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Mash Central Bureau
FOUR Bindura University of Science Education students recently raised the tertiary institution’s flag high after their SMART Connect project came first at the National Demo Africa Pitch held in Harare.

The SMART Connect Project is aimed at linking small-scale farmers to markets through a mobile application.

The four, Joseph Manzvera, Nicholas Kadondo, Munashe Ngwindima and Macelline Chifodya, who co-funded the project, will represent Zimbabwe at the regional Demo Africa Pitch to be held in Morocco.

They were mentored by their lecturers, Dr Lovemore Musemwa, Mr Vincent Tinashe Munyati and Mrs Tariro Mukabeta.

In a statement, Bindura University of Science University said: “DEMO Africa is one of the flagship initiatives of LIONS@frica and aims to connect African start-ups to the global ecosystem.

“DEMO Africa is the place where the most innovative companies from African countries get a platform to launch their products and announce to Africa and the world what they have developed.

“The project was in top five in the same event that was held in March 2017.

“With real start-ups being created in Africa to develop real-world solutions, worthy of investment and global attention, the US Department of State in collaboration with Microsoft, DEMO, USAID, and Startup Weekend, launched the Liberalising Innovation Opportunity Nations (LIONS@FRICA) Partnership.

“This was in recognition of Africa’s economic emergence.

“The public-private alliance is aimed at enhancing and deepening the start-up and innovation ecosystems of targeted fast-growing African economies.”