AS the world commemorates Women’s History Month, Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe stands in solidarity with organisations and businesses that are empowering women to achieve their social, economic and personal goals in Zimbabwe and across the world. The month of March has been set aside globally to commemorate and celebrate the contributions made by women throughout history — in science, politics, law, sports, the arts, entertainment and many other fields of endeavour. Cassava Smartech, whose motto is Doing Well by Doing Good, has been uplifting the quality of life of Zimbabwean women through inclusive digital solutions that drive socio-economic development across the country. Mr Eddie Chibi, the listed fintech company’s chief executive officer, said the Fourth Industrial Revolution offers not only a wealth of social and economic opportunities, but also a new impetus to empower female entrepreneurs to benefit from the ever-expanding mobile and digital value chain. “By empowering women and promoting gender equality, we can enable communities, economies, businesses and nations —including our own — to develop and to prosper,” Mr Chibi said. Through a vast array of the group’s products, Cassava is providing women with access to life-enhancing services, which help unlock socio-economic opportunities and facilitate the inclusion of women in the economy and in business. “Cassava has revolutionised the delivery of financial services in Zimbabwe. Our financial inclusion model has contributed to the reduction of poverty and economic inequalities in the country, providing inclusive financial solutions to women in rural communities, among other community groups,” Mr Chibi said. International research shows that more than two billion people in the world, most of them women, still have no access to banking facilities. The research shows that women have less access to financial services than men in 40% of the countries of the world. Analysts say finding ways to improve women’s access to financial services, which Cassava has been doing through products such as EcoCash, will bring significant social benefits and economic opportunities in entire nations. Mr Chibi added Cassava’s fintech products have in the past 10 years resulted in the financial inclusion of millions of women, enabling thousands of them to switch from subsistence farming to small-scale and small-holder commercial farming by providing them an easy way of payment to purchase their produce, and by giving them access to markets. The mobile money platform has lifted most rural women out of poverty and empowered them to increase food production, as well as increase their participation in the economic welfare of their families. Cassava’s EcoCash has facilitated the creation hundreds of thousands jobs through its elaborate network of agents and merchants across multiple industries. “We believe that through our wide choice of services and the opportunities we offer, we are positively impacting the lives of millions of people, with women a key group of our target market. “We cherish