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a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
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a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
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p
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address
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p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
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        font-size:11.0pt;
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p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle
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span.Heading2Char
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span.Heading4Char
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        font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
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span.Heading5Char
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        font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;
        color:#2E74B5;
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p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
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span.BodyTextChar
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span.SubtitleChar
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p.meta, li.meta, div.meta
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p.cbi-b-summary, li.cbi-b-summary, div.cbi-b-summary
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p.cbi-b-date, li.cbi-b-date, div.cbi-b-date
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p.mh-meta, li.mh-meta, div.mh-meta
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        margin-right:0cm;
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p.post-nav-links, li.post-nav-links, div.post-nav-links
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p.p1, li.p1, div.p1
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p.p3, li.p3, div.p3
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p.story-body-text, li.story-body-text, div.story-body-text
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span.EmailStyle41
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span.style30
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span.updated-wrap
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span.updated-text
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span.EmailStyle58
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span.is-hidden
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span.sharing-screen-reader-text
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span.td-post-date
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span.td-nr-views-217783
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span.EmailStyle80
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span.EmailStyle81
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span.EmailStyle82
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span.EmailStyle83
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span.EmailStyle105
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        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle106
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.social-share-icon
        {mso-style-name:social-share-icon;}
span.d-ib
        {mso-style-name:d-ib;}
span.pdf
        {mso-style-name:pdf;}
span.EmailStyle110
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle111
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle112
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle113
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle114
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle115
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle116
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle117
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle118
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle119
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle120
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle121
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle122
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle123
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle124
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle125
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle126
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle127
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle128
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle129
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle130
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle131
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle132
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle133
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle134
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle135
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle136
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle137
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle138
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle139
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle140
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle141
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle142
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle143
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle144
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.cfemail
        {mso-style-name:__cf_email__;}
span.EmailStyle146
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle147
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.entry-meta-date
        {mso-style-name:entry-meta-date;}
span.entry-meta-author
        {mso-style-name:entry-meta-author;}
span.entry-meta-categories
        {mso-style-name:entry-meta-categories;}
span.entry-meta-comments
        {mso-style-name:entry-meta-comments;}
span.EmailStyle152
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle153
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle154
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.post-page-numbers
        {mso-style-name:post-page-numbers;}
span.EmailStyle156
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle157
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle158
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle159
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.apple-converted-space
        {mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;}
span.EmailStyle161
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle162
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle163
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle164
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle165
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle166
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.s1
        {mso-style-name:s1;}
span.EmailStyle168
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle169
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle170
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle171
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle172
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle173
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle174
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle175
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle176
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.s-meta-published-date
        {mso-style-name:s-meta-published-date;}
span.s-meta-views
        {mso-style-name:s-meta-views;}
span.s-meta-comments
        {mso-style-name:s-meta-comments;}
span.EmailStyle180
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle181
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle182
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle183
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle184
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle185
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle186
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle187
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle188
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle189
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle190
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle191
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle192
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle193
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle194
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle195
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle196
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle197
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.a2alabel
        {mso-style-name:a2a_label;}
span.EmailStyle199
