DATA from the The World Bank, in its report Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, has revealed a severe global electricity access deficit, with 76% of the world’s unconnected population concentrated in just 20 countries, 18 of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria (86.8 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (79.6 million), and Ethiopia…
ONLY 5.9% of business establishments nationally are registered with the National Social Security Authority of Zimbabwe (“NSSA”), data by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency has shown. This figure is largely attributed to the overwhelming prevalence of informal businesses across Zimbabwe, with 76.1% of all establishments operating informally. Harare leads with 6.7% registered, while Mashonaland Central…
BY NATHAN GUMA IN the blazing sun, Charles Kateza, a farmer from Kateza Village in Rushinga District, is busy with his trowel on top of a small latrine he is building. His son stands nearby, mixing more mortar with a shovel, ready to pass it to him, while his wife fetches water from a small…
BY NATHAN GUMA AND DELIGHT GUMA WHEN Tanatswa Matsikwa, a young man from Concession, Zimbabwe, left Zimbabwe for school in Zambia, his ambition was to get an education. But his exit from the country has also made him the envy of many, as he can now explore opportunities outside the country for a change. For…
BY NATHAN GUMA IT is dusk at the South Korean Ambassador’s residence in Highlands, Harare, and crowds are trickling in to be part of the Sounds and Spirit of Korea, a showcase of the country’s art and traditions. Visitors pass by a few desks, grabbing refreshments and South Korean souvenirs such as the buchae, which…
BY DELIGHT GUMA GROWING up in a farm school at Adam Farm in Harare’s peri-urban area of Stoneridge, Vivian Nheya witnessed a harsh reality, where girls in her community were married off as soon as they finished Grade 7, cutting short their dreams. She vividly remembers the day when one brilliant girl in her class, whose intelligence and perseverance she…
BY NATHAN GUMA IN Togo’s coastal town of Aneho, some 45.7 kilometres from Lomé, the country’s capital city, one young medical doctor is waging a quiet war against diabetes – an invisible killer that has been slowly claiming lives in the country’s rural areas. For Haniifah Ouro-Nile, stationed at the Centre Hospitalier Prefectoral d’Aneho, where…
BY DELIGHT GUMA IN Harare, Zimbabwe, where tonnes of fabric waste are discarded every month, Chipo Mataka, a young entrepreneur, saw more than just trash, she saw opportunity. “I had developed a hobby of rug-making using unwanted clothing, a friend at church taught me the skill. I was a third-year Electronic Engineering student doing my industrial…
BY DELIGHT GUMA GROWING up in Masvingo, Zimbabwe’s oldest city, Shantiel Chiwara witnessed both the challenges and potential of the city and province at large, and felt the urge to be involved in its development. “My journey into politics began with a deep-rooted desire to make a tangible difference in my community,” she says. At…
