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…
The African Energy Chamber secured over $1.4bn in intentions to invest in Africa’s bankable projects in mining, oil & gas, power and renewables The African Energy Chamber (https://EnergyChamber.org) has just concluded a one-week working visit in Beijing where it met with senior officials from the Chinese government, heads of state-owned energy companies, and executives and entrepreneurs…
CAMON series is the best voice of TECNO performance It’s heard that global premier mobile phone brand TECNO Mobile (www.TECNO-Mobile.com) will unveil its camera smartphone CAMON 12 series on September 5th. With aim to build reputed camera smartphone, it’s said CAMON 12 series will be not only Selfie, which is the most remarkable feature of…
By Byron Mutingwende Farmers attending the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) workshop in the Hatfield area of Harare have been capacitated on the importance of on-farm feed formulation. In his presentation to the farmers, Emmanuel Nyahangare, the Animal Nutritionist Lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe said it is important for farmers to utilise…
E-learning is rapidly becoming the favourite method for learning around the world. The convenience of time and location that e-learning affords is the primary reason that makes e-learning so accessible. The widespread availability of the internet in even the most remote locations make e-learning accessible to everyone who wants to learn. Traditionally e-learning uses slides…
NetOne introduces Zim411 an advertising platform that connects sellers and buyers through an SMS. Many innovations have been occurring via mobile apps. Zim411 which is SMS based does not exclude anyone, as the service is accessed by both smart phones and feature phones for only 10cents. Entrepreneurs across all age groups, in the urban and…
Anti-corrosion coating and paints have come a long way over the past few decades. We went from phenolics and polyester to vinyl esters and epoxies. Then in 1944, polymers came and took over the industrial coating sector. Today, polymer accounts for the best choices when it comes to protecting your surface against corrosion. According to…
“We must end hunger in Africa. Yes, we must! Hunger diminishes our humanity” – Adesina urges The Sasakawa Association will work with the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), to help double rice production to 50 million tonnes by 2030. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the announcement at the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) symposium held…
Equatorial Guinea’s Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons (MMH) is pleased to announce that U.S. oil and gas company Noble Energy has made a discovery in offshore Block I Noble Energy makes oil discovery in Block I, located in Equatorial Guinea’s offshore sector; The well was drilled to a total depth of 4,417 meters and is…
Africa needs a digitalisation strategy to compete in the global economy African countries must act quickly and decisively to become leaders on the global economic stage. Digitalization is providing the continent with the opportunity to accelerate growth and rapidly expand struggling economies – but it’s a small window and decision-makers must get a strategy in…
Move set to help hard-pressed families and their breadwinners Cassava Fintech, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Econet Group, today announced that with effect from September 1, 2019, Zimbabweans sending money from the Diaspora will pay only 2.5% in remittance fees, a drastic reduction on a cost which usually runs between 8 and 15%,…
Econet Wireless, the leading telecoms and technology company in Zimbabwe, is once again showcasing a wide array of innovative and technology-driven applications at their Zimbabwe Agriculture Show (ZAS) stand this week. The company’s exhibition this year features activations and demonstrations from Econet products which include BidBuddie, BuddieBeatz, Elevate, Connected Lifestyle and many more. The company’s…
EcoCash today launched a digital mobile phone-based Bureau de Change, in a move set to provide much-needed convenience to the 10 million registered EcoCash customers. In a first by a mobile money service provider, the EcoCash currency bureau service will allow EcoCash customers to sell foreign currency in real time and instantly have the local…
In line with the 2019 Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZA) theme of “Bringing Innovation, Technology and Modernisation”, Econet continues on the path of innovation by bringing in new technologies and new products. Below are some of the innovations at ZAS 2019: Elevate Youth is running an e-sports tournament for FIFA19. The first tournament is…
By Tatenda Mujeyi Cabinet has considered and approved the National Biofuels policy in an effort to complement efforts to alleviate poverty and foster renewable energy production. “Cabinet considered and approved the National Biofuels Policy which was presented by the Minister of Industry and Commerce, the Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Industrialisation and Export Development,”…
Distributed Power Africa (DPA) has more than doubled its client base as the demand for solar energy soars amid the local power challenges, becoming the largest installer of commercial and industrial solar energy solutions in Zimbabwe. The current power crisis in the country has led to extensive outages, creating huge pressure on the national…
By Colin Todhunter Many lobbyists talk a lot about critics of genetic engineering technology denying choice to farmers. They say that farmers should have access to a range of tools and technologies to maximise choice and options. At the same time, somewhat ironically, they decry organic agriculture and proven agro-ecological approaches, presumably because these practices…
United Nations estimated the current world population to be 7.7bn people. This is forecasted to be 8bn and 10bn people living on this planet in 2023 and 2055 respectively. According to un.orgthis population is shared among the continents of the world; 61% of the population of the world lives in Asia, 17% of the world population lives…
Econet Wireless has launched the Econet Group Innoversity, a virtual learning academy designed to develop critical skills in the digital age. “Today I am excited to launch the Econet Innoversity, a learning academy that we will use to develop and deliver skills of the future in line with our business strategy,” said Econet CEO Mr…