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle200
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle201
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle202
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle203
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle204
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle205
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle206
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.s2
        {mso-style-name:s2;}
span.EmailStyle208
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle211
        {mso-style-type:personal-reply;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
        {mso-style-type:export-only;
        font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
        {size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
        margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
        {page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
        {mso-list-id:1158108695;
        mso-list-template-ids:-262911984;}
@list l0:level1
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:;
        mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:o;
        mso-level-tab-stop:72.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:"Courier New";
        mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l0:level3
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:;
        mso-level-tab-stop:108.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:;
        mso-level-tab-stop:144.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level5
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:;
        mso-level-tab-stop:180.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level6
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:;
        mso-level-tab-stop:216.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:;
        mso-level-tab-stop:252.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level8
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:;
        mso-level-tab-stop:288.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level9
        {mso-level-number-format:bullet;
        mso-level-text:;
        mso-level-tab-stop:324.0pt;
        mso-level-number-position:left;
        text-indent:-18.0pt;
        mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:Wingdings;}
ol
        {margin-bottom:0cm;}
ul
        {margin-bottom:0cm;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1027" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-ZW link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=933 style='width:700.0pt;border-collapse:collapse'><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;background:#F2F2F2;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><a href="https://bullszimbabwe.com/"><span style='color:windowtext;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=246 height=120 id="Picture_x0020_8" src="cid:image001.png@01D6FBBE.85AC06D0" alt="cid:image001.png@01D6FBBE.85AC06D0"></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.bullszimbabwe.com/"><span style='text-decoration:none'>Bullszimbabwe.com </span></a>      <a href="mailto:info@bulls.co.zw?subject=View%20and%20Comments"><span style='text-decoration:none'>Views & Comments</span></a>       <a href="http://www.bulls.co.zw/blog"><span style='text-decoration:none'>Bullish Thoughts</span></a>       <a href="http://www.twitter.com/BullsBears2010"><span style='text-decoration:none'>Twitter</span></a>        <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BullsBearsZimbabwe"><span style='text-decoration:none'>Facebook</span></a>          <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bulls-n-bears-zimbabwe/57/577/72"><span style='text-decoration:none'>LinkedIn</span></a>         <a href="https://chat.whatsapp.com/CF6wllAfScU9Wr6dXxoQnO"><span style='text-decoration:none'>WhatsApp</span></a>        <a href="mailto:info@bulls.co.zw?subject=Unsubscribe"><span style='text-decoration:none'>Unsubscribe</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;background:#F2F2F2;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span class=style30><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Entrepreneurship Zone:  26 June 2021: Exporting chillies from Kenya: Agribusiness entrepreneur outlines her journey</span></b></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;background:#F2F2F2;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span class=style30><b><o:p> </o:p></b></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><o:p> </o:p></p></td></tr><tr style='height:10.05pt'><td width=927 rowspan=3 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;height:10.05pt'><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm'><strong><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><h1 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:9.6pt;margin-left:0cm'><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><img width=525 height=874 src="cid:image002.jpg@01D76A77.CEAA2AB0" align=left hspace=12 v:shapes="Picture_x0020_5"><![endif]><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></h1><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white'><strong><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>In 2002, at the age of 25, Margaret Komen landed her first export client for African bird’s eye chilli powder from Kenya.</span></strong><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>What makes this feat remarkable is, at the time, Komen did not have a registered company for the planned export. Nor did she know where she was going to secure the chillies required to produce the powder. She also had no start-up capital, no processing facility, and no experience as a business owner.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>“I literally, really, had nothing. On the customer end, everything seemed all tied up but on the ground here in Kenya, nothing was in place. The story of Mace Foods’ origins is a combination of passion and good luck,” she says.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>That first customer was a contact she had made at the Anuga food and beverage trade fair in Cologne, Germany in 2001. Komen had obtained a diploma in food science and technology in Kenya and a bachelor of science degree in food science and nutrition in Germany. She visited the fair while in the country for an internship at a spice factory. At the Kenyan stall, Komen grabbed the opportunity to gather information on the type of products potential buyers were interested in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>“I was surprised at the number of enquiries about chillies. In that year, chillies from India, the biggest exporter to Europe, were banned because carcinogenic dyes had been found in the shipments. With a complete ban in place, buyers were looking for alternative sources,” she remembers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Komen decided she would capitalise on this gap in the chilli market.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Chilli can be processed into powder, flakes, paste and seeds. In addition, there are several applications for chilli extracts in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Oleoresin (the chilli oil) is used when fortifying food or supplement products with additional minerals and vitamins. Capsaicin is an ingredient in treatments for pain relief, skin ailments and nervous system disorders. Chilli powder is also gaining popularity as a stable natural colourant in skin products.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 style='mso-margin-top-alt:18.7pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:2.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;line-height:initial;font-size:1.25rem;-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased'><b><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>A scramble to set up</span></b><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>When Komen landed back on Kenyan soil at the end of 2001, there was a lot of groundwork to be done. That first potential customer had asked for a sample of chilli powder to be sent back to Germany, whereafter he would confirm the order. Komen headed to Malaba, western Kenya, where some growers were cultivating chillies. She was not deterred when the farmers told her their harvests were already committed to a company producing chilli sauce in Nairobi. She managed to purchase a small bag of chillies and went back home, milling them in a kitchen blender one night to send off to the client. “I received a warning from my landlord for that,” she laughs. “The whole neighbourhood was pungent with the powder.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>The customer approved the sample and asked for the pricing for one container.