Claim OwnershipTechnikari - a Techzim podcast
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Discussions about the internet opportunity in Africa, technology and business news in Zimbabwe, Africa and beyond
117 Episodes
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Episode Notes
On this episode of Technikari, I was joined by Norman Moyo the CEO of the Econet Group subsidiary that Strive Masiyiwa said would be bigger than Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Econet Wireless - Distributed Power Africa (DPA). We discussed the state of power generation in Africa with a particular focus on the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) and the shortfalls in power production that have been a feature of the last two decades and how that relates to Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
We also covered:
Why Independent Power Producers, like DPA, are only installing solar at mines and factories.
The equity deal DPA has with France's national power company EDF.
ZESA's strength is the transmission infrastructure it has, they should leverage that and let private players generate electricity.
The legacy debt and other problems plaguing ZESA and its African counterparts.
ZESA is importing expensive electricity and selling it to customers at a discount. This is unsustainable...
The US$100 Billion for renewable energy fund that Zimbabwe and Africa are missing out on.
Will DPA meet the ambition that Strive Masiyiwa has for it?
Nuclear power is too far off for Africa. We have the sun, let's use it.
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Episode Notes
The recent policy measures that were put in place by the government left many scratching their heads as to what is going on in Zimbabwe. The most confusing one of them all was the banning of credit which was overturned, but not as loudly as loans were banned. To get stuck into the immediate and future effects of new policies (those that remain), we were joined on this episode of Technikari by a peerless economic mind, a man who needs no introduction, the one and only King Kandoro.
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Episode Notes
On this episode of Technikari, I was joined by one of the best sportscasting duos out there, Barry Manandi and Mike Madoda. I am sure all of you have heard their voices over the radio or seen them on TV and I had the pleasure of picking their brains about what football was as a young fan before the advent of social media. It was a different world back then and they shared their experiences from those days that I can only imagine were in black and white.
"Dynamos would play Highlanders on a Sunday and if you were from our background, I come from a rural background, you would be getting the Parade Magazine that would come out a month later and you'd still be keen on the story. Even though the game was played three weeks ago it will have the pictures and the centre spread of the winning team" - Mike
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Episode Notes
I was joined by Sherman Baloyi who is the Creative Director at OnaDsgn, a local brand strategy firm to go over why international companies spend thousands to even millions of dollars on their brand/branding or unique identity. The conversation covers how logos have become more than just "we do this" to an embodiment of the greater ideal or goal an organisation strives for. The easiest example that comes to mind is how cleverly the Amazon logo was designed to show that they will take anything from A to Z.
It's subtleties like this that are sometimes lacking in Zimbabwe and Sherman gave me the lay of the land locally. On top of that, he shed light on which startups/companies have excelled at creating a distinct brand and those that have fallen short of the mark.
TECHZIM'S MARKET APP HAS BEEN ZERO-RATED, NOW YOU DON'T NEED DATA TO BUY NETONE, TELECEL AIRTIME WITH MONEY IN YOUR ECOCASH. YOU CAN ALSO BUY NYARADZO POLICIES, TELONE PACKAGES AND MORE. CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE APP - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.techzim.marketplace&hl=en&gl=US
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Episode Notes
On this episode of Technikari, I was joined by Privilege Nyauta, the founder and CEO of a local web hosting service called PnrHost which has a subsidiary called Resellme, a platform that allows anyone to sell domains and web hosting to businesses and individuals.
The latter is the more interesting product, in my opinion, because it fits with the digital migration we have seen over the last couple of pandemic hit years. Everyone wants to go online and set up a store, or a virtual presence for their business.
According to Privilege, Resellme already has over 1000 agents who are selling domains to their clients. So to find out more about it we went over the benefits and drawbacks of the platform, how someone can get onboard as well as what lies in the future.
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Episode Notes
Takudzwa Nhongo in 2017, went about trying to find the problem with education in Zimbabwe. In the year prior the ZIMSEC pass rate was 29.96%. To find out what was going wrong, Takudzwa applied to write 18 subjects for his O-Levels and came out of that with 16 A's and 2 B's. This was quite a remarkable feat and to achieve it he developed study techniques/models that he has implemented in the e-learning app he co-founded called Kytte.
Episode Notes
On this episode of Technikari, we were joined by Dream VC cofounder Mark Kleyner. We talked about venture capital, angel investing and all things funding. Mark and Dream VC are not your typical VC outfit. Unlike those you know, their focus is on Africa, just like Transsion.
Mark shares his view on the good, the bad and the ugly of the venture capital industry in Africa. For example, you have heard that in the last decade, over 75% of the African startups that received funding had no black cofounder. We discuss what's going on there and more.
