HIV affecting the way skeletons grow – Research

By Byron Mutingwende   A recently completed study on Zimbabwean children who have had HIV infection since birth has shown that the pandemic affects the way the skeleton grows.   This emerged during the presentation of research findings at a meeting organised by the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI) and the London School of…

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NBSZ in another saga, another level: Externaliser or not?

By Farai Chirimumimba I am trying to find the politest word to describe the alleged externalisation of US$ 112,817 by National Blood Service of Zimbabwe (NBSZ) through payment of goods that may never have been delivered in Zimbabwe. Let us just say it is “distressing”. However, l understand that a cowardly NBSZ current debacle may…

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Mliswa champions development of structured, standardised grassroots sporting activities

By Byron Mutingwende   Temba Mliswa, the Member of the House of Assembly for Norton Constituency is spearheading the revival of the nearly dysfunctional Norton Country Club so as to promote the development of various sporting disciplines at grassroot level.   In his speech during the official launch of the Podium Performance Programme spearheaded by…

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JICA developing Zimbabweans’ human resources capacities

By Byron Mutingwende   The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is helping training Zimbabweans to improve their human resources capacities.   Speaking during the JICA Zimbabwe Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Alumni Association (ZIMJFA), Shumon Yoshiara, the JICA country Resident Representative expressed his gratitude for the training offered to Zimbabweans.   “This training is…

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EcoSure set for extraordinary growth

When most people think about the success of mobile money in Zimbabwe, they immediately think of EcoCash.   But Darlington Mandivenga, the CEO of Econet’s Cassava Fintech group, believes that mobile insurance service EcoSure – the fastest growing potfolio within the group, will in time eclipse EcoCash’s current success.   Last week the Postal and…

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Dialysis unaffordable for most people, says Kidney Association

Kidney disease can affect anyone but only those with access to considerable financial resources or with medical aid cover are currently able to afford dialysis, according to Kidney Association of Zimbabwe chairman Lysias Sibanda. Speaking in the wake of World Kidney Day, which was marked on Thursday 8 March 2018, he highlighted lack of awareness…

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Zimbabwe launches research and academia platform for scaling up nutrition

By Byron Mutingwende   Zimbabwe has launched a research and academia platform for scaling up nutrition in order to accelerate the achievement of national social and economic development aspirations.   In his address while officially launching the platform in Harare on 16 March 2018, Albert Chikondo, the Senior Principal Director in the Office of the…

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Econet maintains growth trajectory, picks up more customers, revenue

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe grew its revenue market share to 84.2% in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2017, up from 81.6% in Q3 of the same year, according to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz)’s fourth quarter Postal and Telecommunications Sector Rerformance Report released by the Authority in Harare yesterday.   The report…

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Econet rewards and mentors its Brand Ambassadors

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the country’s largest telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) company, has continued with its regional effort to strengthen its partnership with its distribution channel members and to motivate them by recognising outstanding performers from Mashonaland East, including Chitungwiza.   At an event held at Zimbali Gardens in Harare’s Greendale suburb on Wednesday, which…

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Murowa Diamond positively impacting local communities

By Byron Mutingwende   It is often said mining companies do more harm to the communities they operate in than any good but this is not the case for Murowa Diamond which operates in Zvishavane in the Midlands Province.   Located in the Mazvihwa area, some 70km from the mining town of Zvishavane, Murowa Diamond…

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Canada pledges to help Zimbabwe develop its ICT sector

By Patricia Mashiri Canada has pledged to help Zimbabwe with its expertise in developing the Information communication technology (ICT) in Zimbabwe. Speaking during the courtesy call on Supa Mandiwanzira, the Minister of Information and Technology and Cyber Security on 12 March 2018 in the capital, Mr Rene Cremonese, the Canadian ambassador to Zimbabwe said he…

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Econet and Africa University partner to empower young people

Join forces to launch Elevate youth initiative at top varsity in Manicaland Econet’s youth empowerment programme, Elevate Club, this week partnered with Africa University to launch the Elevate Youth i5 Club at an eye-opening and activity-packed event on the university’s main campus, about 17 kilometers northwest of the city of Mutare in Manicaland. The launch…

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Harare Polytechnic launches Online Journalism programme

By Joyce Mukucha Harare Polytechnic School of Journalism and Media Studies with the support from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has launched the Mass Communication Online Journalism and Digital Broadcasting programme aimed at scaling up the institution’s highly competitive technopreneurial skills.. A programme with the theme ‘Train the Trainer’ has been…

