derick.khumalo
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
THE Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has marked its 90th anniversary by strengthening its investment in rural education, donating textbooks and sanitary wear to Kelstone 1 Primary School in Guruve as part of efforts to improve learning outcomes in tobacco-growing communities.
The donation, made under TIMB’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme, was complemented by five laptops, a printer and a whiteboard donated by Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Christopher Magomo, through the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services.
Picture: Tawanda Bote
Speaking during the handover ceremony on Friday, Cde Magomo said the donations reflected the importance of partnerships between Government and the corporate sector in advancing education, digital transformation and rural development.
He commended TIMB for investing in communities that underpin Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry, saying corporate success should be matched by meaningful social investment.
“As TIMB celebrates 90 years of serving Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry, this contribution reflects a commendable commitment to education, rural development and the future of our children,” he said.
Cde Magomo said Government remained committed to investing in human capital development through the National Development Strategy 2 and Vision 2030 to produce an educated, skilled and innovative population capable of driving economic transformation.
He said the laptops, printer and whiteboard would strengthen digital learning and expose learners to modern technology.
“The textbooks will improve literacy and academic performance, the sanitary wear will ensure that our girls learn with dignity and confidence, while the laptops, printer and whiteboard will equip learners with digital skills required in the twenty-first century,” he said.
TIMB chief executive Mr Emmanuel Matsvaire said the regulator’s 90-year milestone was not only about celebrating achievements in the tobacco industry but also recognising the need to invest in the people and communities that sustain the sector.
He said the board believed sustainable growth could only be achieved if tobacco-producing communities also benefited from education and social development.
“Our greatest achievement is measured by the lives we touch. It is measured by the communities we uplift. It is measured by the opportunities we create for future generations,” said Mr Matsvaire.
He said the donation formed part of TIMB’s broader Corporate Social Investment programme aimed at supporting education, improving community welfare and contributing to sustainable development in tobacco-growing areas.
Mr Matsvaire said the board had also prioritised the welfare of the girl child through the donation of sanitary wear, noting that no learner should miss lessons because of a lack of menstrual hygiene products.
“We cannot allow a natural phenomenon to become an obstacle to a girl’s education,” he said.
He urged learners to make full use of the donated resources, saying education had transformed his own life from humble beginnings to leading one of Zimbabwe’s key agricultural institutions.
Mr Matsvaire also encouraged pupils to remain disciplined, work hard and believe that they could achieve their ambitions regardless of their rural background.
The donations come as TIMB commemorates nine decades of regulating and promoting Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry, which remains one of the country’s leading agricultural export sectors while increasingly expanding its corporate social investment in education and community development
