Africa: Huge desert solar initiative to make Africa a renewables powerhouse

The details of the “Desert to Power Initiative” have been outlined as part of the Paris Agreement climate change talks at COP24 in Katowice, Poland this week. Energy poverty in Africa is estimated to cost the continent 2-4 % GDP annually, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org), which is leading the project. The…

Read More

ZESN snapshots recent by-elections

By Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) In the spirit of promoting democratic elections in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) observed Local Authority by-elections on 22 October 2022 in Buhera Rural District Council (RDC) Ward 24, Guruve RDC Ward 4, Insiza RDC Ward 4, Matobo RDC Ward 2, Mutare Municipality Ward 18 and Takawira…

Read More

Zambia, Rwanda sign trendsetting agreements with Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute

The historic agreements initiated by Israel based non-profit organization Save a Child’s Heart, will provide lifesaving medical care to thousands of children in Sub-Saharan Africa suffering from congenital heart defects while facilitating sharing of medical skills and knowledge among medical centers within the three countries For the first time in history, the Zambian National Heart…

Read More

President Mnangagwa unveils ZC tourism campaign

President Emmerson Mnagangwa has officially launched a promotional campaign spearheaded by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) aimed at boosting the country’s tourism. ZC is working on the project in partnership with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. The initiative, unveiled on Tuesday evening at a colourful event held at the State House in Harare, is expected to leverage on…

Read More

Post-divorce counselling critical

By Marlvin Ngiza Mental health experts have underscored the significance of seeking professional counselling for the victims of divorce saying it is necessary to suppress potential mental health issues triggered by divorce. Society for Pre and Post Natal Services (SPANS) team leader and chief talent, Linos Muvhu, pointed out that if one does not get…

Read More

The Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill: The Minister’s Proposed Amendments

By Veritas The Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill [link] was published in November last year and aroused a storm of protest from civil society.  Veritas analysed it in Bill Watches 72/2021 of the 11th November 2021 [link] and 74/2021 of the 15th November 2021 [link], and found the Bill to be unconstitutional, inimical to freedom of association, ill-conceived and badly…

Read More

Zimbabwe Leads the Charge, Revolutionising Antenatal HIV Care and Inspiring Youth Empowerment

Writes Sirak Gebrehiwot 01 December 2024, Rusape – In the heart of Africa, Zimbabwe stands as a beacon of progress in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. As the nation, led by the Honourable Minister of Health and Child Care Honourable D Mombeshora, commemorated World AIDS Day today in Rusape at the John Cowie Primary School,…

Read More

A billion hungry people: conflict, Covid and climate change could leave many close to famine

Caroline O’Doherty A cocktail of conflict, climate change and Covid has brought “catastrophic” food shortages to 44 countries. Almost one billion people across the world are going hungry, at levels categorised as “alarming” in nine countries and “serious” in 34 others. Experts are warning the situation could “significantly worsen” next year if current pressures continue….

Read More

Tourism growth: rural service centres take shape

Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu on Monday urged Zimbabweans at home and abroad to take up investment opportunities in rural service centres and position themselves for imminent growth and development. Speaking at the occasion of the World Tourism Day Celebrations 2020 at Chinhoyi University of Technology, Ndhlovu said Government has begun…

Read More

Leveraging just transitions for a climate-resilient Africa: challenges and opportunities

By Dr. Claude Kabemba (Executive Director of the Southern Africa Resource Watch) Africa finds itself at a crossroads in the climate change discourse. On the one hand, Africa has polluted less than any other continent and it is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change; on the other hand, it lacks the finances and…

Read More

El Niño and climate change cause drought in southern Africa

From Malawi and Mozambique to Zambia and Zimbabwe, down to Namibia and across to the grain belt of South Africa, a combination of the effects of climate change and the El Niño weather phenomenon has been causing drought, hunger and misery for months. The region, already vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, received only 80 percent of expected…

Read More

Calls for legislating gender budgeting gather traction

By Byron Mutingwende   Women have described efforts towards the establishment of a gender sensitive fiscal policy measures espoused in the 2017 National Budget as piecemeal and have called a mechanism to legislate gender budgeting.   Speaking at a dialogue meeting organised with stakeholders to discuss the extent to which government has embraced gender-responsive budgeting…

Read More

Abolish IMF, World Bank if there’s no overhaul ahead of the institutions’ annual meetings: ActionAid

Colonial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have no place in the 21st century and unless they are overhauled, they should be abolished, ActionAid says ahead of their annual meetings in Washington DC this week. According to ActionAid, the IMF, and World Bank do not represent the needs of…

Read More

OPC at 2017 Harare Agricultural Show to enhance food security

The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) is exhibiting at the 2017 Harare Agricultural Show in line with the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIMASSET)’s goal of enhancing food and nutrition security. “The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) stand will exhibit under the theme: Zim ASSET Fostering Linkages in the Seed…

Read More

Pay tax to realise development, churches urged

Gideon Madzikatidze and Byron Mutingwende Apostolic and Zionist indigenous churches have been urged to pay taxes in order to realise development, Advocate Charles Maunga of St. John Apostolic Church has said. The remarks were made on Sunday at the church’s assembly in Hatfield. Maunga said paying tax contributes towards economic development and transformation of livelihoods…

Read More

Khosi crowned the winner of Big Brother Titans

It was a successful end to one of the biggest events ever held on the continent Celebrating in style, Khosi was presented with the US$100,000 grand prize and loudly cheered on by the vibrant studio audience, marking the end of an unforgettable first edition of Big Brother Titans. The highly anticipated, border-breaking #BBTitans was a fusion of Big Brother…

Read More

COVID-19 Preparedness at Robert International Airport Not Convincing

By Joyce Mukucha and Anyway Yotamu Despite the Zimbabwean government’s claims that the country is ready to deal with the coronavirus (Covid-19), a Government official said operations of staff at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport lacked the capacity to effectively deal with the disease. The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health, Dr Ruth…

Read More

Police stop Manicaland provincial mining indaba

By Clayton Masekesa Hot Springs – The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) on Friday stopped a Manicaland Provincial Mining Indaba that was scheduled to take place at Hot Springs Roman Catholic church alleging that the organizers of the event had not followed the correct procedures regarding the clearance of the meeting. Members of the Police Internal Security…

Read More

Tshepang Mabaila pledges 10,000 Pula from Clap and Tap concert for the sole bush crash survivor.

