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Renewable energy technologies to power health facilities have become very important in the 21st century due to the lack of power from conventional power supplies especially in the case of Global South and specifically in Zimbabwe. The study's objective was to examine the role of renewable energy technology in powering medical laboratories and other health care facilities in the Global South- Sustainable Development Goals washing each other’s hands with evidence from Zimbabwe. The study used qualitative methods and secondary data was collected from various sources such as United Nations Development Programme, Reach Alliance, World Health Organisation and Green Platform Policy documents. The main results of the study showed that renewable energy technology has provided relief to patients and rural communities who have not been failing to get services due to a lack of conventional electricity. Additionally, the study indicated that over 1044 health facilities in Zimbabwe are now under solar support hence these facilities now have electricity 24 hours a day and key services are being provided, hence, improving health outcomes and SDG 3 objectives. Additionally, sustainable energy is also more sustainable in the long run as compared to conventional electricity generation which has negative effects on the environment. The policy shift by the government of Zimbabwe to work with partners to provide solar energy to health institutions is applauded. The government can shift its policy towards further empowering the locals to get contracts to implement and install solar energy in the remaining facilities considering that already there was knowledge transfer done when the local engineers were trained by the primary contractors of UNDP. The study recommended that the government may provide policies that support more of the solar grids and move away from relying on conventional electricity generation which has been giving the country problems of load-shedding since year 2008.

The adoption of digital technologies in external auditing has become increasingly common and significant in the digital era, revolutionizing audit practices and offering several opportunities. This study explores whether the application of digital technologies in external auditing presents a double-edged sword, with the ability to transform and disrupt the audit profession. Through a comprehensive examination of the likely opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation of the external audit function, this study sought to provide an insightful discussion of the dual nature of the implications of digital technologies. The aim of this study is to not only provide a balanced assessment of the application of digital technologies in external auditing but also to recommend possible ways for auditors, auditee companies, and other stakeholders to reap maximum benefits from the use of digital technologies, including how these various stakeholders can navigate the associated challenges effectively. Opportunities stemming from the application of digital technologies include the enhancement of audit quality, improved accuracy in audit procedures, increased efficiency and effectiveness, heightened comprehensiveness and extensiveness in risk assessment, and an increased degree of confidence in the audited financial statements by stakeholders (reduction in the audit expectation gap). On the downside, challenges and risks concern the lack of or the need for new skills and competencies for auditors, technological complexities linked to digital technologies, cybersecurity risks, overdependence on technology affecting audit quality, audit evidence, professional skepticism, and the widening of the audit expectation gap. To maximize the possible benefits and minimize risks, this study recommends continuous professional development, capacity building through education, training and collaboration, better technology and data governance initiatives, and continuous assessment of risks.

This study investigates the contribution of the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) Rules of Origin (RoO) to the growth and survival of manufacturing industries in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a qualitative approach and used purposive sampling to select the interviewees. Data obtained from interviews and through documentary review was thematically analysed. The study found that several critical challenges are hindering the effective utilisation of RoO. Foremost among these is a pervasive lack of knowledge and understanding of RoO requirements across all sectors of the Zimbabwean economy. This knowledge gap is compounded by cumbersome administrative and accounting requirements necessary to meet origin criteria, creating significant compliance burdens for manufacturers. Additionally, the poor economic performance of Zimbabwe has negatively impacted the ability of industries to leverage the benefits of SADC RoO, further impeding their competitiveness within the SADC Free Trade Area (FTA). The study recommended comprehensive awareness and training programmes to educate stakeholders on RoO, simplification of administrative processes to reduce compliance costs, and broader economic reforms to improve the overall business environment. Furthermore, it advocates for the establishment of support services to assist industries in navigating RoO requirements, and the enhancement of regional cooperation to facilitate smoother trade flows. .

