Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD Finally, we can say that the surreal year of 2020 is behind us as we welcome a new year rich in potential for digital health and (hopefully) full of good news! Even though the year that went by was dominated with news regarding the novel coronavirus, there were also other important developments in…
By Veritas Two further amendments to the Public Health Lock-down Order have been published in the past few days. The first, in SI 11/2021 of 5th January 2021 [link], declared courts to be an essential service for the purpose of the Order; the second, in SI 13/2021 of 8th January 2021 [link], declared legal practitioners to be performing an essential…
By Joyce Mukucha In 2017, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) adopted a form of electronic registration model named biometric voter registration (BVR) and during these grave times of Covid-19, the Election Resource Centre (ERC) is calling on the national electoral management body to provide citizens with alternative platforms, different from the norm, for them to…
Many old favourites from discontinued British-content channels have been brought back to other DStv channels to keep fans linked to shows and actors they enjoy. Said Liz Dziva, publicity and public relations manager of MultiChoice Zimbabwe: “As promised when ITV Choice and BBC First were discontinued last year, a number of popular programmes from those…
By Joyce Mukucha Zimbabwean young women and girls are pleading with the government and other youth-oriented organisations to challenge the legal frameworks that are not favourable for young people to access sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services that lead to many health problems especially when it comes to safe abortion. When faced…
By Desire Tshuma Many people in Harare since the inception of the 30-day COVID-19 lockdown was announced by the Vice President and the Minister of Health and Child Care Hon Constantino Chiwenga, have been complaining against some serving and bogus police officers whom they accuse of robbing them. As the Covid 19 infections and deaths…
By Rumbidzai Mukori A new study from Lancet, has found that obesity is one of the three greatest risk factors for Covid-19. As those who are overweight and obese remain infected several days longer than their aged-matched leaner counterparts. Weight monitoring is essential to all in these times of coronavirus. We have to take note…
The African Women in Media (AWiM) is making a concerted effort to ensure that the digital space does not present a design that erodes trust in human rights. The organization is spearheading this by engaging with different feminist movements and other constituencies to champion the feminist internet towards social justice and environmental sustainability. Cyberspace is…
By Staff Reporter Being an entrepreneur is not a walk in the garden path, but with the right opportunity, hard work, dedication, commitment, optimism, and a supportive community, it can be very rewarding. Zimbabwean women are increasingly charting their own professional course and embracing the idea of being ‘your own boss’ as a way to…
By Albert Matongo Africa is endowed with vast natural resources ranging from precious minerals, petroleum, fauna, and flora as well as the land which has been the most contagious issue since the colonial era. Such endowments have been attractions of foreign interest in Africa up to date. However, the latest developments can reveal that foreign…
By Joyce Mukucha Worldwide, hundreds of mothers are dying daily from pregnancy complications with 99 percent of them in developing countries like Sub Sahara Africa. Statistics indicate that in Zimbabwe and other African countries, the maternal mortality rate is rapidly increasing day by day being fuelled by the low uptake of maternal health services. According…
By Joyce Mukucha The Zimbabwe Integrated Traders Association (ZITA) has called upon the government to provide finances to small to medium enterprises (SMEs), informal traders, and small businesses for them to stay afloat during the enforced 30-day national lockdown aimed at containing the surge of Covid-19 infections in the country. ZITA highlighted that even though…
The Government of Zimbabwe has warned councillors and senior management of local authorities across Zimbabwe to desist from corrupt activities forthwith when it comes to investigations and criminal cases indicating that such activities will hinder the attainment of Vision 2030 Agenda. This came out after the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works had noted…
The government has strongly condemned acts of misconduct by police officers which it says tarnishes the image of the country and the police in particular. Reference and cause of concern was made by the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Honourable Kazembe Kazembe to the widely circulated social media clip of a police officer…
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International (www.Marriott.com), on 6 January 2021 announced the highly-anticipated opening of The St. Regis Cairo. Rising tall on the banks of the River Nile, The St. Regis Cairo is an illustrious icon weaving a powerful story of luxury in the region. Located at the North end of…
