CCARDESA Donates Maxhub Conferencing Equipment to Matopos Research Institute, Zimbabwe

By Judith Phiri

The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) through support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), recently donated MAXHUB virtual conferencing equipment to Matopos Research Institute to facilitate virtual meetings and enhance research work.

Based in Botswana, CCARDESA was founded by SADC member states to harmonise the implementation of agricultural research and development (R&D) in the SADC region. CCARDESA intends to address agricultural research and development issues in the SADC region through the following interventions: Coordinating implementation of regional agricultural R&D programmes; Facilitating collaboration among stakeholders of the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARES); Promoting public-private partnerships in regional agricultural R&D; Improving agricultural technology generation, dissemination and adoption in the region through collective efforts, training and capacity building.

Matopos Research Institute Head, Mr Tendai Dominic Matekenya, said the equipment valued at approximately United States Dollars (US) $6 572 will go a long to enhancing institutional capacity. “We are grateful for the donation we received from the CCARDESA of the MAXHUB virtual conferencing equipment. The state-of-the-art equipment will enhance institutional capacity in terms of the work that we do as we will be able to facilitate virtual meetings and advance research work,” said Mr Matekenya. He said dissemination of information to farmers would also be made much easier and cascaded to District Ward Information Centers within a short period. Mr Matekenya said the equipment came when the Government was promoting ICTs in the agricultural sector and to maximise production. He added: “As we are  building towards world-class institutes with the state-of-the-art equipment, it takes us at par with international organisations, while our capacity has been enhanced in terms of infrastructure development, and we are happy.”

During a demonstration of how the equipment works, the institute’s chief research officer, Mr Gavious Sisito, said the MAXHUB virtual conferencing equipment, unlike other video conferencing devices on the market, has an interface that will adapt to one’s needs as well as wireless screen sharing.  “It does not need a PC to work; it is a standalone device that can also be used in corporate spaces. Our virtual meetings will be on another level with this conference camera. It has multiple connections and mounting possibilities. Excellent picture quality, surround sound and everything you need to make your meetings as natural as possible. You can use it for conferences, meeting rooms, exhibitions, training, or presentations, among other things,” he added.

Testimonials from the other team members showed that the equipment was an innovative new development with various solutions for their day-to-day operations.  They said they could now do their work safely without the fear of Covid-19 travel restrictions; it would also cut travel costs and securely store much data and information.

The MAXHUB virtual conferencing equipment includes an interactive touch screen flat panel TV, wireless dongle, stylus, pen box and Bluetooth speakerphone, among other components. MAXHUB all-in-one display for conferences integrates the functions of a projector, whiteboard, advertising signage, computer, microphone, audio, etc. It satisfies the needs of local meetings and remote collaborations.

The author is a Reporter at the Business Newspaper in  Zimbabwe.