Digital ventures already have more than 33 million registered users, according to study by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and Dalberg Advisors. More than 90 per cent of the market for digital services that support African smallholders remains untapped and could be worth more than €2 billion (US$2.26bn), according to a…
Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe’s EcoSure has unveiled US dollar denominated packages that will give Zimbabweans the opportunity to get insurance cover without worrying about the challenges of value erosion on their policies brought about by economic volatility and currency fluctuations. Announcing the move, Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe CEO Mr Eddie Chibi said the new packages would…
By Byron Mutingwende Spiked Online Media’s Byron Mutingwende (BM) caught up with Evangelista Chekera (EC), a young entrepreneur whose chick brooding innovation has won her local and continental awards. Below are the excerpts of the interview: BM: Who is Evangelista Chekera? EC: I am the first born in a family of two…
The AgriShow held at Borrowdale Racecourse from Thursday last week until Saturday was an eye opener for those who attended it for the first time, with an impressive exhibition of agricultural equipment, much of which was large modern sophisticated machinery. The show, held by the Agricultural Dealers and Manufacturers Association (ADMA), attracted not only manufacturers…
Cassava Smartech and Comviva have jointly won the East Africa Com Award in the “Changing Lives” category for Cassava’s EcoCash mobile money service powered by mobiquity® Money. The award was presented recently at Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the second consecutive award for both companies as they won the award in 2018…
Drone technology is being used to collect and analyse data, and monitor irrigated areas, combat pests At a special event highlighting the partnership between the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and Korea held on the sidelines of the Bank’s Annual Meetings, the role of drone technology to boost food productivity in Africa, was on full display….
More than 400 women have signed up to Africa’s first online platform for female agripreneurs, launched today at a trade fair in Nairobi. The VALUE4HERConnect network will help bring women entrepreneurs in agriculture together in a virtual community and serve as an important business resource for members. The network, which was launched at AWAN-Afrika’s first continental conference and VALUE4HER…
Siemens invests in Southern and Eastern Africa to promote Digital Industries Software portfolio Acquisition of distributor ESTEQ (http://ESTEQ.co.za/) brings an experienced team and long-standing customer relationships to Siemens (www.Siemens.com); Siemens invests in Southern and Eastern Africa to promote Digital Industries Software portfolio. Siemens Digital Industries Software announced today that it has signed an agreement to…
The more than one billion US-dollar investment that Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has made in its mobile network infrastructure continues to pay off, despite the strong economic headwinds in the business operating environment. The Zimbabwean economy has been going through one of its most challenging economic spells, with shortage of foreign currency topping many other difficulties…
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange listed mobile network service provider Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is the network of choice for 88 percent of corporate consumers in the country, according to a survey commissioned by the telecoms regulator, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe(POTRAZ). The consumer satisfaction survey, for the period ending December 2018, conducted by Topline…
By Tatenda Mujeyi The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) has launched its 2018 Consumer Satisfaction Survey Report at its headquarters in Mount Pleasant, Harare, today. The survey is the third by the regulator and seeks to realise the level of satisfaction by consumers of the telecommunications, courier and Postal products in Zimbabwe every two…
By Byron Mutingwende In a move perceived by many as counter-productive, Zimbabwe is set to lose close to US$100 million worth of exports annually after Astro Mobile failed to get support to set up a manufacturing plant in the country but was instead welcomed in Zambia. “The move by the government to put…
EcoCash through the Cassava Smartech, an innovative and technology company, have joined the world class way of doing business with its all new micro services. The micro services allow for better interaction with customer base of over 9 million subscribers on-the-go thereby decongesting their call centre. Long queues, hours of waiting and disappointments will now be a…
By Charlene Kunira The current, defining technology trends are having a significant impact in the tax arena and these are effecting many organisations’ tax function, and the role of tax professionals in Zimbabwe. This has driven tax consulting firms to project into the future realising that it will be a period of significant technological advancement…
Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe says its growing on-demand business is set for a boost with the coming on stream of fully-fledged logistics services. The listed tech giant’s CEO Mr Eddie Chibi said Cassava On Demand, which over the past six months has been offering Vaya Mobility services, had started rolling out Vaya Logistics services in earnest,…
