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…
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…
