In the last few days Zimbabwe has been very popular and words like “asante sana” have been significantly trending. And while everyone has been fixated on the political landscape some may not have noticed the subtle shift in media consumption. Riding on the love for Zimbabwe wave, Kwese took the opportunity to announce that it was now airing ZBC on one of its channels in Zimbabwe.
Some people noted and welcomed the news with great enthusiasm, while others remained unaware, however the crux of the matter is, Kwese is permeating the lives of Zimbabweans and changing TV viewing as it is known.
With eyes glued to the now popular ZBC, it was interesting to note the number of brands that sought airplay during news hour. It is a clear indication of the proactive Marketers and media planners that now make up the Zimbabwean market. An interesting advert in the midst of it all was Cassava Fintech Television Commercial.
Most people may not know Cassava, and the name sounds West African. However, the superiority of the TV ad, made one sit up and upon further research, discovered that Cassava Fintech – is part of the Econet Group. It was therefore amazing to see this play out on ZBC which is on Kwese, another Econet offering.
Cassava Fintech is a specialized Pan-African Fintech company that delivers innovative digital transaction solutions across the mobile ecosystem. Sounds fancy right? Not quite. Simply put Econet’s vision has expanded beyond Telecoms and our Zimbabwean borders. Econet’s premise sits within an inclusive connected future that leaves no African behind.
It is clear therefore, that Cassava Fintech speaks into the African market and enables the economic, social and cultural change to take place across Africa. It’s almost surreal to speak of Econet while mentioning telecoms, media and technology (TMT) in one sentence. However, that is the cultural change being led by the business, not just in Zimbabwe, but across Africa.
When reading into Fintech, it’s important that as Zimbabweans we learn from the business space to glean where the future is headed. It is clear that Econet is a TMT aggressively pursuing digital transaction solutions and driving financial inclusion under their Mobile Financial Services verticals like EcoCash (mobile money) and EcoSure (mobile micro insurance).
However, it would be interesting to see where the next innovation lies for them. Could their next feat be within the Ecommerce realm? We are aware that they have introduced some initiatives in this space and one would not be surprised if they grow this into a pan African play as well.
The pride that follows Econet resonates with Zimbabweans because it is a homegrown brand that has broken barriers to show the possibilities of agility, faith and hard work.