By Kumbirai Mafunda Zimbabwean police on Friday 8 January 2021 arrested and detained prominent freelance journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and charged him with publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State after he allegedly tweeted about the abuse of a minor by a police officer .Chin’ono, who is represented by Harrison Nkomo and Paidamoyo Saurombe…
The Project aims to help improve access to quality secondary education in a safe and healthy school environment for 5,000 girls The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has approved a grant of $11.26 million to the Government of Chad to finance the Girls’ Education and Women’s Literacy Project– the first Bank…
By Ecosystem Based Adaptation For Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA) For a year now, the COVID-19 pandemic has been at the centre of news across the globe and Africa. In Africa where estimates put the effects of the pandemic to affect the economy of Africa to around a fall of 1.4% of its GDP,with smaller economies…
By John Wilson First, our mindset: I keep finding myself coming back to the question of mindset. Without a change in mindset people don’t get agroecology. But more than that, even those who get it, myself included, are still stuck to some extent in what I’d call a ‘machine mindset’. That was the mindset most…
Archbishop Hrisostomos has said something that has created an effect no different than an elephant entering a china shop. What he said was neither unknown, nor off the agenda. So why all this mayhem over what he said? It’s simple. The respected religious leader of the Greek community has made it clear that the political…
Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD Artificial intelligence (A.I.), machine learning (ML) and algorithms; if you are a regular at The Medical Futurist, you’ve come across these terms more than once whether it’s in our articles, videos or e-books. Indeed, our latest e-book about investment in digital health has a dedicated section about A.I. Even The Medical Futurist Institute’s latest…
By Joyce Mukucha For the past years, Zimbabwe’s economy has been deteriorating with its population facing an extraordinary and multidimensional crisis. Many, especially young people have become victims to the economic meltdown that has seen companies closing and investors leaving in droves with an estimated three million Zimbabweans having crossed the Limpopo River into South…
By Joyce Mukucha The government has challenged the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to execute its mandate by ensuring that it becomes an active participant in driving the nation’s economic vibrance and growth agenda. The Grain Marketing Board occupies a central role in safeguarding the country’s food security but its operational inefficiencies have affected the successful…
By Chris Donkin Analyst company TrendForce predicted global smartphone production to begin its recovery in 2021 after dropping 11 per cent in 2020, although it forecast further bad news for Huawei with the manufacturer expected to exit its top six list. In its market predictions for 2021 the analyst company said it expected 1.36 billion…
By Staff Reporter After serving in an acting position for one year, Arthur Johnson Manase has been appointed as the National Social Security Chief Executive Officer. Manase’s appointment is with effect from 1 January 2021, the NSSA statement has revealed. The authority said Manase’s appointment was duly done in terms of Section 25 of the…
By Joyce Mukucha The Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA) has voiced concern on the lockdown condition where certain sections have been allowed to trade and all the informal economy sections have been closed. The organisation bemoaned the shutdown of the informal activities indicating informal economy traders have a big bracket of essential services…
A workshop organised by the Harare Residents Trust (HRT) laid bare a plethora of hindrances to deep citizen engagement on promoting effective service delivery in the capital city. A guru of local governance issues, Professor Innocent Chirisa, the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Department of Demography Settlement and Development at the…
By Joyce Mukucha Making reference to the new measures announced by Hon VP and Minister of Health and Child Care Minister Dr.Constantino Chiwenga to combat the rise in Covid-19 positive cases, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has applauded the government for stepping in by invoking tough measures to stop a looming catastrophe amid rising…
By Joyce Mukucha Young people are the backbone of society. Their participation in all aspects of society is very important. Unfortunately, most Zimbabwean youths are being deprived of this. They have no or limited roles in decision-making processes or leadership programs at the local and national level. The generation of young Zimbabweans has been hit…
By Bernard Chiketo Prime Royal African Investments (PRAI) has allayed fears and said hundreds of artisanal miners teeming in shafts dotted in the hills around Redwing Mine in Penhalonga give the illusion of chaotic frenzied illegal gold extraction. This is because of the model that Prime Royal African Investments (PRAI), which is now on a…