What Mark and Dream VC are doing in this space is unique. Dream VC is an investor accelerator, meaning they are producing venture capitalists and Mark explains exactly what that means and how you, yes you, could be a part of this. Why should foreign investors enjoy all the benefits when African startups like Flutterwave succeed? Dream VC seeks to produce African investors who invest in African startups to change that.
Episode Notes
On this episode, I was joined by Peter Kaunda the Patron of the Arts at Artillery Gallery in Harare. He shared his experiences in the art scene in Zimbabwe on the business side, the art subscription services Artillery recently launched as well as the struggles of authentication, verification and insurance of art in Zimbabwe.
You can visit the Artillery Gallery at 72 Second Street Extension, Golden Stairs Nursery, Harare, Zimbabwe and you can also check out their Instagram @artillerytheartgallery
TECHZIM'S MARKET APP HAS BEEN ZERO-RATED, NOW YOU DON'T NEED DATA TO BUY NETONE, TELECEL AIRTIME WITH MONEY IN YOUR ECOCASH. YOU CAN ALSO BUY NYARADZO POLICIES, TELONE PACKAGES AND MORE. CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE APP - techzim.co.zw/download-techzim-app/
Episode Notes
On this episode of Technikari, we were joined by @Magamba TV co-founder Comrade Fatso to talk about the Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) Bill that seeks to regulate Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Zimbabwe. Magamba has been one of the few content companies that have come to strongly oppose the PVO bill and for good reason because the organisation is an NGO or as they are calling them these days Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
We explored:
What the PVO Bill is
Why Magamba and others are dead set on pushing back on the bill and how it affects their operations
How this will affect startups in Magamba's sphere and the programmes the organization holds in journalism and other fields
The wider impact of the PVO bills on other NGOs and the work that they do.
TECHZIM'S MARKET APP HAS BEEN ZERO-RATED, NOW YOU DON'T NEED DATA TO BUY NETONE, TELECEL AIRTIME WITH MONEY IN YOUR ECOCASH. YOU CAN ALSO BUY NYARADZO POLICIES, TELONE PACKAGES AND MORE. CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE APP - techzim.co.zw/download-techzim-app/
You can download the PVO Bill with the link here...
Find out more at http://www.techzim.co.zw
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Episode Notes
Last week NetOne announced a price adjustment for its OneFi packages that would have seen 80GB going for ZWL$99,000 which was US$800 at the auction rate. After a day-long public outcry, the state-owned mobile network operator saw the light and reduced the prices to a more realistic range.
It was one of the rare instances where social media pressure, forced a state-run company to recant and put things right.
TECHZIM'S MARKET APP HAS BEEN ZERO-RATED, NOW YOU DON'T NEED DATA TO BUY NETONE, TELECEL AIRTIME WITH MONEY IN YOUR ECOCASH. YOU CAN ALSO BUY NYARADZO POLICIES, TELONE PACKAGES AND MORE. CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE APP - https://www.techzim.co.zw/download-techzim-app/
$99,000 for 80 GB?! NetOne’s new data prices (February 2022) - https://www.techzim.co.zw/2022/02/99000-for-80-gb-netones-new-data-prices-february-2022/
US$800 for 80GB, NetOne’s new One Fi prices are killing its MiFi use case - https://www.techzim.co.zw/2022/02/us800-for-80gb-netones-new-one-fi-prices-are-killing-its-mifi-use-case/
Netone reverses price hikes after public outcry. How much should they charge? - https://www.techzim.co.zw/2022/02/netone-reverses-price-hikes-after-public-outcry-what-should-they-charge/
Find out more at http://www.techzim.co.zw
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Episode Notes
Brand identity/branding has long since been a cornerstone of any company or collective. If your potential customer can't distinguish you from a competitor or make you out at all, then sustainability is going to be difficult. This not only speaks to your logo or commercials but also of your internal branding as well as your products and services. To get a picture of what it takes to stand out as a brand or company I was joined by John and Elizabeth Murinye who are the founders of Zarura, a local brand strategy firm.
They have worked with companies like Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, Irish fintech firm Billout, Gomba Educare and many others. We explored the concepts of brand strategy, visual design and aesthetics as well as what makes a brand memorable.
You can check out some of Zarura's work with the link below:
Branding your startup
Zarura Rebranding Zimbabwe
TelOne Branding Rethink
Rethinking ZTN
Techzim's market app has been zero-rated meaning you don't need data to buy NetOne airtime
and data bundles with money from your EcoCash wallet, or pay for DStv via ZIPIT and many other services. Download the Techzim Market App with the links below:
https://techzim.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/techzim-market-1.9.6.apk…
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.techzim.marketplace&hl=en&gl=US
Find out more at http://www.techzim.co.zw
Episode Notes
This evening (14/02/2022) we held a Twitter Space to talk about the 10% Excise Duty or Tax that will be levied on internet packages and VOIP services. The news was communicated by ZOL Zimbabwe in an email to customers and we were joined by our community on Twitter to go over it.
