Escrow Group recognised to showcase C-TRADE at the just ended UK-Africa Fintech Summit

The UK’s Department for International Trade hosted the virtual UK-Africa Fintech Summit which brought together key industry players in Fintech from across the UK and Africa. The event aimed at showcasing the UK Fintech offer while exploring the opportunities in Africa with a view to improve collaboration and mutually beneficial trade and investment between the UK and Africa. The event was held from 3-4 February 2021.

The information-packed two days provided a unique opportunity for companies within the fintech space to network and explore developments taking place within the sector, including what the UK Fintech has to offer to Africa, fintech on the African continent and the future of fintech in respective markets. The two-day session explored the economic challenges occasioned by the COVID 19 pandemic and the role fintech is playing in supporting the recovery efforts.

The summit explored the African fintech offer and progress made by players on the continent and the Escrow Group, the outfit behind the C-TRADE was invited to showcase the innovation. Introduced in 2018, the C -TRADE platform has taken the market by storm and democratised the capital market space while creating a balance for retail investors with relatively small investments which aggregate to a significant amount.

Previously the market was skewed towards institutional investors who held an enormous number of shares. That led to liquidity challenges across the market, where only a handful of investors held meaningful stock. The perception of retail investors was that they are a waste of time because they contribute insignificant values, and their trading activities are insufficient to warrant anyone bothering with them. The price discovery mechanism of equities was warped due to the concentrated ownership of stocks. Spreading the shareholding, even if it was amongst retail investors, was the best way of enhancing price discovery and market liquidity. Since its inception, C-TRADE now accounts for over 40% of stock market trades currently and the number is expected to increase as investors become more comfortable and gain confidence in mobile and online trading of securities.

C-TRADE is an innovation developed to harness and promote participation of retail investors and institutions in capital markets through mobile and internet-based platforms. It automates the interface of the retail and institutional investors giving them direct access to the market with enhanced efficiency and convenience.

C-TRADE is focused on creating convenience and increasing participation and activity on the stock market. It gives an opportunity to the Zimbabwean citizenry to save, invest and earn through investments on the stock markets. Since its launch C-TRADE has been working towards ensuring seamless interaction for investors through further enhancements to the product that was launched and has made quite a number of enhancements that enable access and convenience.

The Escrow Group continues to push the technology boundaries and is committed to ensure that the both the demand side and supply side of capital are catered for in order to increase capital market growth and to spur economic growth.

To start investing on the ZSE and FINSEC listed counters on the go, simply download the C-TRADE mobile app or dial *727# across all mobile networks. Alternatively visit ctrade.co.zw to register. Econet subscribers— 08080277

Netone subscribers— 08010077

Live chat on web portal Email C-TRADE on ctrade@escrowgroup.org

WhatsApp 0737594405

AFRICA cannot afford to continue with the authoritarian, dictatorial and despotic forms of governance that are predominant on the continent. Authoritarian and dictatorial governments are repressive, corrupt and inefficient. Their only purpose is to retain power and to loot public resources for the benefit of a few political elites, leaving the majority of citizens in poverty. Therefore, although rich in raw resources, our continent remains the poorest in the world. We have seen this trend of authoritarianism in Zimbabwe, and we are now seeing it in Uganda which has just held a farcical election.

Regimes in these countries share a common thread: they have no tolerance for dissenting voices. Instead, voices of dissent are treated with disdain, as if they were enemies of the State instead of constructive voices in the civic process. There can be no progress when political parties treat each other as enemies.

The ruling parties in particular have always treated opposition parties as if they were illegitimate and enemies.

This approach is used to stifle competition and to justify exclusion and repression. This tragedy has just played out in Uganda, where the regime unleashed egregious violence against Bobi Wine and his movement during the election campaign.

Another common characteristic of these authoritarian regimes is the anti-youth approach that defines their policies. The yesteryear generation is not comfortable with young people assuming leadership roles. This goes against the reality that Africa is a young continent in terms of its population. It presently has the world’s largest population of young people; the median age is 19,7. Africa is also projected to have a population of 2,5 billion by 2050, a majority of that population will be young people. Young people in Africa represent a critical force. Youths are the current and future face of Africa.

This future population projection is often referred to as the demographic dividend, economists project this growth will be good for Africa. Others caution that this dividend can only be an asset to Africa if we can fix the institutions of governance, improve our infrastructure and make progress beyond being merely extractive economies. There is a need for deliberate policies that include youths in the political and economic architecture of their countries. Unless this is done, the demographic dividend will become a nightmare, as more young people rely on the State to provide for their welfare.

Unfortunately, dictators stand in the way of these inclusive processes. Young people seeking leadership are dismissed as upstarts and thwarted with the might of the State’s coercive apparatus. They are constantly told that they are the future, but that future never arrives. They are the ones who have a future to plan for, because they will have to experience it. The view of the authoritarian generation that is currently in power is very short-termist by nature. They have no real incentives to plan for a future that they have no prospect of experiencing. The result is that they think about now and very often about themselves, their families and associates.

