Wilfred Mugeyi was voted the Best Foreign Striker by the Kickoff Magazine. A prolific goal poacher in his hey days who spend the greater part of his foreign days at Umtata Bucks in Mthatha. A former warrior who scored great goals for our national team. He is best remembered for  an infamous miss at the AFCON finals, when it was easy to tap the ball into the nets he chose the skies!

So we were in Mthatha last week, the place where the Mugeyi’s made a mark and he is more popular than the local mayor. When folks heard that we had come into town as promised, one dominant story was the exploits of the Mugeyi brothers William and Wilfred-the most popular Zimbos in this sleepy town which resembles Rusape or Chegutu.

Dr Yemukani Jojosi

We were in the town for a tapestry training that involved a big section of entrepreneurship. We did not disappoint, the town out was encouraging and we also trained our first Medical Doctor, Dr Yemukani  Jojosi. The Doc provided us with premises for the training and also took time to participate in the training. We thank her for the support and know that she will drive the initiative  in the town and beyond.

We then headed to East London where the support was phenomenal, not suprising because it is a big coastal city. We enjoyed working with pensioners who are hard working. We have a lot of follow ups to ensure that they form and register companies and NPOs. It is the beginning of a dream and we are proud to be part of their lives and business dreams.

Pietermaritzburg

PMB was our last port of call and this marks our last training in Kwazulu Natal having previously covered Durban. The good thing about this training is that it was done by locals with ZBIN providing virtual support. This is the ultimate objective of the project-locals should be empowered to carry out own successful projects.

What is up this week?

We have a project on mining that is coming up, we will shed more light once it is complete. We also have a poultry group meeting coming up. Mushroom growing farmers should look forward to a ZBIN facilitated training.

Volunteers

The forum is in need of volunteers, please inbox. Your chance to work for a regional organisation that is making a difference in more than 8 countries. A great working environment where there are no limitations to innovation. Do get in touch and help your forum to grow.

Wishing you a blessed week

Wa Mdala

We are a Diaspora friendly forum and have more than 20 articles on our website on diaspora strategies. We have been making a lot of noise since last year imploring Zim entities to seriously consider the diaspora as a rich market place of ideas, products and services. This is a crucial sector which at its peak was remitting close to a Billion Dollars a year. This implies that the Diaspora funds a quarter of the national budget! A  lot of people in the diaspora still want to invest back home-there is a strong connection between them and the motherland. The diaspora holds the cash! In an economy where we are experiencing hard cash challenges, the diaspora holds the key in helping the nation in solving the hard cashflow challenges. Most in the diaspora have no worries about accessing cash and credit facilities, some are even willing to take out loans and invest back home. The current inflow of $1billion is an understatement-i t can even be doubledor trebled if attractive packages are offered to this important sector of the nation.

Diaspora Investment Zones

Dr Gono is leading the establishment of the Special Economic Zones which will be crucial in attracting investment in the country and this is good but how about including the diaspora too in this arrangement? Is it not easier to work with our own so that they can invest and assist the nation in creating economic opportunities?

Local Companies and the Diaspora

Most companies are still to grasp the importance of the diaspora. They are internally focused and concentrating on local customers or clients-what they are forgetting is that for every dollar that is in the economy, a sizeable percentage of it is coming from the hard working sons and daughters of the soil. Some of the decision to purchase goods and services by locals are being influenced by the diaspora. Given the uncertainties in the economy, local companies are being advised to have a review of their corporate and marketing strategies and find way to engage a critical sector of the economy. The big question is what are you doing to tap into the diaspora market?

What is up this week

Entrepreneurs, are you prepared for the festive season? This will be a big discussion on our Facebook and Whatsapp Platforms. In the meantime, we would like to congratulate a ZBIN volunteer who qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant, she is in diaspora but will be helping local businesses with business information whenever she is free from her busy schedule. Our pool of technocrats is expanding every day and this is good news for the forum!

So we wish you a productive and blessed week and thank you for being a member of Southern Africa’s prime business forum.