Diaspora Matters

Dumisani Dube | Harare | Zimbabwe A group of 10 young farmers in Shurugwi’s Ward 11 are reaping the rewards of venturing into poultry farming, transforming their livelihoods and contributing to the local economy.

The farmers, under a contract farming arrangement with a leading poultry producer in Gweru, currently maintain an average of 7,000 broiler chickens in their modern fowl run. This venture, initiated in 2020 with support from Technoserve and funding from Anglo American Unki Mines, has seen remarkable success.

“We had very little experience when we started,” recalls one of the farmers. “But thanks to the technical guidance from Technoserve and the offtaker, we’ve managed to significantly reduce mortality rates.”

The offtaker, a key partner in the project, provides all necessary inputs, including day-old chicks and feed, while also offering continuous technical support to the farmers. This ensures optimal bird health and maximizes productivity.

The project’s impact on the farmers’ lives has been profound. With consistent earnings of between US$2 900 and US$4,100 every six weeks, these rural residents have experienced a significant boost in their income. This newfound financial stability has enabled them to send their children to school and improve their overall living standards.

“This project has completely changed our lives,” another farmer enthused. “We now have a sustainable source of income and a brighter future for our families.”

The initial investment from Anglo American Platinum, Unki Mines social development program, which included the construction of fowl runs, boreholes, and installation of solar lighting, has proven to be a catalyst for economic growth in the community. The project is now self-funding, with the farmers reinvesting their profits to expand their operations and increase production capacity.

While challenges such as weather fluctuations, charcoal fuel shortages, and recent water scarcity have been encountered, the farmers have demonstrated remarkable resilience in finding solutions. Their strong self-governance structure, guided by a strict group constitution and bylaws, has played a crucial role in ensuring the project’s sustainability and success.

This inspiring story highlights the transformative power of community-driven initiatives and the potential for rural communities to thrive through sustainable agricultural ventures. It also highlights the importance of group work in achieving great success. The group also highlighted that access to financing is not much of a challenge once a financial institution sees their books. Interesting enough is that they have had several financial institutions offering to finance them which is something rare in the current economic climate especially for small holder farmers. This is a model which should be copied and implemented in other sectors as well.

Dumisani is an agricultural & compliance expert and lead consultant at fresh solutions Africa. He can be reached via email at freshsolutionsafrica@gmail.com.

Dumisani Dube | Harare, Zimbabwe – After weeks of anxiously awaiting the arrival of the rainy season, much-needed significant rainfall has finally begun to fall across most parts of Zimbabwe, bringing a wave of relief to the nation’s farmers. In some regions, single-day rainfall totals have exceeded 60mm, a significant downpour that has significantly alleviated concerns about a potential drought. While the late onset of the rains presents challenges, farmers are cautiously optimistic and eager to capitalize on this much-needed moisture to ensure a successful agricultural season.

The unpredictable nature of the rains, largely attributed to the escalating impacts of climate change, underscores the critical need for farmers to adapt to rapidly changing weather patterns. Fortunately, advancements in agricultural technology are providing farmers with valuable tools to navigate these challenges. AI-powered weather forecasting systems and readily available smartphone applications are empowering farmers to track weather patterns more effectively, enabling them to make informed decisions about planting schedules, optimize resource allocation, and minimize potential losses.

“This year, we’re heavily reliant on weather forecasts,” says Mr. James Chikwanda, a smallholder farmer from Masvingo. “We’re using a weather app on our phones to track rainfall patterns and make informed decisions about when to plant our crops. This technology is invaluable in helping us adapt to the changing climate and improve our chances of a successful harvest.”

In many regions, these January rains mark the official start of the planting season. Farmers are eagerly sowing their seeds, with a strong preference for early-maturing maize varieties. Popular SEEDCO varieties like “Tsoko” and “Tsuro” are particularly favored due to their shorter growing periods, increasing the likelihood of a successful harvest even if the rains recede earlier than anticipated. This is crucial as climate change has increased the risk of shorter rainy seasons and unpredictable weather patterns.

Furthermore, farmers are actively implementing water harvesting techniques such as creating small dams to conserve rainwater and utilizing tied ridges to improve water infiltration and soil moisture retention. These methods complement the conservation agriculture techniques being actively promoted by the government of Zimbabwe through the Intwasa/Pfumvudza program. This program aims to enhance agricultural productivity and resilience by promoting sustainable farming practices that minimize soil erosion, improve soil fertility, and enhance water use efficiency.

