COVID-19 and the magic bullet theory

By George Manyaya Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed the face of communication worldwide. The fast-changing pace of digital transformation has brought about access to a highly diversified range of technologies and services. Globally, the fixed and mobile telecommunications sector has been growing exponentially over the years, leading scholars to argue that we now live…

Read More

AfDB approves $10 million equity in Razorite Healthcare Fund for Africa

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has approved a $10-million equity investment in Razorite Healthcare Africa Fund 1 (RHAF1) to help improve healthcare infrastructure delivery across the continent. The 10-year deal, approved on 26 February, will resource the Fund to address growing demands for affordable and quality healthcare services in several…

Read More

ZANU (PF) Women’s league joins fight against COVID-19

ZANU (PF) Secretary for Women’s Affairs who is also Senate President Mabel Memory Chinomona has applauded efforts being made by  President Emmerson Mnangagwa, all Government departments, private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), churches, traditional leaders and the generality of Zimbabweans in their responsiveness and pro-activeness to the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “The disease has been declared…

Read More

Didier Drogba, prominent Africans condemn plans to test COVID-19 vaccines on the continent

Eminent African personalities – World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; United Family International Church (UFIC) founder Emmanuel Makandiwa; prominent traditional healer Sekuru Kamwelo Banda; footballers Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o have scoffed at plans to test potential vaccines for COVID-19 in Africa The comments came after Dr Jean-Paul Mira, the head of intensive…

Read More

Zimbabwe’s frontline medical practitioners demand protection from exposure to coronavirus

By Kumbirai Mafunda Zimbabwean doctors have asked the government to provide them and other frontline medical practitioners with personal protective equipment (PPE) and to adequately equip public hospitals to protect them from the deadly coronavirus as they execute their duties and help slow the spread of the epidemic. In an application filed on Sunday 5…

Read More

Facebook launches Coronavirus Information Centre in 17 African countries

Facebook (www.Facebook.co.za) is expanding its Coronavirus Information Center to 17 more countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Information Centers form part of Facebook’s effort to help the global fight against COVID-19 by providing people with the latest news and information from trusted health authorities as well as resources and tips to stay healthy and support their…

Read More

African Development Bank Group unveils $10 billion Response Facility to curb COVID-19

The Facility is the latest measure taken by the Bank to respond to the pandemic and will be the institution’s primary channel for its efforts to address the crisis The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) on Wednesday announced the creation of the COVID-19 Response Facility to assist regional member countries in fighting the pandemic. The…

Read More

Zimnat Appoints Elizabeth Rabvukwa as Managing Director for Financial Services business

Financial services giant, Zimnat has appointed Elizabeth Rabvukwa as the new Managing Director for Zimnat Financial Services with executive oversight over Zimnat Asset Management. She takes over from outgoing CEO of Zimnat Financial Services Munyaradzi Javangwe who has joined Sanlam Life Zambia. Rabvukwa also takes over as the Executive Director of Zimnat Asset Management taking…

Read More

Citizens fail to maintain social distancing

By Habakkuk Trust Social distancing measures have been disregarded in most supermarkets as starving citizens queue for basic commodities. While some shops have instituted preventative measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, including sanitizing hands, reducing the number of people inside the shop at a given time and checking temperature for every customer at the…

Read More

Ashden Awards 2020 Finalists: African climate innovation more crucial than ever

Proven solutions are crucial to sustaining momentum on climate action during the Coronavirus crisis, Ashden CEO Harriet Lamb has said.  This week, the energy and climate NGO announced the 2020 Ashden Award finalists – 22 organisations delivering green buildings, transport, sustainable cooling and energy access. The list includes organisations working in Cameroon, Togo, Uganda, Rwanda and Egypt.   Ms…

Read More

Education system overburdened by humanitarian crises including coronavirus pandemic: ECOZI

The Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) has noted that the education system in Zimbabwe was already stretched before the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of multiple crises, the impact of Cyclone Idai last year, the economic crisis and hyperinflation and the ongoing drought, low teacher motivation, and incapacitation, among others. The education sector hosts the…

Read More

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Drives Sub-Saharan Africa Toward First Recession in 25 Years

Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa has been significantly impacted by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and is forecast to fall sharply from 2.4% in 2019 to -2.1 to -5.1% in 2020, the first recession in the region over the past 25 years, according to the latest Africa’s Pulse, the World Bank’s twice-yearly economic update for the region….

