Browsing: zimbabwe

Victoria Falls Stock Exchange launches an online trading platform, VFEX Direct. www.theexchange.africa

Since the launch of VFEX in 2020, trading has mainly been dominated by institutional investors, and from the feedback received, retail investors would also like to participate in the VFEX. In the press release, VFEX CEO Justin Bgoni said VFEX Direct was mainly developed with retail investors in mind.

VFEX Direct will be accessible through the web portal and mobile application (Google Play Store and Apple App Store).

Investors wishing to participate through VFEX Direct will be required to hold an FCA (Nostro) account with any Zimbabwean bank.

Zimbabwe economic growth set to slow in 2022

The shrinking economy and resulting unemployment have given birth to an informal economy that has spiralled out of control. Treasury and monetary authorities have been at pains to find ways they can tax the informal sector. The informal economy is difficult, if not impossible, to absorb into the formal economy or to include in the tax pool from which the government can draw revenue.

As the formal economy shrinks, so has Zimbabwe’s effective tax revenue stream, and this problem can only be arrested and mitigated by a growing economy.

An economy characterized by slow or negative growth makes it more difficult for the government to repair its finances. This is because there is a positive relationship between a country’s tax pool and the growth of the economy. A shrinking economy brings with it the added cost of having to provide social safety nets for the vulnerable members of its society.

If the government does not cater to these members of society during times when the economy shrinks, it will invariably experience heightened levels of poverty.

Invictus Sets September Target for Zimbabwe Oil, Gas Drilling. www.theexchange.africa

Invictus Energy received environmental impact assessment (EIA) renewal approval from the Zimbabwe Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for the Cabora Bassa project.

The renewal will be valid until July 2023 and permits the company, which owns 80 per cent of the project, to operate in accordance with Part XI of the Environmental Management Act.

Additionally, the renewal concludes the permitting requirements and enables the company to undertake activities in the field, including seismic acquisition and exploration drilling.

From three landfill sites, more than 70MW of power will be generated enough to power 185,000 homes, and then sent to the national grid. www.theexchange.africa

The government later resolved that the state would use the city’s devolution funds forcing the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) to approach the courts. The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) also cited the city of Harare (CoH) and Geogenix B.V as a respondent in an urgent chamber application filed through Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).

CHRA is seeking to bar an order issued by Moyo on July 7 ordering CoH to stop all investigations into the Pomona deal and reverse its suspension.

They want the courts to declare that the directive by Moyo as well as the utilization of devolution funds to pay Geogenix B. V contractual obligations unlawful.

In a letter by Scanlen and Holderness addressed to Moyo dated July 18, the residents’ lawyers said the council had a right to govern its affairs in line with the Urban Councils Act.

Ecocash introduces chatbot

According to an article by BotsCrew, a WhatsApp chatbot is an automated software powered by rules or artificial intelligence (AI) and runs on the WhatsApp platform. People communicate with WhatsApp chatbot via the chat interface, like talking to a real person. It’s a set of automated replies that simulates a human conversation on WhatsApp.

In May 2022, WhatsApp opened the API for businesses of any size. Previously, it was available only for medium and large businesses, so smaller companies had to contact other providers to access WhatsApp API.

Today, any business can directly sign up or get started with one of the business solution providers to access a New Cloud-based API.

Zimbabwe Dollarizes Introduces gold to stabilize economy

Zimbabwe’s economic and currency woes run much deeper than the finance minister can allude to. For starters, the country heavily relies on imports; it produces little in the form of manufactured goods for exports. This means that the country’s means of generating income in the form of foreign exchange consist largely of producing and selling raw goods with no value addition.

This phenomenon constrains the country’s ability to generate the foreign exchange it is in desperate need of to help underscore the value of its currency. This is perhaps the biggest stumbling block to the universal adoption and warm reception of the Zimbabwe dollar.

Zimbabwe’s citizens have had unpleasant experiences with the Zimbabwe dollar even before it collapsed in 2009. The country’s citizens have seen numerous bank failures with their savings and receiving no compensation for their losses. This was in 2004 when the banking crisis claimed the scalps of all but a handful of local/indigenous banks. In 2006 the central bank raided the foreign currency accounts of the largest exporters in the country. The foreign exchange, it is said, was used to finance the government and political expenditures.

Zimbabwe Medicines regulator permit Cannabis use in Medicines for the first time pic1

The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture Centre at the Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, has started training on TCM and acupuncture for the first batch of local health workers to meet the growing demand for Chinese medicine in the country.

According to Xinhua, the centre was established in 2020 as part of efforts to offer Zimbabweans affordable medical treatment and has in recent months seen a multitude of patients seeking medical attention free of charge

Zhu Wei, a TCM doctor and chief of the centre, said the three-month program aims to train a group of local health professionals who can provide an alternative medical option to Zimbabweans.