dyton mupawaenda
Tendai Rupapa–Senior Reporter
JAPANESE experts are bringing to Zimbabwe, advanced solar-powered technology that harvests moisture from the atmosphere to produce potable water as the country reaps benefits from the First Lady’s foreign engagements.
Amai Mnangagwa was recently invited to Japan for the inaugural Asia Pacific Africa Women’s Economic Exchange Summit.
During the summit, she committed herself to ensuring sustainable food production and provision of clean water to children for them to survive and grow up healthy.
The secretariat of the summit was thrilled by Dr Mnangagwa’s passion and commitment to work towards a better future for children and generations to come.
Mrs Fukuyo Nakamori, the Chairperson of the summit and a politician who once served in the House of Representatives as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, expressed willingness to work with Dr Mnangagwa who then invited her to Zimbabwe.
Mrs Nakamori accepted the invitation and yesterday she led a team to Gosha Primary School in Mashonaland East province where they conducted a feasibility study to assess the suitability of the programme.
This comes as plans to produce large-scale Nerica rice in Zimbabwe are at an advanced stage after the Japanese rice experts also visited Zimbabwe at the invitation of Amai Mnangagwa, the Agric4She patron.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa interacts with Mrs Fukuyo Nakamori and her translator Ms Hatsuko Yamamoto while Minister of State and Devolution for Mashonaland East Aplonia Munzverengwi looks on at Gosha Primary School on Monday.
Nerica (new rice for Africa) has been developed through crossing African rice species – resistant to disease and drought – and Asian rice species-high yield potential, with the assistance from Japan.
Mrs Nakamori gave a brief on the new water technology and on Nerica rice which she said was developed specifically for Africa.
“The First Lady of Zimbabwe graciously participated in the summit as the mother of the nation. She travelled more than 13 000km away from Japan. This Nerica rice was specifically developed for Africa and it is a remarkable technology that thrives with just a ‘glass of water’.
“Nerica rice technology is one of the technologies that I am proud of and as I said it only needs one ‘glass of water’ annually to grow in this continent. The First Lady expressed interest to produce Nerica rice in Zimbabwe,” she said.
She said rice production would add to the country’s food security.
The new technology to produce water does not require the drilling of the ground.
“You do not need to drill the ground. What you can do is that you get the air, from the air there is moisture so you get that moisture and purify it to get drinking water. We condense the air and we take out moisture from the air and we do not need to add any chemicals and we get safe water for drinking. In that device, we add a small solar plant so that we do not use electricity.
“We are here to learn how much water you need in the school and we will work together to end water problems,” she said.
Mrs Nakamori expressed the desire to have an inter-school exchange programme between Japan and Zimbabwe and said her country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was working towards this.
Amai Mnangagwa thanked the Japanese delegation for coming to Zimbabwe.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa shows Mrs Fukuyo Nakamori Zimbabwean traditional foods in Mashonaland East on Monday.
She said as patron of Angel of Hope Foundation, she was committed to improving access to clean water for rural communities.
“Today, I am joined by Mrs Nakamori, the chairperson of the Asia Pacific Africa Economic Exchange Summit and former member of the Japanese parliament national diet.
“I attended the first Asia, Pacific Africa and Women’s Economic Exchange Summit in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2022 where I exchanged views and ideas with other First Ladies of Africa and Japanese officials on how to empower the marginalised and vulnerable communities, especially women and children.
“This is where we saw that our countries in Africa need to work with countries that have advanced technology. I invited them here to come and teach us to grow Nerica rice and bring the technology of water that is found in the atmosphere.
“My friends were cooperative and Dr Tsuboi came in March after I invited him and made him work with the Ministry of Agriculture and they went about assessing areas that are suitable to produce the Nerica rice. This is rice that we can all cultivate at our homesteads for food security. You heard Mrs Nakamori saying just a cup of water is sufficient to grow the rice,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa paid tribute to cordial relations between Zimbabwe and Japan dating back to the days of the liberation struggle.