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Econet rewards its channel partners in Mashonaland West

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe – the largest mobile network operator in the country – has stepped up its channel partner engagement programme by taking its top-performing Brand Ambassadors awards ceremony to Mashonaland West province. The company today hosted a lively event at Chinhoyi town’s CUT Hotel, about 115km northwest of Harare, at which it handed out…

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Stakeholders critique Civil Aviation (Amendment) Bill

By Byron Mutingwende   Stakeholders at a public hearing held by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure at the New Ambassador Hotel in Harare on 13 February 2018 said the Civil Aviation Bill needed amendments on many areas.   In his contribution, Nkosilathi Sibanda, the Chairman of the Commercial and General Aviation Association…

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New dispensation attracts energy investors

By Byron Mutingwende   Multinational conglomerate General Electric (GE) has set its sight on investing in Zimbabwe’s energy sector.   Top executives of the company today met the committee on mines and energy and expressed their willingness to invest in aviation, locomotives, power and healthcare with a view of exploring and finding tangible ways for…

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Econet fetes its illustrious brand ambassadors

Staff Writer Econet Wireless yesterday recognised and rewarded its top-performing Harare-based brand ambassadors at a colourful event held in the capital.   The country’s largest mobile network operator hosted the event to “motivate and honour” the top performing brand ambassadors in its Harare Northern region and to “spread the inspiration”, according to Chief Operating Officer…

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Communities benefit from Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund

By Byron Mutingwende   The Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) is increasing the capacities of communities to protect development gains and achieve improved well-being outcomes in the face of shocks and stresses enabling them to contribute to the economic growth of Zimbabwe.   Speaking during the signing ceremony of the £21.5m contribution by the United…

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Bloggers to be honoured with awards

The Tribe of Influencers will honour the most popular bloggers in the country. Voting for the Zimbabwean Blog Awards commenced on the 1st of February 2018 and will close on the 21st of February. Voting is open to anyone and everyone, local and abroad. The public can vote as many times as they want and…

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Students for UJ on government scholarship urged to fly Zim flag high

By Byron Mutingwende   Students heading for University of Johannesburg (UJ) have been urged to raise the Zimbabwean flag by excelling academically so that they will come back to participate in the rebuilding of the economy.   Minister of State for Government Scholarships in the Office of the President and Cabinet Christopher Mushowe made the…

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JCI spearheading youths empowerment programmes

By Byron Mutingwende   The Junior Chamber International Zimbabwe (JCI) is spearheading youth empowerment projects in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This emerged at the 2018 official opening of the organisation’s Harare chapter that was officiated by Prisca Mupfumira, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality on 24 January 2018.   “I am indeed…

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BitMari: Pan African technological giants contributing to economic growth

By Byron Mutingwende   The Pan-African technological giants BitMari are playing an important role of assisting those in the diaspora to remit money back home at affordable rates in pursuit of growing the economy. In June 2017 BitMari partnered with the Agricultural Bank of Zimbabwe (Agribank) to integrate Bitcoin and Blockchain technology into consumer offerings….

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Attaining energy sector vision impeded by challenges

By Byron Mutingwende   The noble undertaking of working towards the vision of achieving universal access to sustainable energy in Zimbabwe is being impeded by a plethora of challenges that require urgent attention.   This appeared at a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy held in the Senate Chamber with the minister…

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Social Media and National building in Zimbabwe

By Pauline Hurungudo Within the political discourse, many strategies have been used to bring about change and push the development agenda throughout the world. Social Media networks have emerged as effective tools and have since synthesised the globe and people by bridging the continental distance influencing national discourses. Their political role is no longer debatable…

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Chitando lays out mining sector revival plans

By Byron Mutingwende   Winston Chitando, the technocrat that President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed as minister of mines and mining development has laid out a revival plan for the sector.   Chitando revealed that during the deliberations on oral evidence from his sector, boards and parastatatals on the ministry’s plans and programmes to address the urgent…

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Chinese partnership strengthens Zimbabwe’s educational leadership in Africa

By Byron Mutingwende   In a quest to improve the quality of education and consolidate Zimbabwe’s status as the leading country on literacy levels in Africa, a Cabinet minister has proffered a cocktail of measures to improve the sector.   Speaking during the official handover of the Zimbabwe-China Friendship High School in Harare on Thursday…

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Going green a pathway to sustainable growth, productivity and jobs