This year, more than ever, strategic planning, careful seed selection, and a proactive approach to weather monitoring will be crucial for ensuring a successful harvest and safeguarding food security for Zimbabwe. By embracing technological advancements, implementing sustainable farming practices, and adapting to the changing climate, Zimbabwean farmers can strive towards a more resilient and productive agricultural sector.

Dumisani is the lead consultant at fresh solutions Africa and can be reached via email on freshsolutionsafrica@gmail.com.

The forum is sometimes mistaken as a business network for women as they dominate most of our networking events. You just cannot build a networked forum without the support of ladies in Zimbabwe. In order to acknowledge the impact of ladies on the forum we have compiled a list of those who worked tirelessly to build the forum in 2024.

1. Leah Mugari

2. Rumbidzai Usenga

3. Phumaphetsheya Nkala

4. Luwy Kusemwa

5. Coach Gwen Chikofi

6. Fine Marume

7. Advocate Namatirai Ruzvidzo

8. Tendai Manhungo

9. Nyengeterai Mawere

10. Rudo Mahachi

11. Jackie Lemani

12. Ester Toto

13. Chef Taffy

14. Chipo Murwira

15. Faith Charumbira

16. Rumbidzai Tapfuma

17. Chipo Nyebera

18. Sibo Mutema

19. Lisa Chirubvu

20. Gogo Machera

21. Tatenda Mawoneke

22. Mai Muku

23. Freda Chingwe

24. Judith Shingirai

25. Plaxedes Madzingire

26. Praise Chabona

27. Helen Tapesa

28. Emeka Mhishi

29. Tawanda Muzuwa

30. Piwairugare Phillis

Special mention goes to men who supported Mompreneurs such as James Mupudzi(Diverse Business Consultancy), Tinashe Makuvise, Sir Paulus Musevenzi, Descent Dzenga, Martin Barricade Mutunha, Decent of PC Construction and Powerstash.

We commemorate a decade of existence on the 15th of January 2025. It has been a very long and bumpy road to assist entrepreneurs across Zimbabwe by building a platform that enables effective and efficient networking. Youths form the bulk of our membership and we have been giving them leadership roles over the years and this year we bring to you the top 20 most influential youths on the forum.

1. James Mupudzi
2. Trymore Nzou
3. Tshepehile Ncube
4. Cynthia Gezi
5. Tanaka Chigovera
6. Damson Royel
7. Decent PC Shuro
8. Descent Dzenga
9. Rudo Mahachi
10. Sir Paulus Mudzerengi
11. Advocate Cocoe
12. Ryan Marindire
13. Shezzy Sharon R Khonje
14. Dickson Fumigation Control
15. Charla
16. Tatenda Mawoneke
17. Tanaka Mwanza
18. Diego
19. Bernard Bukira Betera
20. Dorothy Chamunorwa

An offer letter from cruiseship companies is a bankable product!

You can ask the US Embassy who ask for a legit offer of employment letter before issuing a work visa.

An offer letter is worth thousands of dollars, and here is the good news—Most of the income earned is send home…or spend home as cruiseship workers save on accommodation, food and other living expenses.

The US Embassy official was quoted in the press saying they expected to have issued 2000 visas to cruiseship workers by end of 2024.

Now dear Zbinites,

The Harare US Embassy is not the only one issuing visas—we have Maputo, Pretoria, Windhoek offices too.

And here is another interesting part—thousands of Zimbo job applicants recruited at walk in fairs in South Africa.

Is that all? Well cruiseship job recruitments did not start in 2024 but 2021—Reached a peak in 2022 where an estimated 6000 were recruited and to date the number could well be above 15,000.

Salaries: They vary depending on field but the lowest taking $600-800 per month x 6-7 months. The highest group depending on experience and qualifications on $5,000 per month. Difficult to get an average salary but my estimate is an average of US$1,500.

Do the Maths: 15,000 cabin crew x $1,500 and that’s $22.5 million per month of income earned by Zimbos on cruiseships. Maybe as an accountant, let me be conservative and whittle down the figures to US$10m per month or US120m per year.

No wonder why diaspora remittances were reviewed upwards in the preparation of the 2024 National Budget to US$2,4 Billion.

Banks: Just how banks especially those offering real estate mortgages—are missing this golden opportunity, a story for another day.