Find out more at http://www.techzim.co.zw
Episode Notes
Takudzwa Shamhu is a local developer who works for Pleo, a Danish fintech firm that creates solutions to manage business expenses. We recently had a chat with him about his very interesting journey from working at Telco after graduating to ending up in Europe. Oh... and how he built Wa-Faya's app in just six months.
He shared also shared some of the lessons he learned from his journey and how Zimbabwean developers can take advantage of international opportunities.
Find out more at http://www.techzim.co.zw
Episode Notes
Zimbabwean inventor Maxwell Chikumbutso has reportedly created a radio-frequency powered television. This means that there is no power cable and the TV is powered purely by radio waves similar to WiFi and Bluetooth.
> Maxwell Chikumbutso via The Herald
> "With an RF-powered generator embedded on a TV set, it is now possible for many people to enjoy watching TV whilst they are off-grid. For me, this started off as a dream in 2003, but today it's now a reality. We have successfully developed a solution that powers televisions, smartphones, laptop computers, fridges just to name a few.
> "Goodbye to electric wired home appliances. Welcome to the future with the world's first Free Energy powered 55" UHD Samsung TV. The dawn of wireless self-powered gadgets is here!"
The concept isn't new because Samsung debuted a radio-frequency powered TV remote at CES 2022 which also has a small solar panel on the back. However, what Maxwell Chikumbutso has done, if true, could mean that conventional electrical infrastructure is a thing of the past because it will all be antenna arrays. TVs, smartphones and all other devices will be radio frequency powered
But is this even possible?
Maxwell Chikumbutso of Saith Technologies is back – Claims generator powers 10 houses at once
Cover Image Credit: The Herald
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Episode Notes
I was joined Uk-based comedian Mukudzei "King" Kandoro Majoni to talk about his recently concluded stand up tour the Prodigal Son. We also talked about, the rigours of life in Zimbabwe, how his diaspora experience is going, stealing twenty-five dollars that were meant for school fees and more.
Intro Track:
Bensound
The site is Bensound.com
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Episode Notes
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) recently released its sector performance report for Q3 2021 and yet again data is king in the country with usage continuing on the up because of the pandemic. However in saying that, the quality of data has been iffy for a very long time because there are more of us who are using base stations that might be at capacity. We talked about the state of data in Zimbabwe and how the government can make it easier for mobile network operators, who are suffering losses, to be able to meet the demand for mobile internet services.
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Episode Notes
Buying a second-hand car in Zimbabwe is a game of Russian roulette because good looking cars are sometimes on their last legs and the bad ones... well... We took a dive into the second-hand car market on Facebook, car sales and imports, and the different buying habits of the various tax brackets. Additionally, we looked at preserving value for your safety and to sell on as well as how ZUPCO pretty much forced us all to need a car.
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Episode Notes
Today I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Michael Sibanda or I am sure most of you would know him by his TikTok handle @PabloZW1. He is one of the funniest guys online and it's no surprise that he has garnered 23.5K followers on TikTok since his first post in August.
Check out his social media with handles below:
TikTok: @pablozw1
Instagram: @Pablo_zw1
Twitter: @Pablozw1
YouTube: youtu.be/dmTylzcjnNk
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Episode Notes
The e-passport rollout is so confusing. When should we start applying for them? What about those who got regular passports recently? Why should we have to pay at CBZ and then at the Passport office? Is this another one of those things that is only being done because we are getting into election season? If the government was struggling with conventional passports do we have the materials and suppliers to meet the tsunami applications for these new and complicated e-passports?
We tried to make sense of these questions and more...
You should also check out:
https://www.techzim.co.zw/2021/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-zims-new-e-passport/
https://www.techzim.co.zw/2021/12/why-does-cbz-have-a-monopoly-on-e-passport-application-fees/
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Episode Notes
Owning a car in Zim is a bit of an extreme sport. There are no easy breaks because importing one can be a nightmare and getting one locally comes at a ridiculous premium. After getting your car you'll have to contend with the cost of that first service. This can be a pleasurable experience if the previous owner met all the service intervals or a money pit if they treated the car like a disposable asset.
Once on the road, you'll have to contend with mushikashikas and Honda Fit drivers who think the road belongs to them. These specimens usually create lanes where none exist as if everyone who is in the traffic jam is somehow stupid. The only reason traffic is backed up is because road infrastructure was not developed to remain in step with the influx of vehicles. Furthermore, we have a near non-existent public transport system meaning that the only way to consistently get from A to B is by saving up and getting an Ex-Jap.
On top of all of that, the roads themselves are so poorly maintained that everyone looks like they are warming their tires readying themselves for the F1 safety car to go back into the pits.
We had a conversation about these topics and more with some prices and the likes on buying a "new to you" car, the cost to maintain it and even more pain points about owning a car in Zim.
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