation of a 120 MW hydropower plant on the Ivondro river, 40 kilometers from Toamasina, to be operated under a 35-year concession. It also includes the construction of…
Distributed Power Africa (DPA) this week unveiled a 1.2MW solar installation at Liquid Telecom’s Campus in Midrand, South Africa – one of the renewable energy company’s largest projects to date in South Africa. The company, which continues to expand its clean energy offer to commercial & industrial businesses across sub-Sahara Africa, also recently announced…
Hon. Jasmine Toffa, the MDC Secretary for Energy and Power has said her party notes with great concern the continuation of the escalating energy crisis in Zimbabwe which she argued is being worsened by the “cluelessness” of Mr Emerson Mnangagwa government in solving the country’s multi-layered crisis. “The MDC notes that every Sunday since…
By Joyce Mukucha and Anyway Yotamu Driven by the commitment to play a pivotal role in the revival of the nation in the agriculture industry, the country’s largest manufacturer and supplier of fertilisers and agricultural chemicals, Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company(ZFC) Limited has invested in a new fertiliser blending plant . The plant valued at US$500 000…
Cassava Smartech has introduced a new, EcoFarmer Equipment hire platform, that is set to transform agriculture in Zimbabwe by allowing farmers to hire farming equipment for use on their farms, using their mobile phones. The platform will enable farmers to hire a wide variety of farming equipment, including ploughing, discing, planting, fertilizer-spreading, ridging, boom-spraying and…
On the margins of the United Nations Climate Action Summit convened by the Secretary-General, H.E. Mr Antonio Guterres to drum up support for climate action, a group of like-minded countries, financiers, project developers and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) launched on Monday an initiative to energise climate resilient development in Africa faster,…
By Sujatha Byravan Powerful lobbies with vested interests see agro-ecology as a threat to their influence on farming systems Agro-ecology is recognised worldwide as a system that enhances fertile landscapes, increases yields, restores soil health and biodiversity, promotes climate resilience and improves farmers’ well-being. Its practices are supported by many agricultural scientists, the Food and…
Mobile network operators are spending millions of dollars on replacing stolen batteries and on security following a spate of vandalism at their base stations. Tower vandalism is a significant issue affecting not only operators but consumers whose service may be cut off completely in some areas. Each theft incident can result in the network in…
By Byron Mutingwende Prominent politician, philanthropist and businessman Mr. Joseph Makamba Busha has said leadership embraces provision of solutions to society’s myriad of challenges. Mr. Busha made the remarks while addressing University of Zimbabwe students drawn from the membership of the Leadership Development Network (LDN) at the tertiary institution’s Students’ Representative Council on…
Siemens extends its Eskom Expo partnership to schools in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia Siemens (www.Siemens.com) is committed to supporting and developing young, African innovators; Siemens extends its Eskom Expo partnership to schools in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia; Refurbishing and restocking Sekondi College computer lab as part of Siemens localization programme. 23-27…
The meeting of the group’s leaders took place at the UNICEF headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly “Energy, passion and a lot of young people who care about nutrition” will underpin the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement’s newest phase, alongside stronger private sector engagement, members of the Lead Group…
Showcases dozens of new ‘Explore’ features on App Launches massive $10m SASAI promo with 5 houses up for grabs “The future of EcoCash is in the SASAI App!” This was the bold assertion by Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe CEO Mr Eddie Chibi, as he unveiled the SASAI App’s new features, which have been developed by Cassava Fintec International. …
As the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers (ZIE) 10th Biennial Conference kicked off in Harare today, there has been a call for Engineers in Zimbabwe and beyond to come up with a solution to Harare’s water crisis. The theme for the conference is “The Role of Engineering Professionals – Fundamental Duties for National Development” and alludes to…
States, businesses and civil society gear up for decisive decade for Agenda 2030 Four years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and with efforts off track for meeting its objectives, world leaders today called for a decade of ambitious action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and announced…
Econet Chairman, Mr Strive Masiyiwa has said the electric vehicle (EV) is one of the coolest energy adaptation solutions that have emerged in modern world. In coming up with this conclusion, Mr Masiyiwa presented interesting points. The telecoms guru alluded to the fact that most industrialised countries, including China and the European Union have announced…
Technites Africa has launched a revolutionary digital platform which offers one of the widest range of on-demand services and instantly connects customers to independent service providers (highly skilled individuals, SMEs and Corporates) for the delivery of quality domestic and enterprise solutions in the formal and informal sectors. “The biggest challenge Africa faces is extremely high…
By Byron Mutingwende Despite announcing a data and SMS tariff adjustment starting September 23, 2019, Econet’s tariffs remain competitive in the region. The leading mobile network operator by both subscriber base and network coverage has announced another price adjustment for its data and SMS bundles as telco operating costs and other prices of other goods…
Over 9 000 business leaders, decision makers and topic experts, 600 speakers as well as 100 fin-techs will converge in London beginning on September 23 to 26 for Sibos, the world’s premier financial services showcase. Blue Code Africa, who are developing the future of mobile payment in Africa and Europe, will be exhibiting at…
By Joyce Mukucha In trying to reach huge markets through its Digital Entertainment On Demand (DEOD) platform, TelOne is geared to roll out more local streamed viewing options for audiences. In a statement, TelOne Managing Director, Chipo Mutasa said DEOD is a fully converged linear on demand streaming package that brings thousands of hours of…
By Sue Edmonds What is really under our feet these days? Is there still any life down there? I still remember a field day I was covering some years ago, where the featured expert stood in the field and asked a goodly crowd of farmers what they thought they were standing on. There was…
Information communication technology (ICT) stakeholders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are meeting in the resort town of Victoria Falls to deliberate on the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) to users of telecommunication equipment and come up with measures to ensure a safe environment for telecoms users. Officially opening the meeting in Victoria…
By Sue Edmonds For most of the 18 years I’ve been writing about farming issues the buzzword has been ‘sustainability’. Of late it seems to have morphed into ‘regenerative farming’, which aims to do a lot more than sustain, including rebuilding eroded soil and reintroducing the necessary soil life to create the nutritive food the…
By Joyce Mukucha The Contact Centre Association of Zimbabwe (CCAZ) has partnered different stakeholders in hosting the Zimbabwe’s first Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Contact Centre Conference in an effort aimed at forming part of the first large scale developmental initiative that will position Zimbabwe as a global BPO and Contact Centre destination. The BPO…
Telecommunications giant NetOne has been awarded a license by the Reserve bank of Zimbabwe to operate as a Bureau De Change. Bureau de change is the fastest growing sector in the African financial services industry in terms of the number of institutions that have developed over the last 10 years. The Zimbabwe dollar became the…
Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Professor Paul Mavima has officiated at the ground breaking ceremony for the establishment of Glenview Mufakose District Resource Centre and a Secondary School for Science and Technology. In his keynote address at the groundbreaking ceremony in Glenview on 4 September 2019, Professor Mavima said the Glenview Mufakose district had secured…
From next week Zimbabweans living in the UK and South Africa will be able to send money home direct to an EcoCash Foreign Currency Account that they control – for just 2,5%. This represents an almost 80% reduction in fees normally charged. The service, which will be available to anyone who downloads the Sasai App,…
By Byron Mutingwende The Green enterPRIZE Innovation Challenge has been hailed for creating employment for the youths and supporting sustainable enterprise development. The Acting Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr. Ziyambi Ziyambiat made the remarks at the official launch of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) 2019 Northern Region Green enterPRIZE…