Modern relief organisations are overwhelmed with complex emergency response operations. Man-made and natural disasters are affecting millions of people, infrastructure and land. In developing countries, many emergency relief programs fail due to ineffective outsourcing management of emergency response services. This has been worsened by failure to understand the concept of outsourcing and measures to improve it. Little is known about the key strategies of outsourcing and their impact on emergency relief performance. Thus, the study sought to establish key strategies of outsourcing and their impact on performance of emergency relief programme. The study employed a descriptive research design tapping into quantitative research approach. To collect data from respondents, the closed-ended questionnaires were used. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analysing the quantitative data. The study found that adopting strategies to enhance outsourcing improved the organisation’s efficiency and effectiveness in performing emergency relief services. The study revealed that investing in information technology and software systems; and adopting supply chain modelling, algorithms and programming are impetus strategies that can be implemented by a leading non-governmental organisation to enhance outsourcing. Thus, there is significant relationship between exercise of sustainable strategies that enhances outsourcing and performance improvement of emergency relief services. The management of the organisation should adopt information technology, artificial intelligence and data analytics when outsourcing services within the organisation. The study focused on a leading non-governmental organisation in Zimbabwe neglecting other emergency relief organizations and thus making it difficult to make inferences to other players. Therefore, th? researcher recommends that further studies should consider taking all humanitarian organisations to have a comprehensive understanding on the issue under study.  

Trade facilitation is widely touted in the literature as a means to increase trade, capital inflows, and economic growth as a result of lower transaction costs; however, its implementation and efficacy pose challenges, especially for developing nations. Despite controversies and differing perspectives on these challenges, some of which were published prior to February 22, 2017, when the Trade Facilitation Agreement went into effect, there is no meta-analysis that evaluates the validity of these challenges. This qualitative meta-analysis is a systematic review of qualitative research examining the difficulties and obstacles developing countries face in instituting trade facilitation reforms. This document lays the groundwork for resolving general trade facilitation implementation challenges in Southern Africa, and in particular Zimbabwe. Significant obstacles to the successful implementation of trade facilitation initiatives include limited financial resources, infrastructural inadequacy, and inadequate institutional architecture. Requisite human capital inadequacy is one of the primary impediments to the successful implementation of the trade facilitation reform process. The elimination of these obstacles would unquestionably boost innovation in trade and commerce, as well as the region's trade legitimacy. Trade liberalization, improvement of legal inter-regional trade, and active participation by merchants in global value chains could be advantageous to governments in developing countries through trade facilitation.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No. 20 of 2013 recognises local authorities as key actors in local and national development, thus capacitating them to engage in international and regional relations so as to assist in matters of municipality management and service delivery. In this vein, such relations should promote growth through investments, innovation and information exchanges among others. The study examines the utility of MICs in promoting sound management and the enhancement of service delivery at the Harare Metropolitan City. The study used a qualitative research design where participants were purposively selected to provide data. Data was gathered using interviews and an extensive review of written documents. Data was analysed using thematic and content analysis techniques. The study established that MICs are a reliable tool to promote sustainable development in areas of human capacity development, information technology, and knowledge sharing among others. Additionally, MICs also promote effective and efficient service provision in Harare Metropolitan City.  The study recommends the restructuring and fortification of the MICs’ legal and financial frameworks as well as the provision of central government support so that Harare Metropolitan City can autonomously venture into partnerships and be productive without any central government interference.

The main aim of this study was to empirically assess the main microeconomic factors that affect a bank's performance. The objectives were to ascertain if there is a relationship between the performance variables with the microeconomic variables, determine those that are significant and their impact on the performance of banks in Zimbabwe. An econometric model was built from balanced panel data and the Arellano-Bond estimation procedure was employed. The empirical analysis was carried out on a sample of 17 banks that were operational in the years 2010 to 2017 in Zimbabwe. Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Net Interest Margin (NIM) were used as the performance indicators in the analysis. The results indicate the main microeconomic factors to be those attributed to growth, credit risk, capitalisation, managerial efficiency, liquidity and diversification in the Zimbabwean financial institutions. Performance in these institutions is generally good as measured by positive persistent profits, that is, ROA, ROE and NIM. These returns reflect the extent to which these institutions are resilient to the economic crisis.