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Over 50 stakeholders met in Bulawayo to discuss ECHO-funded project.

Agriculture

Zimbabwe is advancing from reactive to proactive disaster risk management with help from the European Union and other organisations

Recently, over 50 stakeholders met in Bulawayo to discuss the successes and challenges of a two-year anticipatory action project funded by ECHO. This project, from 2023 to 2025, focuses on improving how communities prepare for climate-driven disasters, particularly the severe drought expected from El Niño in 2023-2024.

Judith Ncube, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo, said,“The 2023–2024 El Niño drought brought untold hardship to our communities. Yet in the face of empty rivers, cracked fields and hunger, we saw something extraordinary; communities, government and aid agencies standing together. This workshop is not just about what went wrong, but how ordinary people’s resilience helped shape extraordinary responses.”

The project has created frameworks that enhance coordination among diverse groups and developed tools for early warnings and disaster financing. Key achievements include forming the Anticipatory Action Community of Practice, which links local decision-making to national systems. The Zimbabwe government launched a US$3 in response to the drought crisis. A 3 bn appeal for emergency and resilience support initiated a food distribution programme for vulnerable populations.

Key outputs like the national Anticipatory Action Roadmap and impact forecasting models are now guiding broader regional disaster management efforts. As the event ended, partners urged ongoing investments in anticipatory action for resilience, stressing the need to embed early action into national systems as climate risks grow. The initiative shows that with partnerships and community involvement, Zimbabwe can progress from responding to crises to building long-term resilience.

Edward Kallon, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Zimbabwe stated,“Anticipatory action is not just a technical process; it is a lifeline. It is about the mother in Chiredzi who received early warnings and planted drought-tolerant crops just in time. It is about a child in Tsholotsho who did not go hungry because food assistance came before the crisis hit. This is the future of disaster response.”

This initiative targets vulnerable communities affected by climate change. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

Agriculture

BRAC has received a US$300,000 grant from The Rockefeller Foundation to create a programme aimed at helping three million women smallholder farmers in Bangladesh, Liberia, Tanzania, and Uganda by 2030

This initiative targets vulnerable communities affected by climate change. It will first launch in Bangladesh's coastal and drought-prone areas, providing farmers with services like agricultural technology, weather forecasts, adaptive insurance, and better market connections.

Deepali Khanna, head of Asia, The Rockefeller Foundation, stated,“Smallholder farmers are on the frontline of so many challenges, including the impact of climate change. Through our support of BRAC, we are empowering smallholder farmers not only to withstand disruptions, but also to advance solutions that can help build the foundation for lasting economic opportunity.”

The programme emphasises a community-led approach, ensuring it is culturally relevant and sustainable. The aim is to equip communities with skills to build resilience against challenges like rising salinity and erratic rainfall. BRAC plans to raise an additional US$300mn for this programme, intending to impact around 14 million people positively.

“At BRAC, we believe in equipping people and communities with the skills they need to build their own resilience,” said Asif Saleh, executive director of BRAC. The Rockefeller Foundation’s support takes an important step in showing that locally driven innovation, when scaled up, can unlock pathways for millions of people to do that.”

Women leading the Liberia's agriculture. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

Agriculture

In 2022, UN Women Liberia, in partnership with the Orange Foundation, started the ‘Digital Inclusion for Women’s Economic Empowerment (D4WEE)’ project

The goal was to help rural women farmers in Bong and Nimba Counties connect with the formal financial system and access disaster risk reduction resources. Significant progress has been made, such as integrating 15 women-led Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) into the formal financial system. This has benefitted 400 women farmers who now have mobile phones and bank accounts, with plans to connect these to Orange Money mobile wallets for better business support.

“By enabling these women to become community-based facilitators, we’re enhancing their income-generating activities through both traditional and digital innovations,” stated Aisha Kolubah, national programme officer for Women Economic Empowerment at UN Women Liberia.

The project introduced a social protection scheme allowing VSLAs members to save, borrow, and invest digitally, enhancing their financial security. In August 2024, a four-day Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop was held in Monrovia for 22 women-led farming cooperatives, focusing on digital literacy skills and market access. Participants learned about digital marketing, social media use, and financial management with digital tools, leading to exciting opportunities for their businesses.

This training empowers women to share knowledge in their communities, promoting economic growth across rural areas. Continued collaboration among UN Women, CBL, and the Orange Foundation aims to create more opportunities for women through digital technology.