Writes Nkeletsang Morapedi The Mabaila Foundation has donated 10,000 Pula from the proceeds of the recently held clap and tap musical concert to help towards psychotherapy of the 8-year-old survivor of the bus crash. The 8-year-old met her predicament during the easter holidays as she and 45 other passengers were on a pilgrimage to St…

Read More

Build Privacy focused Consumer Applications: @protocol Appathon urges young Zimbabweans

US-based The @ Company (The At Company) is bringing the @protocol Appathon II to Zimbabwe, targeting young developers and technology enthusiasts. The challenge: to build innovative consumer applications on @protocol, an open, permission-based protocol that makes great user experience and automatic privacy compliance easy. This initiative, being run in association with the Computer Association of…

Read More

Stakeholders raise red flag over spike in cases of GBV in Wedza

Own Correspondent   Cases of Gender-Based Violence are on the increase in Wedza district with women and girls being among the major victims amid calls by stakeholders for interventions aimed at stopping the vice.   During an interface meeting organized by the Wedza Rural Development Initiative Trust (WERDIT) recently, the Wedza District Coordinator for the…

Read More

Canada provides CA$3 million to lift 55 000 Zimbabweans out of hunger

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of $3 million CAD from the Canadian Government to life-saving humanitarian operations in Zimbabwe. The funding supports WFP’s rapid scale-up of emergency food assistance to reach almost 55,000 people in Matobo district. Canada’s contribution comes at a crucial time when WFP is working to…

Read More

SADC capacitates journalists on importance of Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis data

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has trained the media on how to use Data Journalism for Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (VAA) data in their work. Alfred Hermida contends that data journalism draws on fields such as information visualization, computer science, and statistics to convey news through the analysis and representation of quantitative, computer-processed data….

Read More

Zim Govt National Data Centre Project 95% Almost Completion

The government says the National Data Centre Project is nearing completion and has called on industry and the continent to invest more in data centers given their importance to regional economies. The Deputy Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere said they are forging ahead with the implementation of the national data center project which…

Read More

International Day for Universal Access to Information: Leaving No One Behind

By Veritas The International Day for Universal Access to Information is commemorated on the 28th of September and is to promote access to information. In 2002, Civil Societies around the world decided to commemorate the 28th of September as International Right to Know Day.  The reason behind the day was to remind governments that there is…

Read More

HWPL Calls for Peace Amid Rising Tensions Between Israel and Iran

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has stated in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The statement says, “The recent violent conflict between Iran and Israel is causing significant concerns in the international community. The two nations that do…

Read More

The Sahel Can Revolutionize Renewable Energy Access and Affordability Up to the Last Mile

By Reshmi Theckethil (Lead Portfolio, Climate Action, Disaster Risk Reduction, Energy, and Resilience | Sahel Resilience Project Manager, UNDP Sub-Regional Hub for West and Central Africa (www.UNDP.org).    Imagine a Sahel region where every household, school, and hospital has access to clean, affordable energy—where renewable power not only serves homes but also drives economic transformation….

Read More

Leveraging technological innovations in food systems transformation

Leveraging technological innovations with a focus on digitalization is essential for attaining increased effectiveness, efficiency, and competitive implementation of National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs) in pursuit of the delivery of the Malabo Declaration on Africa Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation. This came to the fore during a panel discussion on the last day of a…

Read More

Technical, fundamental soft skills required for competitiveness: Prof Mavima

The country requires critical technical skills and other fundamental soft skills to be competitive, Prof Paul Mavima, the Minister of Skills Audit and Development has said. Prof Mavima made the revelation at a Stakeholders’ Consultation Workshop on the Mandate of the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development that got underway in Harare today. The workshop…

Read More

Peace, rule of law, human rights key to economic recovery: UN Zimbabwe

By Sirak Gebrehiwot (UN Zimbabwe Communications Specialist) The United Nations System in Zimbabwe works with Government, Development Partners, Civil Society Organisations and communities to advance democratic, social and economic governance for quality service delivery in health, education, water and sanitation, food and nutrition, gender equality, HIV and AIDS, poverty reduction and resilience building towards sustainable…

Read More

Protection of vulnerable groups ensures a climate just transition in SADC

Over and over, we have seen how the Southern African region, like many countries in the Global South, is paying the heavy price for historical emissions by the industrialized North. The manifestation of the climate crisis continues to impact food security and livelihoods, with young women in particular facing increasing and deepening protection risks such…

Read More

UN helps Zimbabwe sustain food and nutrition security: Hon Chadzamira

The Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Masvingo Province, Hon Ezra Chadzamira, has said Zimbabwe has managed to sustain food and nutrition security through United Nations Agencies’ support in the country.   He made the remarks in Masvingo today at a workshop by the United Nations in Zimbabwe to build partnerships and…

Read More