The Sunday News
Mthabisi Tshuma, Sunday News Correspondent
AGRICULTURE oriented organisation Africa Grain and Seeds (AGS) have set their eyes on exhibiting at the Expo 2020 in Dubai slated for October.
The company is on a drive to popularise the mantra that alludes to, “From Africa to the world.” AGS is expected to join 10 tourism operators from Zimbabwe who have confirmed participation at the Expo 2020 Dubai where the country is expected to unpack Vision 2030 and market its vast investment opportunities.
Expo 2020 Dubai is a multi-billion-dollar innovation fair that was scheduled to run last year in the United Arab Emirates and was postponed due to the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Zimbabwe is one of the eight countries that was featured on the pre-expo week on travel in a programme titled “What’s on in the World’’ last February.
Speaking at the handover ceremony of donated horticulture seed varieties which are part of the 50 000 targeted to small-holder farmers in Matabeleland provinces at Esigodini Agricultural College last week, AGS co-founder Mrs Matiwaza-Denga said the organisation is on a drive to promote the Zimbabwean agriculture scene.
“Currently we are preparing to go and exhibit at the Dubai Expo. There is no reason we should not participate as such an initiative as those are the critical platforms.
“As an agricultural college through the partnership with our company those are markets that we want to open for you,” said Mrs Matiwaza-Denga.
Mrs Matiwaza-Denga said there is need for agriculture institutions to tap into partnerships with the private sector in order to grow.
“We need to change our mindset also and strategically position ourselves as agriculture oriented institutions.
“Through partnerships we are able to find new ground and new markets which are critical in our viability,” said Mrs Matiwaza-Denga.
Meanwhile, AGS has partnered with Kam Pay Wallet and Kamari token, a new crypto-based payments system designed to grow through lottery incentivisation, in a move meant to decentralise finance (DeFi) platform in Zimbabwe where farmers will be able to source equipment abroad through payments made locally.
Co-founder of the Kam Pay Wallet and Kamari, Dr Chris Cleverly said, “With an initial 50 000 farmers in Zimbabwe, this will be the testing ground for the block chain-fueled microfinance use case- and a good way to determine if the solution works for reducing interest rates allowing cross-border payments and increasing food production in Zimbabwe.
“African Grain and Seed, along with Kamari, will roll out the KamPay solution to the trial group of farmers with the intention of scaling into the millions. KamPay has also agreed to a memorandum to enable fiat on and off boarding for Zimbabwean farmers and of understanding chants with Zympay,” said Dr Cleverly.
AGS chief executive officer Mr Anthony Denga said, “We are delighted to be part of this unique offering that will make significant social impact on communities in Africa Partnering with visionary groups like AGS and Kamari will unleash and realise the significant potential in community -based agriculture solutions.
“Combined with financial services provided by Zympay, We deliver enormous value and social impact that this combined service model will being to market in Zimbabwe and beyond,” said Mr Denga. -@mthabisi_mthire