“We are pleased with this new way of handling our Village Savings and Loan Association group. Going digital with our savings and loans has made things simpler and safer for us. Now, we can keep an eye on our money and loans using our phones. It’s made everything clearer and smoother for us,” says Diana Davis, community-based facilitator at Liberia Rural Women Network Empowerment Incorporated.

African Farming

Solar-powered orchard robot wins agri-tech horticulture hackathon

The Agri-EPI Centre has announced the winners of the agri-tech hackathon, which focused on the horticulture and livestock/veterinary sectors

The winning team in the horticulture sector is Orcharbot with its concept of a solar-powered, zero-emission crop scouting and weeding robot featuring six technological innovations for weed identification and organic removal, fruit surveying and harvesting. The team members came from the University of West England, Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Antobot.

This section of the hackathon was judged by Rob Wilkinson of Grimme; Ali Capper of the NFU; David Telford of the Knowledge Transfer Network and Adam Spate of Bardsley England.

A team from the technology provider FarmVet Systems is the winner of the veterinary hackathon. Their concept - ‘VetAccess’ - is based on their existing VetIMPRESS secure data management platform. Their idea focuses on enabling farm teams to fully benefit from technology in the face of challenges created by vets working remotely due to COVID restrictions.

Judges in this category were Jan Van Dijke of Zoetis, Tim Potter of WestPoint Farm Vets (VetPartners), George Paterson of Landmark Systems, and Lucy Mather of the Knowledge Transfer Network. In particular, they liked the farmer-focused vision behind the concept.

Lisa Williams, Agri-EPI’s business development director, said, “The level of interest and enthusiasm from all the entrants to our hackathon exceeded all of our expectations, and we thank all the competitors and the judges for taking part. The Agri-EPI team is very excited about the coming year, as we work with both winning teams to support the feasibility testing and development of their concepts.

“There were many other strong ideas put forward during the hackathon which show great promise, so we have decided to work with all teams to provide support as they build on their ideas.”

The hackathon was supported with funding from the SmartAgriHubs element of the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

A total of 11 teams participated in the hackathon, which was held to support the development of technological solutions to the problems posed by COVID-19. The winning teams will receive a year of product launch support from experts at Agri-EPI Centre.

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Event News

APPP: Africa's largest infrastructure finance and partnership event

Event News

The 15th edition of the Africa PPP Summit (#APPP2025) will be held from 28 to 31 October 2025 at the Hilton Hotel, Windhoek, Namibia

As Africa's largest infrastructure finance and partnership event, it aims to drive private sector investment in key sectors like Electricity, Transport, Water and sanitation, and Industrial infrastructure. This summit will gather industry leaders to explore public-private partnerships (PPPs) as vital drivers of sustainable growth across the continent.

Held in Namibia, a country known for its strong infrastructure and investment-friendly policies, APPP2025 will highlight Namibia's strategic position as a logistics hub, with world-class roads, ports, and rail networks. The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, supported by the Office of the President, is the event's host, alongside AME Trade Ltd.

Over four days, the event will feature a conference with interactive discussions, a masterclass on capacity building, and site visits to key infrastructure projects. Topics will include Namibia's infrastructure plans, energy access (solar, wind, hydro), transport connectivity, water scarcity solutions, and regulatory changes to boost African economies. APPP2025 is an essential gathering for investors, policymakers, and industry leaders to network and collaborate on shaping Africa's infrastructure future. It promises to be a pivotal moment for economic growth through strategic infrastructure development.

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Livestock

ZIVO Bioscience and top animal health firm launch studies on poultry immune-boosting compounds

Poultry

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc., a biotech and agtech research company developing immune-boosting compounds from proprietary algal cultures, has announced a new partnership with one of the world’s leading animal health companies

The collaboration focuses on advancing ZIVO’s novel biologics for use in the poultry industry and may expand to other livestock and companion animals in the future.

The companies have signed two agreements to conduct independent studies that will explore the potential of ZIVO’s compounds to support poultry health. The goal is to enhance existing vaccination strategies and help address diseases that continue to affect poultry production.

Expanding poultry protection

The first agreement involves a 42-day challenge study focused on coccidiosis, a common and damaging parasitic disease in poultry. This study aims to confirm earlier positive results from ZIVO’s compound, now used alongside the partner’s vaccine. It will also collect samples to evaluate new performance measures. Findings will support ZIVO’s regulatory process with the USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics and help establish a strong business case for commercial use.

