A new tech era has emerged in Bulawayo as a result, businesses and individuals should leverage technological advancements and adopt new skills in order to achieve business growth and transform the city into a regional powerhouse.
Business tech experts highlighted this during a panel discussion event themed “Utilising Technology for Growth in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Region.” hosted by Innovation for Africa, Shanda Hub, The Oasis Creators Hub, Bulawayo Tech Hub, and Matlive Business Incubation Centre.
Addressing corporates and individuals during the event at Oasis Hub in Belmont, Financial Director of Techno Expert Construction, Arthur Evans urged businesses to utilise the use of automatic applications in their day-to-day business running. ” We have moved from the flier era…” Automated services in social media attend to your clients in their moment of need even when you are offline. ” He added that utilising technology will expose businesses to a world beyond their geographic locations, thereby creating a favourable environment for growth.
Kimberly Bwanya, Engineer for Beedesigned Studio Kimberly Bwanya suggested that for businesses to achieve growth using new technology, small businesses should utilise social media to advertise their products, and bigger businesses should automate their processes as it helps deliver the services faster and efficiently.
Rapid advances in new technological developments have also been integrated into the agricultural industry. Nkomo suggested that the agricultural sector needs to infuse both traditional and new methods of cattle ranching in order to remain competitive. “We have initiated a company called Agro Strong which focuses on cattle breeding where owners do not have to be physically on the ground to breed their cattle and this has been enabled by technology.” We currently have 300 cattle, and we provide insurance coverage and loans based on the cattle. New technology is used to monitor the animals. As a result, the management team is able to monitor progress even if they are not present on the premises. This shows that there is always an app, system, or process that you can use to run any business you do, “he added.
Furthermore, Managing Director of Lloyd Corporate Capital Bekithemba Nkomo called upon young entrepreneurs to move out of their comfort zones and take it upon themselves to learn and adopt new technology. “Youths should have priorities and use technology for productive initiatives instead of just using it for social media.”
Business Developer a Blom Management Consultancy Hans Blom implored potential job seekers and recent graduates to acquire basic technical skills and talents to be able to utilise technology for growth and to be marketable.
“In international recruitment, if a candidate is searching for a job to be employed overseas, one of the first things we look at is their LinkedIn profile, and if they are a professional with about three to four years of experience in their industry and the number of connections they have on their account is less than 300, we do not take them seriously.”
Kuda Dhliwayo, Founder and Director of Vital Recycling, added that new technology has made it possible for digital entrepreneurs to make a fortune without following the traditional methods of business. A young person graduating twenty years ago from university was compelled to secure employment if they wanted to become a millionaire, but now in 2022, one can make a living by content creation on social media platforms like Tik Tok. “This shows that the means of creating wealth in our society have changed,” she said.
In order to bridge the digital divide gap in Bulawayo, Beyond Bechani a tech guru suggested that more focus should be given to townships youths as there is a wide digital gap in those communities due to limited exposure to technology.
`I wish the same conversation we have right now could be carried out in the townships because we are speaking that there is a child in the townships who is not yet exposed to new technology. I suggest that more conversations and spaces be created for children in rural areas and townships.
Adoption of new technology is a key enabler to propel the city to achieve the national vision of attaining an upper-middle income economy status by the year 2030.