By Byron Mutingwende   Born and bred in rural Marondera where farmers used organic farming to grow crops, Clive Nyapokoto experienced the hard and intense labour involved in the daily farm activities which sometimes he had to do before going to school in the morning. That background motivated him to come up with innovations to…

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Econet extends customer and market leadership

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the country’s largest mobile network operator, says it welcomes the third quarter (Q3) telecom sector report published by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) on Thursday 7 December 2017.   The report, published on a quarterly basis by the industry regulator, shows Econet extending its mobile market leadership and…

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Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes

Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes   By Byron Mutingwende   Ward 9 and 19 of Chipinge District are role models of successful small-scale farming under the land reform programme. The Food and Nutrition Security Committee (FNSC) initiated programmes saw women in the wards running successful banana, cassava, poultry, dairy and value…

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Livelihoods under threat as Chilonga Irrigation Scheme becomes dysfunctional

By Byron Mutingwende   The drive through Hippo Valley Estates from Chiredzi Town heading towards the south is panoramic and breath-taking. There is a hive of activity as sugar-cane cutters are ferried by huge tractors to and from work. Huge piles of molasses bags are heaped at the Tongaat Hullet Sugar Refinery and in the…

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Youths survive on green economy

By Patricia Mashiri No one has ever dreamt that waste management and recycling would be someones’s passion. Tinashe Manyonga a 29 year-old social entrepreneur started his green economy journey few years back. He studied for a degree in Crop science at the University of Zimbabwe before he turned to waste management and recycling. Manyonga who…

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Industries harnessing SDGs for resource efficiency and low carbon development

By Byron Mutingwende and Patricia Mashiri   Zimbabwe is moving towards embracing a green economy through harnessing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs0 for resource efficient and low carbon development.   Speaking at the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Zimbabwe (BCSDZ) annual conference at Cresta Lodge in Harare, Cecilia Ndwabe, the manager is in…

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EcoCash signs up more banks, pushes for total integrated mobile financial services

By Byron Mutingwende Popular mobile money service, EcoCash, has integrated with MBCA Bank Limited, bringing to 11 the number of banks directly integrated with the mobile financial transacting system.   A company spokesman yesterday confirmed the integration, saying the development was set to offer EcoCash and MBCA customers more convenience, choice and flexibility.   “We…

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Districts linked to food and nutrition security information system

By Byron Mutingwende   The government has launched the “district risk profiles” in a bid to ensure a national integrated food and nutrition security information system that provides timely and reliable information on the food and nutrition security situation and the effectiveness of programmes and informs decision-making.   In his speech during the launch at…

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Econet’s “Swipe into Ecocash” boosts financial inclusion

By Byron Mutingwende   The launch of Econet’s “Swipe into Ecocash” facility today (Wednesday 25 October 2017) is set to improve financial inclusion among Zimbabweans battling a crippling liquidity crisis.   Natalie Jabangwe-Morris, the Ecocash Manager, speaking during the launch said Ecocash is indeed Zimbabwe’s largest mobile money platform, driving 98 per cent of mobile…

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Econet leads Zimbabwe’s telecommunication sector

By Byron Mutingwende Telecom regulator Potraz releases quarterly industry report Econet maintains top spot in mobile sector   The local telecommunications regulator, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Potraz) has just released its second quarter report (covering May to July 2017) highlighting how the sector’s performance, based on how key players in the industry performed…

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UN spearheading resilience uptake in Masvingo

By Byron Mutingwende   Resilience science involves bringing together multiple strategies targeting a variety of stakeholders who are affected differently by the shocks that arise out of the negative effects of climate change. True to its modus operandi, the United Nations (UN) Zimbabwe team toured Masvingo Province to ensure communities embrace this phenomenon.   To…

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Zimbabwe concerned about increase in antimicrobial resistance

By Patricia Mashiri Zimbabwe is concerned bout the significant growth of resistance to infections like TB and malaria, which is generally known as antimicrobial resistance. The Ministry of Health and Childcare has launched the Zimbabwe Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) National Action Plan and the Situation Analysis Report under the theme “Together as one Health in the…

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Innovative Farming Benefits Thousands in Rural Zimbabwe

Over 170 000 farmers have benefitted from an innovative research for development project which focuses on small scale mixed crop and livestock meant to improve their food and nutritional security. The project which was begun in 2012 brings new innovative ways to farming and has already resulted in improved nutrition and an ending to perennial…

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