SCIX African Trade Talks

From Idea to Customers: Building a Business in Zimbabwe What does it really take to start a business in Zimbabwe, find your first customers and turn an idea into a growing company? In this episode of Insights on Africa, Victor Madzedze, Founder of Yarutso Car Hire, shares the journey of building his car rental business from startup to a national operation in Zimbabwe. We get into the realities behind the journey: how he found his first customers, the mistakes entrepreneurs should avoid, what he learned along the way and what it takes to scale a service business in the Zimbabwean market. Whether you are building in Zimbabwe, elsewhere in Africa or from the diaspora, this is a practical conversation about turning an idea into a real business. In this episode, you'll learn: * How to move from an idea to your first customers * The realities of building a business in Zimbabwe * Common mistakes when starting out * How to scale a service-based business * Lessons from building Yarutso Car Hire Guest: Victor Madzedze - Founder, Yarutso Car Hire Host: Chad Chawanda - Intra-Africa Trader and Founder of Insights on Africa Insights on Africa Learn. Connect. Grow. Build.

In today's episode of Daily Insights on Africa, we explore why Africa is entering a new phase of economic integration, moving beyond agreements to implementation.

We unpack the latest insights from the WTO on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), discuss why stronger research and evidence-based trade policy matter, examine Africa's push to finance industrialisation, and look at the growing call for African countries to process minerals like lithium before export instead of shipping raw materials abroad.

We also cover encouraging developments in agriculture and regional trade, including West Africa's drive towards rice self-sufficiency, Uganda's first processed beef exports to Ethiopia, Ethiopia's record coffee export earnings, and Tanzania's new digital trade platform.

If you're an entrepreneur, investor, exporter, policymaker, or simply interested in Africa's economic future, this episode will help you understand what these developments mean and where the opportunities are.

Join Insights on Africa, our community dedicated to learning, connecting and growing through practical knowledge, business opportunities and intra-African trade.

#DailyInsightsOnAfrica #AfCFTA #IntraAfricaTrade #Trade #Investment #Africa #Business #Exports #Manufacturing #Agriculture #Mining #Entrepreneurship #ScixAfricanTradeTalks #InsightsOnAfrica

Africa Is Building One Market And Business Is Beginning to Follow

Africa's trade agenda is moving from policy to implementation.

In this episode, we connect the dots behind some of the continent's biggest business stories, including:

South Africa's first plum exports to China and what new export markets mean for African agriculture.

Rwanda and Kenya's new fuel import partnership and how stronger regional logistics are improving East Africa's competitiveness.

Why Nigeria believes digital trade is key to unlocking Africa's low intra-African trade levels.

How Cameroon is using AfCFTA Rules of Origin to help local businesses export more across Africa.

Egypt hands the AfCFTA chairmanship to Nigeria as implementation of Africa's single market gathers momentum.

Why the AfCFTA Intellectual Property Rights Protocol could accelerate Africa's industrialisation and innovation.

How African central banks are working towards interoperable payment systems to make cross-border trade faster, cheaper and more efficient.

Tanzania's emergence as one of Africa's leading AfCFTA trading nations.

At Daily Insights on Africa, we don't just report the news, we explain what's happening, why it matters, and where the opportunities are for entrepreneurs, investors, exporters and business leaders.

Hosted by Chad Chawanda - The Intra Africa Trader

Join Insights on Africa

If you're an entrepreneur, investor, executive or business professional looking to build meaningful connections across the continent, Insights on Africa is our exclusive community designed to help you discover opportunities, build partnerships and stay ahead of Africa's rapidly evolving business landscape.

Become part of a network connecting business leaders across Africa through exclusive content, networking events, investment conversations and practical insights on intra-African trade.

Visit insightson.africa to learn more and apply to join.

Subscribe for new episodes every weekday.

Editorial Note

Daily Insights on Africa is produced by the Scix African Trade Talks research team. We compile and analyse information from a range of reputable public sources, including policy papers, government publications, industry reports and leading African business news. We also regularly reference research and news published by tralac (Trade Law Centre) as part of our commitment to providing informed and balanced analysis. Our goal is to help you understand not only what is happening across Africa, but why it matters and where the opportunities lie.