Homelink: A missed opportunity by Homelink and real estate agents to actively target and engage the cabin crew clients and explore opportunities.

For now let’s stick to the above 2 areas although the list is obviously long. You will be surprised that they are many financial institutions that crafted 2025 corporate strategies and left out cabin crew as possible avenues of new income.

Perhaps the key question could be how to target cruiseship cabin crew? You need innovations but not too difficult.

The experiment started in December 2023 where 3 plants provided 5kgs of harvest. Some of the seeds harvested were distributed to 40 members at 5 seeds per individual. Throughout the year hundreds have benefited from the seeds and now the time we have been waiting for has come. The rain season has come and hundreds of our members now going commercial.

The question could be why are we obsessed with the Madagascar Lima Beans? And our response is that it is the most economic plant as it does not require a lot of input costs such as fertilizers, pesticides and maintenance. The explosive growth rate and high yields, the solution most farmers across the continent are looking for.

And the plants can go on producing harvests on a constant basis up to 7 years provided there is constant watering. With Climatic Change now reality, food security across Africa can be easily secured at very little cost. For small businesses, the beans provide food and more importantly; capital. Go commercial and harvest several tonnes for sale and capital for businesses, secured.

Madagascar Lima Beans from Ruwa based Farai Aleck Katsere

Backyard Madagascar Lima Beans from Bulawayo based Trymore Nzou.

Progress from Ruwa based Lincoln Matongo.

The next update is coming in January when we assess the progress of our members.

It’s November and 8 weeks to go before year end—what an eventful year! So big corporates involved in crafting corporate strategies—review of 2024 Strategic Plans vs Actual Performance and truth is it’s difficult to plan in a VUCAH Economy. Even at national level we have seen budget deficits forcing authorities to re craft budgets and seek additional resources. In this economy—incremental approaches the most ideal. Plan for short periods like 6 months—and then make adjustments on the road.

The purpose of the write up is more on the financial side—simplifying it for non-finance folks, and generally get an overview of what’s coming in 2025.

We first simplify our review by looking at 2 critical financial reports, The Profit and Loss (P&L) and the Balance Sheet. We can ignore the Cashflow Statement for now,

Covid Impact on Balance Sheets:

When I assisted several small to medium sized companies on strategic planning last year—The Covid-19 Impact was very much still alive on the Balance Sheets with some Debtors from as far back as 2020 still appearing. Some debtors simply closed shop during the pandemic period. Some were struggling to pay and the question became—to continue pursuing legal channels or write them off?

Similarly some had material creditors which they were struggling to pay as they too were adversely impacted by the pandemic. Yes Covid-19 now history but a deep analysis of many a balance sheet shows unresolved after-effects.

Climate Change Impact:

Unprecedented dwindling of water levels at Kariba directly emanating from Climate Change and the impact felt on operating costs—Energy costs up as companies invested in alternative energy. The impact felt industry wide jerking up costs of doing business. As if this was enough—joining the bandwagon—Elnino inspired drought during the 2023/2024 Agriculture season. National forex allocated to cereals imports further ballooning the trade deficit. Impact on disposable incomes and did the devaluation came as a surprise?

Non Compliance Penalties and Garnish Orders:

Struggling to balance the books and forced to sell products and services at economic sense forex rates, offloading goods onto the informal sector for survival and all sorts of financial management gymnastics. The result –garnishes from bank accounts further compounding the woes of the working capital position.

External Regulatory Changes:

Covid-19 After effects+ Climate Change+ Other conditions=less income(tax) available for the nation. Therefore triggering a volatile environment where survival strategies by individuals and the corporate sector attracting Statutory Instruments Regulations—some coming at short notice, some catching everyone by total surprise—further fuelling uncertainty. Companies adjust to a new environment—but not for long—and there is a big quake—and you have to adjust to the new reality. Essentially moving in cycles of uncertainty and constant adjustments and realignments.

So impact on income ((increased competition (some of it from smuggling of goods by the informal sector), low disposable incomes, fluid regulatory environments etc)) and on costs we have inflation+ Covid-19 After Effects+Climate Change+Other conditions such as increased cyber threats, thefts and others.

Hail the financial professionals helping in decision making to keep companies afloat. Cost containment Yes, but feed forward control strategies complex in 2024 and expected to be more complexar(sic) in 2025.