In Cameroon Paul Biya has been in power for 39 years. He is another who refuses to let go of power, but he does not even live in the country preferring an Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva or French hospitality. Yoweri Museveni has been at the helm of Uganda for 35 years and has just imposed himself for another term. Yet this is the same man who promised when he took over in 1986 that he would only be there for a short period. He spoke the language of democracy and progress. Like other dictators before him, he discarded those promises and now mimicks the dictators he deposed.

Here in Zimbabwe, we know all about false and misleading promises. When the current regime usurped power from the late former President Robert Mugabe in November 2017, it made grand promises including a new democratic dispensation, respect for human rights and re-engagement with the international community. But it went on to do the exact opposite — disputed elections, violating human rights, and subverting democracy. Lately, it has been using surrogates to undermine and shut down the opposition. It has taken money due to the opposition and diverted it to its surrogates. It has facilitated the removal of the opposition’s elected representatives from Parliament and local authorities.

Africa cannot afford further corrosions of democracy in this decade. Government should be by the meaningful consent of the people. That consent is transferred through a transparent, free and fair election process. Consent that is coerced is not legitimate consent because it is not free choice. Election results that are announced when there are serious and glaring irregularities lack legitimacy. The global community should not keep rubberstamping these illegitimate outcomes in the name of maintaining peace. The consequences of such ratifications are the continuation of exclusionary systems of government in the face of a demographic wave.

We have seen four elections in Africa that were compromised by the behaviour of incumbents and institutions meant to uphold electoral integrity. Unfortunately, those elections were sanitised by the global community even in the face of massive irregularities and patently unfair conditions of campaigning. The following elections should not have been sanitised in any shape or form by the global community. The Zimbabwe 2018 elections, Mozambique 2019 elections, Tanzania 2020 elections and most recently the Uganda 2021 elections. These normalisations from the international community perpetuate a culture of unfair competition and illiberal democracy which is anathema to progress.

Let’s consider the Uganda elections, what the world witnessed throughout 2020 and in the final weeks of the election race was the blatant use of power by Museveni to derail his opponent, Wine:

The killing of 55 protestors in November 2020 who were protesting after yet another illegitimate arrest of Wine on spurious grounds;

The denial of accreditation to international observers which prevented robust scrutiny of the election. The American delegation of observers withdrew from observing the election noting that it lacked transparency and credibility while a coalition of hundreds of civil society organisations noted that only 10 out of their 1 900 accreditation requests had been granted.

LOOKING back to the year 2019, it is clear that a lot of people including those in the human resources (HR) industry had no clue what we were in for this year and last year. No one ever predicted that we would actually be in the second year with this COVID-19 pandemic. As we ease into the second month of 2021, it is now a good time to reflect on how far we have come but also how far we still have to go. HR has handled various challenges during this pandemic but it’s not enough. It is now the right time for the HR department to take a fresh look at the near term and future trends carefully if it wishes to remain an essential company function in future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global economies and almost all businesses, and HR has been at the heart of it in many originations. With organisations now on the cusp of recovery, the role of HR is becoming even more important, spanning from coming up with strategies, having policies and practices in place that cater for the new normal, etc.

The rapid change in both technology and workforce demographics has seen HR professionals adapt and modernise their approaches at workplaces.

It is vital that HR evolves and transforms across every element of the HR lifecycle to meet a new set of organisational needs.

This article will discuss emerging HR trends likely to shape HR post-pandemic.

Separation of critical skills and roles

You all agree with me that before COVID-19, critical roles were viewed as those that have critical skills, or the capabilities an organisation needed to meet its strategic goals. The true definition of critical was actually seen during this pandemic. Now because of the pandemic, employers are realising that there is another category of critical roles, roles that are critical to the success of essential workflows.

It’s a clear indication that if you want to build a strong workforce post-pandemic, you have to encourage employees to develop more critical skills that possibly open up multiple opportunities for them. It is also a good time for organisations and policymakers to determine who is essential and critical as they are needed even after the pandemic.

Mental health support will become the new norm

Many employees do not feel comfortable to speak about poor mental health, this is unlikely to change following the pandemic. We do not yet know exactly what the mental health impacts of COVID-19 will be.

There are many factors to consider including the impact of the lockdown and ongoing restrictions such as social distancing and self-isolation.

Some employees will be fearful of contracting the virus, others will be anxious about family and friends.

Many will have suffered bereavements during the pandemic, often without the chance to say goodbye or attend funerals.

Employers will need to adopt a range of measures to support employees experiencing poor mental health as a result of COVID-19 and its effects on society and the economy. Measures will range from supporting employees to regain an effective work-life balance and address fears about returning to work, right through to support for severe mental health conditions.

HR Leaders becoming culture champions

A culture champion is someone who is responsible for changing, integrating and implementing the new organisational culture.

Due to COVID-19, organisations globally have abandoned their fundamental working premise and also how they used to do their things, hence there is need for culture re-orientation and obviously it is HR that needs to do that.

