Communities play critical role in advancement of good health and wellbeing

By Byron Mutingwende   I had travelled a distance of about 50km from Harare to Mwanza Secondary School in the Chikwaka area under Goromonzi District on a fine Friday where the Ministry of Health and Child Care was holding a Community Health Symposium. The meeting afforded an interactive engagement between high level health officials and…

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Stop lip service on addressing corruption: Lumumba

By Byron Mutingwende   Professor Patrick Lumumba, a celebrated Kenyan anti-corruption proponent has registered his disdain for rhetoric on addressing corruption without the corresponding action, insisting the war on graft was far from over in Africa.   Lumumba made the remarks during the 2017 Zimbabwe Accountants Conference held at the Harare International Conference Centre last…

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Swedish Embassy partners UNICEF in promoting sustainable development

By Byron Mutingwende   In pursuit of promoting economic development without depleting natural resources, the Swedish embassy in Harare has partnered the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in a sustainable development project targeting young people on renewable energy and environmental sustainability. To achieve that goal, the Swedish Embassy in Harare on Monday, 24 April 2017,…

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Budget formulation should address nutrition financing: ZCSOSUNA

By Byron Mutingwende   The Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) has said that there was a need to develop a comprehensive plan on how, when and where its members could participate in the budget process annually to ensure that nutrition financing is addressed during budget formulation.   In 2001, the government…

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Empowering women and girls will help Zimbabwe achieve SDGs

By Wallace Mawire Empowering women and girls could help Zimbabwe achieve at least eight of the 17 global goals for sustainable development including health, poverty, education, nutrition and violence against women and girls, according to Ekenia Chifamba, Director of Shamwari Yemwanasikana, an organisation in Zimbabwe based in Chitungwiza working on comprehensive strategies to empower the…

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Hwange plots turnaround strategies to address poor performance

By Byron Mutingwende   Coal-miners, Hwange Colliery Company Limited is implementing a raft of measures meant to turnaround its 2016 poor performance. In a statement Thursday, the miner noted with concern its recently released 2016 annual financial results statement on the organisation’s performance published on March 31, 2017.   The low production levels led to…

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Religious tolerance a cornerstone to a peaceful world: Youths

By Byron Mutingwende   The youths have reiterated the fact that tolerating divergent religions internationally was the bedrock of addressing conflicts that are threatening the existence of peace worldwide.   In the contemporary conflicts threatening the future of humanity as a result of wars declared in the name of religion, an event in an effort…

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Appointment of the Chief Justice in line with Constitutional Democracy: CiZC

By Byron Mutingwende   The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) has applauded the recent appointment of the Chief Justice as a signal of compliance with constitutional democracy. Luke Malaba was the Deputy Chief Justice before his appointment as the new Chief Justice, taking over from Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku who retired in February 2017.    …

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Africa committed to improving science, technology and innovation

By Byron Mutingwende   African countries have shown their interest and willingness to strive for science, technology, and innovation (STI)-led development, the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) has noted.   This emerged during the launch of the 2017 Africa Capacity Report held at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) in the capital on Tuesday 28…

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Education should cater for special needs of children with disabilities

By Byron Mutingwende   Children with disabilities have special needs that should be addressed for them to access education without hindrances or barriers. Speaking during a Worldwide Campaign for Education for Children with Disabilities held under the banner “Ring the Bell”, Faith Sithole, the Head of St. Giles Special School in Harare said that all…

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Africa, Europe collaborate in space science and technology

By Byron Mutingwende   Africa and Europe are collaborating in space science and technology in pursuit of addressing the growing needs of African countries to access and use Earth Observation (EO) data for the implementation of sustainable development policies on the continent through the integration and deployment of African requirements and needs.   Rungano Karimanzira,…

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Shocking corruption at TIZ: A personal experience

By Byron Mutingwende   Corruption at Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) reads like a script from a Hollywood movie yet that organisation is expected to promote accountability and good governance. There had been numerous reports of graft at that institution but no one ever had the opportunity to fully understand the goings on until I personally…

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Empowering women stimulates development

By Byron Mutingwende   The empowerment and full participation of women as equal citizens in all spheres of life stimulates the development of societies. This was the general consensus among the Zimbabwe United Nations office, civil society organisations and development partners in their solidarity messages during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day on Wednesday…

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CiZC condemn resurgence of xenophobia in SA

By Byron Mutingwende   The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) has condemned in the strongest terms, escalating cases of violent attacks targeted at foreign nationals living in South Africa.   In Pretoria and Johannesburg, a number of foreign nationals, including Zimbabweans, have suffered physical and psychological harm. CiZC said that xenophobia defeats the spirit and…

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Ministry urged to address concerns over new curriculum

By Byron Mutingwende   The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has been urged to consider concerns by stakeholders over the newly introduced curriculum. The new primary and secondary school curriculum has been met with considerable outcry; with many within the education sector pointing out that this policy lacked sufficient consultative processes to ensure that…

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Social accountability, transparency crucial in public finance management

By Byron Mutingwende   The empowerment of women is critical for development hence the need to promote social accountability and transparency in public finance management.   The sentiment came to the fore during a media engagement exercise organised by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD), meant to connect journalists with the communities and…

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Multilingual education promotes cultural diversity, development

By Byron Mutingwende   Multilingual education stands out as one way of promoting sustainable development and cultural diversity, it has emerged.   Speaking at a discussion forum held at the United Nations Information Centre in Harare Wednesday, 22 February 2017, Professor Hubert Gijzen, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Regional Director of…

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Inclusive conservation of natural resources critical: TIZ

The inclusive conservation of natural resources, including REDD+ Projects should be implemented in an inclusive and transparent manner, with respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities and with consideration for the protection of biodiversity, Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) has said   “The lack of community engagement, inclusion and access to information is…

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Mobilise youths’ voices in achieving SDGs: Parajuli

By Byron Mutingwende   Zimbabwe’s United Nations Resident Coordinator, Bishow Parajuli has said that it is important to mobilise the voices of the youths who should play an active role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Parajuli made the remarks at Junior Chamber International’s (JCI) 2017 Go4Gold Opening Night Ceremony event held…

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Zimbabwe failing to break endemic cycle of corruption in the public sector

By Byron Mutingwende   Results from the 2016 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) placed Zimbabwe among the countries that scored below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean), exposing the predominance of massive and pervasive public sector corruption.   This year, Zimbabwe moved one step…

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A vibrant health system keeps the doctor away

By Byron Mutingwende   A vibrant health system characterised by proper nutrition, antenatal care and vaccination will decongest hospitals and stimulate economic growth, it has been established.   David Okello, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Director for Zimbabwe made the remarks on the launch of the National Health Strategy held at Murewa District Hospital…

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