KaiOS enables a new category of affordable smart feature phones that require limited memory, while still offering a rich user experience TECNO (www.TECNO-Mobile.com), the leading mobile phone brand in Africa, today announced the launch of the latest 3G smart feature phone T901, the first TECNO device running on KaiOS (www.KaiOSTech.com), the leading mobile operating system…
By Owami Sithole The Government is supporting the scaling up of the fight against hidden hunger by promoting bio-fortified crops, a promising, cost-effective and sustainable technique of delivering micronutrients to a population that has limited access to diverse diets and other micronutrient interventions. Agriculture is one of the sustainable key sectors towards achieving the nation‘s…
By Byron Mutingwende The media has been awash with reports that mobile money platforms, particularly EcoCash, whose agents are demanding high percentages in exchange for cash-outs, are fuelling price hikes and exploiting customers. Yesterday, The Herald newspaper ran a story titled, “Ecocash agents make a killing… demand for bond notes, coins soars” where…
By Ime Archibong, Vice President, Product Partnerships at Facebook Many things have been said about the future Africa and its potential, it has been called the Opportunity Continent, the Next Frontier and Africa rising, with all of these true. For me the excitement comes in how Africa can, and will one day lead in the…
Women’s under-representation in formal entrepreneurial activities has great consequences for Africa’s overall development. The dearth of female scientists and techies has left major untapped potential issues for national economies and future employability. Without access, understanding and participation, women are at greater risk of being left behind as agents of change and leaders in a rapidly…
The National Energy Policy ((NEP) is expected to yield positive results through advocating for initiatives that promotes generation of power from clean sources. In this regard, Riverside Power Station in Mutoko continues to operate in the way advocated by the policy. The station is generating 2,5MW power to the national grid. The project is in…
By Joyce Mukucha There are fears that the Kariba hydro power station which is the Zimbabwe’s massive power plant might shut down next month as the water inflows continue to decrease. Worries are that power constraints will continue in the country until there is reliable, sustainable and universal energy to the Zimbabwean populace. Contentions between…
By Charles Dhewa At a time communities in developing countries are diversifying their food systems in order to cope with climate change, isn’t a narrow approach like bio-fortification counter-productive? Could this be yet another example of interventions that are influenced by funders and their collaborators? In several African countries including Zimbabwe, both urban and rural…
Integrated App offers unique Pay, Chat and Explore features Cassava Fintech International (CFI), in partnership with its local subsidiary Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe, and with Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, have launched SASAI, an integrated social payments platform that combines Payments, Chat and Entertainment services on one single App. “We are excited to bring to the Zimbabwean market…
The Ministry of Energy and Power Development and the subsequent State Owned Enterprises in the energy sector have assured the nation that they are working tirelessly to address challenges that affect the reliability and security of energy supply. This was revealed by Magna Mudzingwa, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development at the Zimbabwe…
By Tatenda Mujeyi The Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Service officially commissioned the ‘Open for Business’ stamps that are being distributed by Zimpost in Harare yesterday. The stamp is assumed to be of ambassadorial significance as it should market the ‘Zimbabwean open for business’ mantra. “While a stamp is widely regarded as a prepayment…
By Anna Wiber To increase the quality of corn used in foods such as tortillas and chips, scientists from University of Minnesota, PepsiCo and Corteva Agriscience are calling for more research on the ingredient’s production. In the Crop Science journal article “Food-Grade Maize Composition, Evaluation, and Genetics for Masa-Based Products,” authors state that an insufficient understanding of…
The International AIDS Society (IAS) announced recipients of prizes and awards at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019) yesterday. These recognise innovation in HIV research, leadership in protecting human rights and the most promising work by an emerging generation of early-career scientists. The honourees will take the stage in Mexico City this…
A unique international online ride hailing service, inDriver, which allows passengers to negotiate the fare with drivers, has begun recruiting drivers in Harare for the service, which it intends to launch in the capital towards the end of this month. inDriver, which is headquartered in New York, has 26 million users in more than 200…
TECNO SPARK 3 was awarded as the phone of the year as a result of its cutting edge features TECNO (www.Tecno-Mobile.com) SPARK 3, a smartphone model by TECNO, a global premier mobile phone brand, has been awarded as the smartphone brand of the year at the 2019 edition of the Africa Information Technology & Telecoms…
The year 2018 witnessed the resurgence of NetOne as the leading Network of Choice in Zimbabwe, with a historic $88 million turnaround from a loss position of $77 million in 2017, to a profit of $10 million in 2018, company Chief Executive Officer Lazarus Muchenje has said. “Our EDITDA grew from $15,1 million to $38,2million,…
By Byron Mutingwende United Nations agencies of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme are implementing projects to ensure food security in communities in the drought-prone Masvingo Province. WFP Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) Project Courtesy of a United Nations in Zimbabwe organised media tour, this publication visited the Chebvute…
By Charles Dhewa Mobile money continues to be touted as a solution to the financial exclusion of many people in developing countries. However, examples in Zimbabwe are showing the need for cautious optimism. As an economic hub, Mbare mass market in Harare has more than 500 mobile money agents and the number is increasing. Why? …
By Tatenda Mujeyi All is set for the National Disabilities Expo scheduled for the Bulawayo City Hall from the 31st of July to the 2nd of August under the hashtag disability is open for inclusive investments. Zimbabwe Disability Expos were introduced in 2012 “seek to explore the untold stories of people with disabilities and we…