By Spiked Correspondent Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a subsidiary of Econet Wireless Global, and EDF (Électicité De France) a world leading electricity company, have signed partnership cooperation agreement to jointly develop Commercial and Industrial (C&I) and hybrid energy solutions to the African market. The collaboration is expected to focus on the development of distributed-energy solutions…
Buddie Beatz, the music app from Econet Wireless, continues to excite the market following its recent launch and its award-winning experiential exhibition at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF). “The interest has been phenomenal since, thanks to our customers that have taken this product to heart, and to the music artists who have been amazing,”…
Econet Wireless has launched an all-new YoMix app, with a fresh, sleek interface and a revamped menu, laden with several new functions. The app retains its hallmark functionalities of creating personalized bundles of voice, data, SMS & Value Added Services, offering discounted YoMix bundle combinations, and the option to buy bundles for friends and loved…
Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform, launched the first edition of its Innovation Challenge at the 2019 Transform Africa Summit holding in Kigali from 14 to 17 May. Through this initiative, Africa50 will crowdsource innovative solutions to help increase access to high-speed internet in under-served areas in Africa. The call is open for ICT developers,…
The multimillion dollar ‘ChakaChaya neEcoCash’ promotion is back. Now in its third successive year, this year’s promotion is offering more prizes, including cash, houses, a Cape Town cruise, property stands, goats and cows – not to mention a trip for two to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt, which the Zimbabwe Warriors recently…
By Talkmore Thulani Gandiwa Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook have transformed the way political figures interact with their constituencies. Fifteen years ago, campaigns were drastically different. Reflect back to Robert Mugabe Vs Morgan Tsvangirai election of 2002. There was hardly social media. Facebook was to be launched two years after these elections, and when it came…
As the 19th edition of the Africa Utility week and PowerGEN event kicks off, GE unveiled a whitepaper today on Re-imagining the future of power in Sub-Saharan Africa Whitepaper highlights the future gamechangers in the energy landscape in Sub- Saharan Africa; Discusses the factors contributing to energy transformation and the enabling environment; Outlines the market’s response…
When it comes to creating cutting-edge strategies that endear brands to their audiences, Ringier Digital Marketing (RDM) continues to go all out to provide professional digital marketing services to brands in Africa and beyond In a bid to continuously provide world class services to clients, the company has assembled a team of creative strategists –…
Global premier mobile phone brand TECNO Mobile (www.TECNO-Mobile.com) announced plans at Google IO 2019 which will see its SPARK 3 Pro running on Android™ P™ operating system upgrade to join Q Beta on May 7th. Stephen HA, Vice President of TRANSSION and GM of TECNO Mobile, said: “We are delighted to announce our further expansion…
. The framework agreement between the two organizations was signed in Madrid by Jaime Cabal, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, and by Eduardo Navarro, Director of Communication, Corporate Affairs, Branding and Sustainability of Telefónica. • The alliance, whose first phase will be in effect until the end of 2020, revolves around four initial…
Econet Wireless has lit up the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) with its recently-launched Buddie Beatz music app that features an extensive choice of music by top local and African artists. In what could well become the hub of African music, Econet’s ZITF stand has been abuzz with visitors donning ‘silent disco’ headphones to sample…
As expected, leading mobile network operator Econet Wireless – which won last year’s Best ICT Exhibition award and the coveted Best Overall Business Stand award – is back at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) this year, showcasing its growing range of smart consumer and business products to an even wider market than in previous…
Vaya Mobility service, which is now available in all major Zimbabwean cities and towns, has hit Bulawayo by storm, taking advantage of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) to launch its new Vaya Shuttle service by offering free rides to exhibitors, business people and professionals travelling to the Trade Fair by air. Throughout the Trade…
Zimbabwe has a mobile penetration rate of 102.7 percent (according to PORTAZ January 2018) meaning over 100 percent of the Zimbabwean population has access to the internet, which is the biggest source of information. There is now a need for every sector of our government to have a web presence. The flagship ministry of our…
Econet Wireless has started piloting mobile games on 100 000 randomly selected customers, ahead of full commercial launch at the end of the month. The pilot follows the successful launch of Elevate Gaming, unveiled at the inaugural Elevate Gaming Tournament two weeks back. “We are pleased to announce this new phase in our rollout of…