Read More

HVAC Installation: 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid

What Is HVAC? HVAC or the Heating, Ventilation And Air Conditioning System aims to create a comfortable environment for the user. HVAC provides better indoor air quality inside buildings as well as in vehicles. It also regulates the indoor temperature and moisture. HVACs form an integral part of many structures: residential and industrial. HVACs do…

Read More

Government intensifies measures to combat COVID-19

The government has intensified measure to combat COVID-19. This emerged as Cabinet considered and approved a report on the country’s preparedness and response to the Corona Virus Outbreak (COVID-19), which was presented by Honourable Vice President Mohadi, as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force on the COVID-19 Outbreak. Cabinet commended the general public for positively…

Read More

VAYA provides critical transport relief during the lockdown

The outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has forced many countries, including Zimbabwe, to impose 21 to 30-day restrictive lockdown periods – some even longer, where the epidemic has been more widespread. The lockdowns are designed to protect citizens from the spread of the deadly and infectious disease by restricting contact among people.   In Zimbabwe, the…

Read More

ARC To Launch Outbreaks And Epidemics Insurance Product

By Joyce Mukucha In a bid to strengthen the ability of African Union Member States to respond to in-country outbreaks and epidemics, reducing pathogens potential spread within and across national borders through better risk analysis, country preparedness, and improved planning and response, the African Risk Capacity (ARC) is preparing to launch an Outbreaks and Epidemics…

Read More

Winner of Old Mutual Amazing Voices Competition Announced

Elated Kenyan RnB group scoops $100 000 prize   Wanavokali, a mega-talented RnB group from Kenya, took the top spot and won the grand prize of US$100 000 in the first season of the pan-African music competition, Old Mutual Amazing Voices.   The competition is designed to discover unsigned singing talent from across the African continent –…

Read More

Strategies for cushioning African informal economies against COVID-19

By Charles Dhewa Cushioning informal traders and vendors against the impact of COVID-19 is a very noble idea in developing countries. However, the devil is in the implementation details. For instance, African informal economies function more like ecosystems than a collection of disconnected traders and vendors. That is why before introducing social cash grants, the…

Read More

Appeal for COVID-19 Food and Hygiene Packs for Hwange rural community

By Greenline Africa Trust Access to food and water is an everyday reality for many vulnerable communities around the world.  Greenline Africa cannot change the world, but we can help make a difference in the communities we work within Hwange Rural, 25-50km outside the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. 98% of rural communities in the areas we…

Read More

Temba Mliswa organised COVID-19 taskforce receives donations to fight pandemic in Norton

Member of the National Assembly for Norton, Temba Mliswa set up a constituency taskforce to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and on Saturday pooled donations from the stakeholders led by tile manufacturer Sunny Yi Feng Tiles Zimbabwe.   “What we have done is to complement the government’s effort in ensuring that we combat COVID-19 together….

Read More

Coronavirus: Hopes revived as Strive Masiyiwa donates 45 ventilator ICU suites

Zimbabwe telecoms giant, philanthropist, and businessman Strive Masiyiwa has injected lifeblood into the fight against coronavirus by donating 45 Ventilator Intensive care units for use in combating the pandemic. The donation will come through the HigherLife Foundation that has been instrumental in bailing Zimbabwe’s educational and health sectors over the years. Below, Spiked Online Media…

Read More

SAAPA Commends Government’s Ban of Alcohol Sales in Fighting COVID-19

By Joyce Mukucha Following the Government’s ban on alcohol sales in retail outlets in light of the COVID-19 virus lockdown, the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA) Zimbabwe has applauded the bold step explaining that it was concerned about building a healthy nation and empowered communities. SAAPA is a national network of civil society organisations…

Read More

YALI Network Members Urged to Play a Critical Role in Combating COVID-19

During this unprecedented time, the United States continues to partner with the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and national public health institutions in Africa to support preparedness and response to the ongoing global public health emergency that spread out of China and is now engulfing the world. In a statement to the…

Read More

Africans are not objects for medical experimentation: Sekuru Banda

Man-of-the-moment and popular traditional healer Sekuru Banda has added a voice in the medical field by vehemently refusing the use of Africans in experimenting with them on coming up with vaccines. Spiked Online Media learned this after getting the message on the Internet that American billionaire Bill Gates reportedly had intentions to use Africa to…

Read More

Coronavirus: WHO concerned as COVID-19 cases accelerate in Africa

To contain COVID-19, many countries in Africa are implementing measures, which restrict gatherings and the movement of people With more than 6000 COVID-19 cases reported in Africa, the virus is threatening fragile health systems on the continent. Infections are increasingly spreading not only between African countries but within different localities in the hardest-hit countries. For…

Read More

Lockdown necessary to win battle against coronavirus: Anti-Domestic Violence Council

The Anti-Domestic Violence Council (AVC) has joined hands with the Government of Zimbabwe in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and said the lockdown pronounced by President E.D Mnangagwa is necessary to win the battle against this pandemic. “The Anti-Domestic Violence Council would like to take this opportunity to encourage families to utilise this lockdown…

Read More

Zimbabwe: Government, UN launch a US$715m humanitarian response plan for 2020

The 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan for Zimbabwe was launched yesterday, targeting 5.6 million people with food assistance and support in the areas of health, water-sanitation-hygiene, education, protection, nutrition, shelter, and camp coordination and management. The plan requests for a total of US$715 million from the international community.   The Humanitarian Response Plan was signed by…

Read More