The second agreement outlines a study of ZIVO’s compounds using a model for a viral poultry disease that causes high mortality and has no available cure. The virus was chosen for its well-known in vivo model, clear clinical results and short testing timeline. The goal is to confirm the antiviral effects ZIVO has already observed in earlier trials, including reduced severity and spread of low-pathogenic avian influenza. Positive outcomes could lead to broader studies covering more viral diseases.

The collaborating animal health company will fully fund both studies. Researchers will assess how ZIVO’s compounds can shorten the time between vaccination and immunity, protect birds in vulnerable periods, enhance immune response and reduce the impact of diseases that suppress the immune system.

“This collaboration supports our strategy to partner with a major animal health company that brings scientific expertise and R&D infrastructure to advance our innovations to global markets efficiently and at scale,” said John Payne, chairman and CEO of ZIVO Bioscience. “We are aligned with this company on the broad applicability of our immune-modulating technology and its potential to create a disruptive, non-antibiotic therapeutic platform.”

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Nigeria's annual milk production is 700,000 tonnes. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Crops

The regulation agency has requested farmers to switch to organic production methods and utilise only licensed pesticides.

Agriculture

The regulatory agency in the Gash Barka area has held food safety workshops for people and animals, focusing on farmers and owners of organisations that provide social services in the sub-zones of Sel'a, Kerkebet, Laelai Gash, Gogni, and Mogolo

During the seminars, Meaze Neguse, an expert in animal resources regulation, cautioned that hazardous food could risk the lives of both people and animals. He stressed the importance of safety and hygiene throughout the whole food production chain, from farm to consumer, and emphasised the close relationship between food safety and environmental protection. He exhorted everyone involved in the food processing and distribution industry to work with regulatory professionals.

Hadish Gebremeskel, a representative of the plant regulatory service, spoke at length about the immediate and indirect negative consequences of misusing pesticides. He aimed at the serious implications of employing unauthorised or harmful agricultural medicines without consulting specialists, noting that these methods are bad for the environment, people, and animals. He requested farmers to switch to organic production methods and utilise only licensed pesticides.

Sub-zone officials, for their part, said that the seminars make a big difference in achieving the objective of "Ensuring Nutritious Food for All and Everywhere." They urged farmers and food processing companies to use the skills they acquired during the training in their regular activities.

Over 50 stakeholders met in Bulawayo to discuss ECHO-funded project.

This initiative targets vulnerable communities affected by climate change. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

Technology

Eric Muuga explained the delay in the Thwake Dam. 

Water & Irrigation

Eric Muuga, Kenya's water and irrigation cabinet secretary explained to senators the reasons behind the delay in the construction of the Sh42.3 billion Thwake Dam 

He cited the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic as factors affecting progress. Muuga faced skepticism from lawmakers, especially Makueni Senator Daniel Maanzo, who questioned how these events impacted a project that stalled a year ago.

Muuga argued that the war caused a shortage of explosives needed for the dam’s foundation, while the pandemic led to a reduced workforce. He also mentioned that challenges with the dam’s height and the weak foundation required additional construction work. Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua expressed doubt about the contractor’s presence on-site, recalling an experience where excuses related to Covid-19 and later the Ukraine war were used for delays.

Muuga clarified that Thwake Dam is designed to be the largest rock-filled dam in Kenya, with a capacity of 688 million cubic metres. He stressed the importance of allowing time for the foundation’s embankment to settle to prevent future issues, stating that this settlement could take six to nine months. The cost breakdown reveals that the African Development Bank is providing Sh35. 6 billion, and the Kenyan government is contributing Sh6.71 billion.

Initially scheduled for fulfillment in December last year, the project is now set for completion by October 30, 2025. Upon completion, the dam will supply water to 1.3 million people, generate 20 megawatts of hydropower, and irrigate 100,000 acres, benefiting various areas in both Makueni and Kitui counties.

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Eric Muuga explained the delay in the Thwake Dam. 

The main agenda of the new vision is to transform the Expanded Public Works Programme from temporary job relief to a skills-based employment pipeline.

Over 50 stakeholders met in Bulawayo to discuss ECHO-funded project.

The regulation agency has requested farmers to switch to organic production methods and utilise only licensed pesticides.

This initiative targets vulnerable communities affected by climate change. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

Women leading the Liberia's agriculture. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

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