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is working, with the support of African Union (AU), to create a digital ecosystem that will eliminate the major bottlenecks to trade finance flows within Africa, Bank President Prof. Benedict Oramah has announced in Washington D.C. Delivering an address on 11 April at the IGD Frontier 100 Forum organized by the Initiative…
The Digital Lab Africa (DLA) call for projects #3 closed on the 31st of January 2019 with around 500 entries from over 30 Sub-Saharan African countries. The DLA digital content industry experts have chosenthe 30 finalists who will compete in the DLA online pitch competition. The startups, entrepreneurs and creators are all from the African…
By Byron Mutingwende Mr Cloffas Nyagumbo, the Green Innovation Hub (GiHub) Project Manager and Deputy Country Director of SNV Zimbabwe had a one-on-one meeting with Spiked Online Media wherein he laid out the advantages of the initiative to the youths and the economy. He said the GiHub seeks to address challenges around youth unemployment, climate…
Econet Wireless has commissioned a 466KW solar power plant at its Willowvale industrial complex in Harare, the largest commercial and industrial carport and roof mount installation of its kind to be deployed in the country. The solar plant was engineered and designed by Distributed Power Africa (DPA), Econet’s solar business in line with the company’s…
By Charles Dhewa Contrary to the hype in which ICTs are presented as a panacea, ICTs-related costs in many African countries eroding the meagre promised benefits. Countless studies and articles (including this one https://www.techzim.co.zw/2019/03/cost-of-mobile-data-in-zimbabwe-should-we-even-compare/) show that the cost of data is increasing in Africa when such costs are decreasing in other parts of the world….
U.S. security concerns about 5G mobile networks built by Chinese telecoms giant Huawei appear to be driven by politics and trade rather than any evidence, the head of the U.N. internet and telecoms agency said on Friday. Houlin Zhao, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), told reporters in Geneva that security of 5G networks…
Liquid Telecom has confirmed that it has completed the US$180 million sale of an 8 percent stake to the British government Sovereign Wealth Fund for developing countries known as Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC). The company said in a statement through the Irish Stock Exchange that all conditions precedent to a deal that was announced in…
A science teacher from rural Kenya, who gives away most of his salary to support poorer pupils, has won a $1m prize (£760,000) for the world’s best teacher. Peter Tabichi, a member of the Franciscan religious order, won the 2019 Global Teacher Prize. Brother Peter has been praised for his achievements in a deprived school…
In an effort to promote the widespread adoption of crypto, a team of developers have created a wallet that will allow its users to access digital currency services from within their favourite messaging applications such as WhatsApp. Using the Wuabit service users will soon be able to send, receive, trade, and perform other tasks relating to…
The annual Economic Commission for Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development – COM2019 (www.UNECA.org/CFM2019) – kicked off in Marrakesh on Wednesday, with emphasis on the importance of digitalisation in enhancing African economies as the continent celebrates the first anniversary of the highly hailed and historic signing of the Africa Continental…
Econet Wireless has issued a statement denying reports that its network faces collapse due to the non-payment of a foreign debt to a network platform supplier. Media reports doing the rounds are that a $17 million foreign currency payment outstanding to Swedish telecommunications multinational Ericsson is at the centre of Econet’s troubles after the Reserve…
By Byron Mutingwende The Simuka-Phakama 2018 Green enterPRIZE Innovation Challenge is creating a platform for green enterprise development and eco-innovation to thrive Zimbabwe by empowering the citizens and businesses, particularly the youth and women, to become drivers of green and decent jobs creation. By facilitating their access to a tailored business development programme, supported by…
OmniContact centre to help organisations focus on their core business activities, reduce costs The Econet group today unveiled the OmniContact – a standalone ‘business process outsourcing’ (BPO) unit that will offer local and foreign businesses, both private and public enterprises, a wide range of specialised outsourced services, designed to free them to focus on their…
Getting an ambulance anywhere in Zimbabwe will now be as easy and as simple as a click on your mobile phone following the launch of Vaya Ambulance service today. The launch follows research by Vaya – a subsidiary Cassava-On-Demand Services – that revealed that there were over 130 active ambulances in the country operated by…
Rwanda has embraced technology and is now preparing its young population for the future by launching a coding academy. The school’s motto “born to code” encourages young people interested in coding to pursue it as a career. The academy focusses on cyber security and software programming, and 30 girls and 30 boys enrolled in the…