If an HR department takes a leading role in championing the new or adjusted workplace culture, this will lead to organisational excellence and success.

By playing its role as a culture champion, change agent, and business advocate, HR will need to increasingly find ways to support business leaders in restructuring during and after the pandemic, take workforce rationalisation measures while managing risks associated with such interventions so as to increase productivity.

Investment in workplace technology systems

Digital transformation tools, once seen as a nice-to-have investment, are now essential. HR professionals can also expect to see a shift in how they recruit, hire, and retain employees. Many processes have already been digitised to improve speed and efficiency.

Automation, AI-enabled learning, messaging, and cloud-based systems are some of the digitally-driven enhancements that are becoming prevalent.

Dependence on human labour is being rebalanced with a mix of people and technology.

Just as companies will continue experimenting with more informal ways of team-building and socialisation, we may also see more formalised online connections in most countries worldwide.

Employees can now attend conferences online and have access to networking opportunities online.

New agile leaders likely to take leading role in organisations

Leadership agility is the ability to lead effectively when rapid change and uncertainty are the norm and when success requires consideration of multiple views and priorities.

It requires a process of using enhanced awareness and intentionality to increase effectiveness under real-time conditions: stepping back from whatever one is focused on.

Being an agile leader can be a great advantage especially in times where many organisations are entering a new life post-pandemic.

Companies around the globe are looking for a new type of leader, one that is capable of adapting to the economic and social changes taking place.

This trend towards young and more diverse leaders who are able to run businesses the digital way will actually be the new way.

Reskilling your employees

Adapting employees’ skills and roles to the post-pandemic ways of working is crucial in building operating-model resilience in organisations. COVID-19 and remote working have dramatically changed the skillsets for both employees and leaders.

If your organisation has laid the foundation for reskilling, you can retrain your current employees to take on those new roles.

That can keep your company viable during times of major change — without the additional time and expense of hiring brand-new employees.

When you reskill or upskill your people to take on new tasks or roles, you can save time and money in the short term.

The move towards agile organisations

The ongoing COVID-19 socio-economic crisis is forcing business leaders worldwide to take quick action to respond to the pandemic and its effects on their businesses.

In fact, if HR learns how to work in an agile fashion it can help organisations in 2021 and in the future to achieve that level of resilience that is now so important in an everchanging world.

Agility puts people at the centre of everything that happens and HR has to play a key role in driving this disruption more than ever as agility has to continue.

Post-COVID-19, there is no doubt that HR will be influenced by new trends that may transform the sector.

HR professionals need to keep an eye on the latest trends and adopt them quickly to keep their organisations competitive.

Employers can utilise these trends to plan for the future, use HR help for formulating, implementing corporate strategies and improve employee engagement which will certainly help in business growth.

Emmanuel Zvada is an award-winning Most Fabulous Global HR Practitioner 2020, HR disrupter and trusted coach. He writes here in his personal capacity.

IN order for South African avocados to reach their full growth potential, they must be irrigated in the right amounts: not too much and not too little.

For decades, the decision on how to irrigate avocados was done based on the farmer’s intuition, experience and at best on some scattered data.

Traditional irrigation approaches limit growers to being reactive, not proactive in protecting their avocados.

Today, technology is taking over this space to help farmers use smarter ways to irrigate and produce more avocados.

In neighbouring South Africa, there is Supplant, a leading precision agriculture hardware-software solution, which is an Israeli technology that has expertise in sensing plant stress.

They have converted this expertise into a system that uses agronomic algorithms, sensors, artificial intelligence, big data and cloud-based technology in order to achieve these goals.

They have developed a data model using predictive algorithms based on analysing 100 million avocado data points.

Sensors, which measure the stress of the plant, are placed in five locations of the plant (deep soil, shallow soil, stem/trunk, leaf, avocado) and monitor plant and fruit growth patterns, the actual water content in the soil and plant health data.

In addition to this data, the farmers monitor real-time and forecasted climatic data and forecasted plant growth patterns. All this info is uploaded every 30 minutes to an algorithm in the cloud that provides farmers with precise irrigation recommendations based on the integration of all this data.

One of the greatest challenges for a South African farmer today is the weather.

Supplant has a solution to this, it uses ClimaCell, the world-leading weather intelligence platform in order to monitor the weather in a precise plot location.

Mobile applications allow all partnering farmers to monitor plots and control their water budget from anywhere.

With the application, each farmer is able to see the information of each plot, graphic displays of the past and future irrigation plans, hyper-local current and forecasted climatic data specific to each plot, agronomic insights, growth patterns of trunk and fruit, irrigation recommendations for today and a week ahead and more.

Farmers that do not use technology will only be able to see the results on the avocado themselves after the stressor created vast damage to the plant.

Once upon a time, in order to irrigate, farmers needed to go to the field or set a water timer.

Now they can know from afar when their avocados are thirsty.

Farmers in the region can also copy and use technology to grow their crops.