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…
By Tatenda Mujeyi The second edition of the renewable energy conference held in Harare yesterday explored the mixed fortunes characteristic of the Zimbabwean energy sector. The key challenge in the energy sector was inaccessibility of energy to the majority of the population which left non-renewable energy as the only option. “Latest figures from ZIMSTATS indicated…
Kenya Airways adds to the 15,468 aircraft with GE Aviation’s digital solutions Maximizing Airline Efficiency with the Most Accurate Data and Analytics; Kenya Airways (www.Kenya-Airways.com) adds to the 15,468 aircraft with GE Aviation’s (www.GEAviation.com) digital solutions. Kenya Airways has selected GE Aviation for the Flight Operations suite of digital products across the airline’s fleet of…
Led by CEO Nj Ayuk, the team is meeting with several high-profile Chinese executives and energy companies seeking to invest in sub-Saharan Africa A team of attorneys from Centurion (https://CenturionLG.com) is in China this week to participate in the EG Ronda Licensing Roadshow being held today and tomorrow at the Kempinski Hotel Beijing. Led by…
By LUISA ORTIZ PÉREZ in JOURNALIST SAFETY This article, written by Luisa Ortiz Pérez, is second in a series from Chicas Poderosas (“Powerful Girls” in English), a global community that promotes female leadership and generates knowledge. Read the first article by founder Mariana Santos, and follow Chicas Poderosas on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. After writing an editorial on her experience with sexual harassment…
The danger of sticking to ancient technology by financial institutions By Elvis Dvene If a bank is stuck in last century thinking with last century leadership such cultural strategy will lead to eventual failure. I was in a hotel for lunch with a friend, when he asked me: “What do you think about sticking to…
Standard Chartered announce launch of social banking solution for Africa in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania Digital banks now available in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe as part of the Bank’s digital transformation strategy for Africa. Standard Chartered (https://www.SC.com/) today announced yet another multi-market launch of its digital bank in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe as part…
In recent weeks a new Econet business has “swept” the city of Harare — quite literally. Clean City is a digital platform used by private waste collection companies to collect rubbish bins from homes. It uses a franchise business model and is simply providing a digital platform that links companies that collect waste with private…
Econet’s innovation, Ecofarmer, a mobile-based insurance services programme epitomises the important role that technology can play in achieving gender equality. Ecofarmer is a mobile technology solution, which delivers weather-based insurance, real-time, location-based weather information and farming tips via cellphone, that is helping producers to combat the effects of climate change. Statistics show that Zimbabwe is…
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,…