“Ladies and gentlemen, at the outset let me acknowledge the cordial relations that exist between the Republic of Zimbabwe and Japan since our independence in 1980. Over the years, Japan has been a key development partner with Zimbabwe and the former has been extending critical assistance to the country in various sectors including health, environment, agriculture, mining, ICT, human resources development and finance among others.
“It is worth mentioning that Japan assisted Zimbabwe in the development and launching of the successful deployment of the satellite into orbit in December 2022.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, Minister of State and Devolution for Mashonaland East Aplonia Munzverengwi, Mrs Fukuyo Nakamori and her translator Ms Hatsuko Yamamoto during a tour of Gosha Primary School water source to conduct a feasibility study for potable water on Monday.
“The satellite is now assisting Zimbabwe on meteorological services through improved weather forecasting and has enhanced the agriculture landscape and as we prepare for the forthcoming farming season this essential support will go a long way in helping us to better plan and anticipate rainfall patterns in an effort to improve and maximise the agriculture yield harvest. In Zimbabwe many villages face various challenges including the access to clean water and l am aware that some households walk for kilometres to find clean water.”
The Japanese companies have developed a solar-powered device plant that generates drinking water from the moisture in the air using the condensation method.
“I am pleased to inform you that this device will be donated by the government of Japan to this school to provide clean drinking water. I am reliably informed that the device will be delivered soon.
“Let’s give a round of applause to Mrs Nakamori who facilitated the donation and our Japanese friends for the generous gift.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and Mrs Fukuyo Nakamori and other senior Government officials greet crowds at Gosha Primary School on Monday.
“As patron of Angel of Hope Foundation, I am committed to improving access to clean water for rural communities which remains a high priority for the Government of the republic of Zimbabwe.
“I am aware that Mrs Nakamori attaches great importance to the elimination of suffering of children through empowerment of the mother, women and the child.
“In this regard I look forward to continue working with Mrs Nakamori to deepen collaboration and improving access to clean water and sanitation of rural communities and improve the welfare of women and children especially those in vulnerable communities.
“I undertake to purse more strategies and smart partnerships through the Angel of Hope Foundation with fellow influential women like Mrs Nakamori and other international like-minded organisations that promote and safeguard the interests of women and children.
“Ladies and gentlemen, during my visit to Japan I also met the vice president of the Japan International cooperation agency (JICA) and we discussed several issues on how the government of Japan can help to empower rural communities here in Zimbabwe including through irrigation development, the production of Nerica rice and support to the health sector,” she said.
Mrs Fukuyo Nakamori hands over a magazine showing the initiatives which were done by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and her counterparts during the 1st Asia Pacific Africa Women’s Economic Exchange Summit held in Japan last year after a courtesy call at Zimbabwe House yesterday.
So pleased were members of the community with the project saying it would end their water challenges.
“We were facing water challenges and we thank the President, Baba Mnangagwa for finding us a mother who is loving and caring, who brings in solutions to our challenges. Amai said the water will assist the school and members of the community,” said Mrs Edna Gwasira.
“We thank our mother for what she has done. Water is important, it is life. There are diseases like cholera that are caused by water woes and we really thank our mother for her vision. We thank her for the work that she is doing for our country,” said another contributor.
Mrs Getrude Majoko said the new technology had come at the most opportune time.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa hands over gifts of handbags to Mrs Fukuyo Nakamori after a courtesy call at Zimbabwe House yesterday. – Pictures: John Manzongo.
“This technology has come at the most opportune time. We have water challenges because the ground had dried out due to climate change so getting the water from the atmosphere will certainly work for us in a very big way,” she said.
Mashonaland East Minister of State for Provincial affairs and Devolution Aplonia Munzverengwi thanked the mother of the nation for remembering the people of Zimbabwe wherever she goes.
“You are a mother to the old, the young and a mother to all. We are proud of you Amai, you always remember us your children. Today you brought us a special visitor because you want your children to have access to clean water. We have no words to thank you.
“We welcome the new technology and we are happy the project will cascade to other provinces around the country. With your programmes, you have changed the lives of people in the countryside, you are touching every need which improves the lives of our people,” she said.
Online Reporter