Daily Insights on Africa – Episode 001 | 1 July 2026

Welcome to the very first episode of Daily Insights on Africa, your weekday business briefing on Africa's economy.

Hosted by Chad Chawanda, the Intra Africa Trader, this podcast connects the dots across trade, investment, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, technology and the policies shaping business across the continent.

Every weekday, we go beyond the headlines to answer three questions:

• What happened? • Why does it matter? • Where are the opportunities?

In today's episode, we explore how Africa is making trade easier through smarter borders and digital trade systems, while examining the new challenges businesses face in an increasingly uncertain global economy.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, policymaker, exporter, executive or simply passionate about Africa's future, this podcast is designed to help you stay informed and identify opportunities across the continent.

Subscribe and join us every weekday for your daily insights on Africa.

Presented by Scix African Trade Talks.

Daily Insights on Africa is produced by the Scix African Trade Talks research team. We compile and analyse information from a range of reputable public sources, including policy papers, government publications, industry reports and leading African business news. We also regularly reference research and news published by tralac (Trade Law Centre) as part of our commitment to providing informed and balanced analysis. Our goal is to help you understand not only what is happening across Africa, but why it matters and where the opportunities lie.

What does the future of Africa look like in the age of AI?

In this episode of Scix African Trade Talks, we tap into the mind of Africa's leading futurist, John Sanei, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the continent's future.

From mindset shifts to business opportunities, this conversation breaks down what individuals and entrepreneurs must do to stay relevant and how Africa can position itself to lead in a rapidly changing world.

In this episode of Scix African Trade Talks, Chad Chawanda sits down with Richard Matengambiri to explore the evolving property market in Zimbabwe and the opportunities it presents for investors, developers, and the diaspora.

The conversation dives into how Zimbabwe's real estate sector is developing, the role of the diaspora in property investment, and why strategic locations such as golf estates and lifestyle developments are becoming attractive investment destinations.

As part of the broader Africa financial tourism conversation, the episode highlights how property, tourism, and lifestyle developments intersect to create new economic opportunities across the continent.

About the Podcast

Scix African Trade Talks explores trade, investment, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunities across Africa. Each episode features conversations with business leaders, policymakers, and innovators shaping Africa's economic future.

Hosted by Chad Chawanda, Intra Africa Trader, entrepreneur, Africa's Most Followed Business Golfer

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Follow Intra Africa Trader for more conversations about Africa's financial tourism, trade, and investment opportunities.

🎙️ Episode 3 – Breaking Borders: The New Africa Trade Wave

📅 October 23, 2025 🎧 Hosted by Chad Chawanda – The Intra-Africa Trader

Africa is losing over $5 billion every year by trading within the continent using foreign currencies. In this episode, Chad unpacks how new trade systems, digital reforms, and payment innovations are redrawing Africa's economic map.

💰 Trade & Payments: Why using the U.S. dollar for intra-African trade is costing billions and how the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) can make local currency trade faster, cheaper, and fairer.

🌍 Policy Shift: With the end of AGOA, the U.S. Africa trade agreement, Africa faces a turning point. This is more than an ending it's a reset. A call to build regional value chains and strengthen AfCFTA-driven trade between African nations.

💡 Digital Future: From Nigeria's new National Single Window and Trade Facilitation Portal to a flat-rate air freight corridor with Uganda Airlines digital transformation is redefining how Africa trades, travels, and does business.

📈 Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Trade in African currencies, not foreign ones. 2️⃣ Build Africa-to-Africa supply chains. 3️⃣ Invest in digital trade and innovation the engines of the next decade.

Africa's story is shifting from dependence to independence, from fragmentation to integration. This is the new wave of African trade and it's just beginning.

🎧 Subscribe to Scix African Trade Talks: Insights on Africa – The Daily Brief to stay informed on what's shaping Africa's trade, travel, and business future.