So in short this is the financial performance overview we get from the above analysis. Now in strategic planning we do not start from the Balance Sheet—in fact the financials come last—it’s the corporate activities, skills, systems and business models employed that will determine the success of organizations in 2025. They are later summarized in financial form.

And there are many approaches employed in strategic planning, however don’t forget to analyse the balance sheet….in most cases by the time you reach the balance sheet—you would have exhausted all the energy on reviews and brainstorming with fatigue inevitable.

It is always tricky to conduct business online as one can do business and be surprised by poor service or in some cases money disappears. And in some cases, there could be no recourse or where it exists, it comes at great inconvenience.

There are no regulatory standard bodies in the informal sector. It is a jungle!

So to help you conduct business smoothly, we have a pool of subscribed businesses where we hold each member accountable for their business conduct. If we receive many complaints, we make follow ups and even deregister them. Noone wants to be deregistered as they lose many benefits.

So send your business inquiries to Whatsapp +263 773 055 063 and our members will promptly respond.

Mvurwi Delight:

Little is known about this town located 93km away from Harare. There are no major cities located to the West of Harare and perhaps this could explain why the area receives scant attention. However the town is in transition to full awakening and in future you are going to refer back to this post!

And on the 13th of October 2024 we had business in the town of 16,000 residents according to the 2022 census:

Here is a snap shot of Mvurwi.

1.Traditional Economy: Farming has traditionally been the anchor of the economy of the town. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tobacco Auctions were decentralized and this boosted the fortunes of the town which now hosts more than 5 Auction Floors. Instead of transporting tobacco to Harare Auction Floors, Mvurwi has become an option.

Business reaches crescendo levels during the tobacco selling season and takes a dip during the offseason.

2) Chrome City: In addition to Tobacco Auction Floors, Chrome is the new attraction and you don’t need to look too far. The huge number of flatbed trucks along the highway provides endless evidence. The Chinese dominate most of the chrome deals.

3) Construction Boom: Where are the funds from tobacco and chrome going? Arguably real estate with a construction boom and some of it visible as you enter Mvurwi. Look to the right and there you will find a lot of new properties coming up. Some even putting up mansions.

The town is fast expanding…unfortunately most of Mvurwi secrets hidden from the highway that passes through the town. There are 3 large dams and other opportunities such as agro-processing and minerals processing.

Find locals who can show you around the town and you will be amazed by the size and scale of the town.

I expected our tour around the town to last at most 10 minutes, but was surprised when we surpassed 40 minutes.

There is the old ghetto suburb (kumusika), then middle density and low density.

And if you have a long horizon real estate investment vision, grab a piece of land in this fast developing sleepy town.

Yes for now land is affordable, but it’s not for long.

Locals are waiting for a gas and oil exploration boom and they are keeping their ears to the ground. And this could be the economic propeller, the warthog speed economic accelerator.

What were SA registered cars doing in the town?

Chrome, Chrome, Chrome Traders ..so they are travelling all the way from Mzantsi, passing through Harare and heading to Mvurwi? There should be a magnetic field pulling them…and its now an open secret.

We need to cultivate the spirit of taking interest in all areas around us, even making efforts to visit and observe developments on the ground.

Viva Mvurwi Viva.

So the Madagascar capital is called Antananarivo and shorted to Tana.

And last year around October I bumped into what I thought was a wild bean plant ….why wild? The rate of growth was something I had never seen before….rocket speed, bullet train speed growth.

And the plant captured on the photo is responsible for starting the Madagascar Lima Beans Farming Revolution in Zimbabwe.

Mrs Tana turns a year old and has been baptised by the 2024 first rains that came yesterday.

Mrs Tana has given birth to more than 10,000 bean seeds, with some of her kids being distributed to more than 500 Zbinites.

Her kids and grandkids have traversed the length and breath of Zimbabwe to corners such as Byo, Chiredzi, Mutare, Vic Falls and Lupane.

Some of her direct relatives have crossed the borders reaching as far as Cape Town.

Mrs Tana is expected to be responsible for producing hundreds of tonnes during the 2024/2025 Agricultural Season and expected to reach hundreds of Metric Tonnes with some exports by end of 2030.

Dear Zbinites, when Madagascar Lima Beans goes viral by end of 2025, refer back to this photo and the name is Mrs Tana.

Her life expectancy expected to be 7 years and ends in 2030.