By Ronnie Chisamba Popular hip-hop star Fungai Kativhu (30) – aka T-Hustle – proposed to his girlfriend Tinotenda Zhou (24) at a colourful event in the resort city of Victoria Falls on the first of this month. The occasion was witnessed by invited friends and family members, in line with the World Health Organization’s stipulated…
Distributed Power Africa (DPA) has started deploying electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Zimbabwe as a way of encouraging the uptake of environmentally friendly cars. This follows the government’s commitment late last year to work on a framework that promotes the use of EVs, as the country moves to embrace the emerging wave of clean…
Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Acting Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has called for vigilance in the wake of the COVID-19 induced lockdown. The call comes after Vice President, Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga on the 2nd of January 2021 ordered the lockdown that was followed by a statement released by the Acting President, Cde…
As it did other locations, Cyclone Idai left a trail of destruction as it passed through Chikwaka Village in Chimanimani District. Now, less than two years later, Cyclone Chalane threatened to cause more damage to the some of the homes and property that were yet to be repaired. A group of volunteers from Chikwaka village,…
FCI along with Afreximbank announce the appointment of Mr. Nassourou Aminou as the new Regional Manager for Africa. The recruitment of the Africa Chapter Regional Manager is a joint effort of FCI and Afreximbank. Mr. Nassourou Aminou is a Cameroonian and joins FCI with tremendous experience in factoring, credit insurance and IT support solutions for factoring…
By Sindiso Mhlophe Described as the “Democrats’ 2020 social media phenomenon” by various media outlets and research institutes in the just ended United States of America (US) elections, vice-president-elect Kamala Harris was able to generate over 27 million interactions on various social media platforms during the campaign period. Broken down, according to CrowdTangle, Harris, who…
By Joyce Mukucha Vice President Kembo Mohadi who is also the acting President for the meantime has urged Zimbabweans to abide by new lockdown stipulated regulations. He highlighted that there was a need for them to choose between life and death as the nation is grappling with the global coronavirus pandemic. He made these remarks…
By Staff Reporter Following the immediate shutting down of borders by the Zimbabwean government for 30 days as Covid-19 cases surge, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deploying helicopters to hover above the Limpopo River to curb corrupt and illegal activities that are taking place at the scene. This is according to…
With COVID-19 cases and deaths surging, the Alliance for the People’s Agenda (APA) has called for discipline and shunning of the reckless attitude shown by the government and citizens. APA noted that it has been a year since Covid-19 emerged into people’s collective conscience as a threat to humanity yet Zimbabwe remains precariously unprepared for…
The late popular comedian Lazarus Boora popularly known as Gringo is still alive thanks to the revival of his legacy, which is being resuscitated by famous traditional healer Sekuru Banda. Gringo is a televised comedy in which Boora was the lead character who entertained people while educating them about contemporary issues around family affairs, love,…
By Staff Reporter Following the garnishing of $115 million from the Harare City Council (HCC)’s bank accounts for tax arrears by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), HCC revealed that its capacity to meet service delivery as the new year starts has been crippled. In a statement, the HCC indicated that it was already struggling to…
By Joyce Mukucha Scores of people have welcomed the decision by the government to intensify the lockdown following a new wave of COVID-19 pandemic that has seen a surge in the number of cases of positive cases and deaths. Jeremiah Simukai of Budiriro 2 in Harare praised the government for the move to intensify the…
By John Wilson It is becoming increasingly apparent that the main drivers of life on Mother Earth are microbial. Perhaps the difficulty in recognizing this is because without a microscope we can’t see this incredibly complex world. Unfortunately, probably because we can’t see it, we have often brought devastation to this microbial world. Most of…
By Bernard Chiketo MUTARE – SHALOM Chikuni’s face glowed as she was rolled down a metal movable ramp from her home in Sakubva on the eve of her 19th birthday. “It’s a perfect birthday present,” Shalom said with a beaming smile. For the first time, she will no longer need to be carried out before…
By Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo A few days ago, the least popular political outfit, MDC-T held its elective extraordinary death trap, where the interim leader, Dr. Thokozani Khupe reportedly contracted Covid-19 soon after the drama at the Harare International Conference Centre. More than 1000 supporters were gathered without putting safeguard measures on how to combat the…
