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…
The eCommerce Africa Conference and Exhibition, delivered by DHL, is hosted by South African conferencing company, Kinetic DHL Express (www.DHL.com) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has announced that the company has once again signed on as lead sponsor for the 2019 DHL eCommerce Africa Conference and Exhibition, which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Center…
Rwanda has launched a satellite named Icyerekezo, which will bring internet connectivity to students at Nkombo Island, in Lake Kivu. Rwanda wants to bridge internet connection in rural areas around the country. A satellite named Icyerekezo by students from Nkombo Island in rural Rwanda at Lake Kivu was launched on the 26th of February, 2019….
By Special correspondent A FUEL solutions technology company, Garage and Forecourt (Pvt) Ltd, is rolling out an ITC based fuel management system that it argues might be panacea to manual and less accurate fuel gauging and management currently dogging service stations. According to managing director Omalli Jani, the new system replaces convectional dipsticks used to…
By Byron Mutingwende The rising academic giant, David Mascott Country School has once again stamped its authority as a pacesetter in the education field by offering unique learning facilities and services. The imposing modern facility located in the pristine area of Norton exudes an aura of excellence. The Spiked Online Media crew caught…
Listed technology company Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe today launched Akello Edutech, a digital learning platform which offers education and learning resources for learners of all age groups – from primary school to post-graduate students. Speaking at the launch of the platform in Harare, Cassava Smartech CEO Mr Eddie Chibi said Akello Edutech – which will incorporate…
At Mobile World Congress, Orange (www.Orange.com) partners with KaiOS Technologies(www.KaiOSTech.com) and UNISOC (www.UNISOC.com) to launch a phone with voice recognition at $US 20 in 16 countries in Africa and the Middle-East : Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Jordan, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Sierra Leone and Tunisia. An…
The Bank has launched its digital services in Tanzania and Ghana following successful roll-outs in Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda Standard Chartered (www.SC.com) yesterday announced it had completed a simultaneous multi-market launch of its digitally-led retail banks in Tanzania and Ghana, with Kenya’s roll out scheduled to occur shortly. This follows the launches of the Bank’s…
Astel, a leading provider for IT infrastructure and office automation solutions on the African continent, and Utimaco, the global #2 in Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), today announced a distribution partnership for the Africa region. HSMs by Utimaco provide the ‘Root of Trust’ to a wide range of industries, encompassing financial and payment services, the automotive…
By Byron Mutingwende City of Harare is in the process of coming up with a Master Plan and is embracing the case study of Kigali in Rwanda that was part of secondary research done by junior officers who joined the municipality in 2018. According to Mr Tinashe Bobo, the focus was on Kigali, which is…
. Programme offers EcoCash customers unprecedented value; set to reward both customers and merchants for ‘living the Ecocash way’ EcoCash, Cassava Smartech’s fintech business, has launched a real-time rewards programme on a digital wallet that will earn customers up to 15 percent of value transacted. A first on a mobile money service, the EcoCash Rewards…
By the time the next planting season starts, farmers will be able to find a tractor within minutes, anywhere in Zimbabwe. This is part of an ambitious plan by Vaya, a division of Cassava SmartTech, to expand the range of services available on its mobility and logistics App. According to Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe CEO Mr…
By Tendai Guvamombe Few days ago Zimbabwe joined community of nations in ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, a move which came at the back of mass production of nuclear warheads by giant powers threatening world disorder, a fiasco which could eventually turn into a global crisis. Science in its unique form is sobering…
Mobile Network operator NetOne lit up the social scenes with its Valentine’s Day campaign that culminated in a dinner for some of its lucky customers. February being the month of love gave NetOne an opportunity to extend love to its valued subscribers through a twelve-day social media campaign dubbed #YourOneYourOnly. The campaign had different themes for…
By Byron Mutingwende The Forum for African Women Educationalists – Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI) is working to promote the uptake and performance of girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). “As an organisation that has been working in schools in Zimbabwe since 1998, FAWEZI has been implementing various projects to promote girls education….
