Embrace new technology: experts

Jane Zibusiso Nkiwane

Bulawayo businesses and individuals have been called upon to leverage on technological advancements and adopt new skills in order to achieve  growth and transform the city into a regional powerhouse.

The call was made by business tech experts 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 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. 

“We have moved on from the flier era… automated services on social media attend to your client in their moment of need even when you are offline,” he said.

He added that utilising technology exposes businesses to a world that is beyond their geographic locations, thereby creating a favourable environment for growth.

Beedesigned Studio Engineer, Kimberly Bwanya posited that small businesses should make use of social media to advertise their products as bigger businesses automate to deliver their services faster and efficiently.

Rapid advances in new technological developments have also been integrated into the agricultural industry. 

 Managing Director of Lloyd Corporate Capital Bekithemba Nkomo highlighted the need for the agriculture sector to infuse traditional and modern methods of cattle ranching in order to remain competitive. 

“We have formed a company called Agro Strong which focuses on cattle breeding where owners do not have to be physically on the ground to help breed their cattle and this has been enabled by technology. We currently have 300 cattle and  provide insurance coverage and  loans based on the cattle. New technology is used to monitor the animals, and as a result, the management team is able to monitor progress even if they are not present on the premises. There is always an application, system, or process that you can adopt to run any business,” said Nkomo.

Nkomo encouraged young entrepreneurs to move out of their comfort zones, learn and adopt new technology. 

“Youths should use technology for productive initiatives instead of just using it for social media, ” he added.

Business Developer at Blom Management Consultancy, Hans Blom implored potential job seekers and recent graduates to acquire basic technological skills for growth and  marketability.

“In international recruitment if a candidate is searching for a job to be employed overseas one of the first things we look at are their LinkedIn profile and if they are 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 connections we do not take them seriously,” he said.

Kuda Dhliwayo Founder and Director of Vital Recycling said new technology has made it possible for digital entrepreneurs to make a fortune without following the traditional methods of business. A young person graduating from university twenty years back, 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 has changed,” she said.

Beyond Bechani, a tech guru, suggested that in order to bridge the digital divide, more focus should be given to township youths as there is a wide digital gap in those communities due to limited exposure to technology. 

“I wish the same conversation we are having right now could also be shared in townships and rural areas where young people lack exposure to technology,”    he said.

Adoption of new technology is a key enabler in propelling the city to achieve the national vision of attaining an upper middle income economy status by year 2030.