Econet has launched a ground-breaking, rural electrification programme worth millions of dollars under the name Ugesi Energy, that is set to help transform rural enterprises and create employment. Ugesi is the second Econet energy business following the successful launch two years ago of Distributed Power Africa (DPA), the group’s commercial solar business with a focus…
NetOne has sent on forced leave its top two executives who are Sibusiso Ndlovu, the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) as well as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) Brian Mutandiro. “One of the two executives was force-marched off the building while resisting the suspension and suspected to be concealing evidence. The two executives will be on indefinite…
These biometric solutions enable the police force to better solve crimes through the electronic collection, storage and processing of fingerprints, palm prints and facial captures Gemalto (www.Gemalto.com), the world leader in digital security, is supplying its Cogent Automated Biometric Identification System (CABIS) (https://bit.ly/2SmrB2t) and LiveScan (https://bit.ly/2I7sM0Z) technology to the Ugandan Police. These biometric solutions enable the police force to…
Kenneth Makate has sued his former funders, Raining Men Trade, for fraud and is fighting the company’s claim to a share of his settlement with Vodacom. Raining Men Trade was reportedly placed into business rescue this year after not receiving payment from Makate. The company helped bankroll Makate’s court case against Vodacom which sought compensation…
Development spending efforts should target improved food safety for African consumers, who need greater information and awareness to be able to demand higher standards, finds the Global Food Safety Partnership. More than half of donor funded food safety initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa are focused on overseas markets, with less than half on domestic consumers, a new report…
By Byron Mutingwende One of Cassava Smartech’s insurance arms, Moovah, has entered into a partnership with ZIMPOST to enhance convenience for their customers countrywide. Speaking during the unveiling of the partnership in Harare on 31 January 2019, Mr. George Nyashanu, the Managing Director of Econet Insurance and Life, said the move was in line with…
The African Energy Chamber (EnergyChamber.org) has entered into a technical assistance cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Petroleum of the Republic of South Sudan to strengthen the country’s capacity to manage its hydrocarbons sector and wealth. South Sudan has over the past year demonstrated a commitment to peace, which gives the country an opportunity to…
Econet has chosen the City of Bulawayo as the centre of its renewable energy business in Zimbabwe. Econet Energy CEO, Mr Norman Moyo said at the direction of the group Chairman, Mr Strive Masiyiwa, the company is setting up Bulawayo to try and stimulate employment opportunities in Zimbabwe’s second largest city. The Econet Energy business…
The potential for new technology to support African smallholders receives insufficient attention, says director of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) The huge promise of technology to help improve productivity, profitability and sustainability for African smallholders should be higher on the international agenda, the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture heard. Michael…
Businessman Strive Masiyiwa has so far founded four different businesses that are valued at more than $13 billion. Commenting on his Facebook page, the Econet founder said four of his business ventures had become what are known as Unicorns: -Econet Wireless Zimbabwe $3,2bn -Cassava Zimbabwe $3,8bn -Liquid Telecom $2,5bn, -And Airtel Nigeria, which he started…
By Lovemore Chazingwa The quest for bringing out Africa’s economic potential and sustainable growth through investment from abroad can be tapped as a result of properly protected Intellectual Property (IP), a regional workshop heard. In it’s opening remarks at the high level workshop held at Africa Regional Intellectual Property Rights Organisation headquarters December 5 last…
By Charles Dhewa Hundreds of mobile applications and technology platforms are launched in Africa almost every day, thanks to the promise of digital-fuelled progress. Unfortunately most of the platforms (including those owned by famous mobile network providers) are trotted onto the market prematurely before sufficient pre-testing. There is also confusion between a platform, a portal,…
Free Web Hosting, initially launched August 2018 in Zimbabwe, has extended its services to neighboring South Africa. Since its Zimbabwe debut, FWH has captured the attention of website developers, tech hubs, companies and the blogging community all across the nation. The platform enables individuals and/or companies to move their existing websites from paid hosting. In…
Liquid Telecom South Africa to provide wholesale open access roaming services to network operators starting early 2019 Liquid Telecom South Africa, part of the leading pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom, today announced that it will establish a multi-billion Rand 4G network in South Africa. From early 2019, wholesale roaming services will be made available across…
The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority is proud to have its subsidiary, ARDA Seeds, that is providing seeds as a critical input to ensure bumper harvests for all farmers countrywide. Speaking to Spiked Online Media, Jemitius Mukiwa, an ARDA marketing executive said ARDA SEEDS (Pvt) LTD is a registered private company wholly owned subsidiary of Agricultural…
Cassava SmarTech Zimbabwe made history on 18 December 2018 when it debuted in the market at a price of $1,50 per share, valuing the company at $3,8 billion. It immediately became Zimbabwe’s third most valuable company after Delta and Econet Wireless (its now telecoms only, sister company). By any measure this is easily the largest…
By Tendai Guvamombe In order to curb challenges ranging from economic turmoils to global warming effects, investing in the vibrant young blood will be a wisest solution, a Boost Fellowship meeting has revealed In Zimbabwe, the Boost Fellowship (BF) under the support of UNICEF is working towards a global youth initiative trending as Generation Unlimited…
The country registered a significant milestone in the Tourism Digital Space by launching the AccoLeisure Zimbabwe Travel Guide and the Zimbabwe Destination Video in Harare yesterday. In line with the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (STP), Priscah Mupfumira, the Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry said the launch was in sync with one of the key…
By Owami Sithole KinderCare Zimbabwe launched Zimbabwe digital evolution learning workshop embracing quality education in the 21st digital era. Educational technology help teachers and students in that it provides benefits such as organization, efficiency, collaboration, communication, extra help and virtual experiences. Kinder Care Zimbabwe launched a digital education resource application called Smart-Kidz Club. In an interview…
EcoCash, Steward Bank partner to offer hassle-free small loans Bank unveils instant *236# bank-account opening service Cassava SmarTech’s fintech businesses EcoCash and Steward Bank have partnered to offer instant, nano loans to their combined customer base of more than 10 million customers. Announcing the launch of Kashagi/Inyuku nano loans in Harare today, Steward Bank also…
By Miriam Zvomuya and Tendai Guvamombe African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) in conjunction with the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) today hosted a regional conference on Intellectual Property management in Universities and Research and Development Institutions in Africa in the Capital. Running under the theme, “Fostering Creativity and Innovation…
Zimnat has launched a customer service chatbot, an automated chat that responds to customer queries and provides answers to frequently asked questions. The chatbot has been aptly named Musa. She can help clients with customer service queries as well as redirect them to the online portal. Musa is available on the Zimnat website…
The innovation pipeline at Cassava SmarTech is now in overdrive as the company prepares to launch two more services this week. The technology and fintech company’s subsidiary Cassava On Demand will this week introduce Vaya Express, a new package delivery service that will be operated by young people on bicycles and motor bikes. A common…