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Komen reached out to the family who had hosted her in Germany: Cesare Aspes had a PhD in economics and was willing to assist with advice on pricing models. Taking a shot in the dark, Komen sent a quote to the buyer and the order was confirmed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Next, she had to register the company and find machinery to process the chillies; the source of which remained uncertain. Komen borrowed 20,000 Kenyan shillings from her father ($185 at the current exchange rates), which barely covered the registration fee, the lawyer’s bill and one small milling machine that could manage three kilograms per hour.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>To assist with the working capital, the Aspes family became Mace Foods’ first angel investor, injecting 1 million shillings ($9,250) into the newly established company.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 style='mso-margin-top-alt:18.7pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:2.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;line-height:initial;font-size:1.25rem;-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased'><b><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Failures and challenges</span></b><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Mace Foods wasn’t an immediate success. After six months, Komen had to admit to the client she was not going to be able to fulfil the order. With only 3,000 kg of processed chilli powder, there was no way she was going to reach the 14,000 kg required for a full container. Fortunately, the customer agreed to accept the smaller consignment. “It was a very steep learning curve for me,” recalls Komen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>With additional orders coming in, Komen sat down with her family as well as the Aspes family to formalise the shareholding of the business; each family contributed 1 million shillings and took ownership of 50% of the shares. Thereafter, the company approached a local bank for a loan to procure the required machinery and office equipment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><img border=0 width=800 height=533 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image006.jpg@01D76A77.CEAA2AB0" alt="A selection of Mace Foods' packaged chilli products."></span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>A selection of Mace Foods’ packaged chilli products.</span><br><br><o:p></o:p></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Slowly, Mace Foods began to grow. A year later, however, this growth halted abruptly. Not a single export sale was concluded in 2004 as Komen and the Mace Foods team could not secure supply from existing chilli growers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 style='mso-margin-top-alt:18.7pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:2.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;line-height:initial;font-size:1.25rem;-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased'><b><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Establishing supply</span></b><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>This challenge of supply has necessitated a strong sourcing strategy from Komen and the team over the years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>“In the beginning, we thought the best way was to convince the farmers surrounding Eldoret – a town in western Kenya where we rented our processing facility – to change to chilli as a cash crop.” The approach was not successful as the maize farmers were reluctant to move to the manual farming approach required for chillies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Mace Foods turned to other regions and today has a three-tier sourcing strategy. It has approximately 25 medium- to large-scale farmers who supply to it. These farms are all 10 hectares or larger, with high technology infrastructure and water-harvesting systems. This negates the impact of changing weather patterns. The company also procures from 1,385 small-scale farmers who have one to five hectares of land under cultivation. In addition, it sources chillies from five different co-operatives within Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h4 style='mso-margin-top-alt:18.7pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:2.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;line-height:initial;font-size:1.25rem;-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased'><b><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Growth catalysts</span></b><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>There were specific points that Komen can highlight as pivotal to the company’s growth. The first was Mace Foods’ participation in a major USAID programme – the Kenyan Horticultural Development Programme – in 2005. The company applied and received a technical support grant of $330,000.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>“USAID worked with us for four years, helping to establish our supply chain and assisting with backward integration. We put systems of recruitment in place for the farmers, training programmes for our suppliers, and processes to ensure the best quality. We moved from minimal production to around 80 metric tonnes of chillies per annum. It boosted our turnover from $20,000 to $250,000 per year.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><img border=0 width=727 height=484 id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image010.jpg@01D76A77.CEAA2AB0" alt="Margaret Komen, founder of Mace Foods"></span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Margaret Komen, founder of Mace Foods<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>In 2008, another grant opportunity came along from the International Trade Centre in Geneva. This enabled Mace Foods to establish lean manufacturing with limited waste and lower costs at its leased processing facility.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>Over time, the company has become a major player with clients in Spain, Italy, the UK, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands and South Korea. It currently exports five varieties of dried chilli in bulk to pharmaceutical and food industry clients in Europe and Southeast Asia, and leafy vegetables to the US. As the impact of Covid-19 has complicated exports, it placed a renewed emphasis on the domestic market and local sales now account for close to 44% of revenue.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white;box-sizing: border-box;font-size:0.975rem'><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'>The capital received last year from a new funder, Kenya Climate Ventures, helped Mace Foods to move into its own processing facility. It is now looking for funding to establish nuclear farms to ensure stable supply to expand into the extraction of the oleoresin and capsaicin within the next two years. “We would like to be the first company to add that value in Kenya,” says Komen.-Howwemadeitinafrica<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><img border=0 width=800 height=531 id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image011.jpg@01D76A77.CEAA2AB0" alt="Mace Foods' raw chilis are produced by small-scale farmers."></span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:23.4pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Mace Foods’ raw chillis are produced by small-scale farmers.</span><span style='font-family:"merriweatherregular",serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;height:10.05pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr style='height:10.05pt'><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;height:10.05pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr style='height:10.05pt'><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;height:10.05pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr style='height:10.05pt'><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;height:10.05pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Invest Wisely!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Bulls n Bears </span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Cellphone:     </span><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><a href="tel:%2B263%2077%20344%201674" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>+263 77 344 1674</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Alt. Email:      </span><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><a href="mailto:info@bulls.co.zw"><span lang=EN-US style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>info@bulls.co.zw</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>  <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Website:        </span><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><a href="http://www.bullszimbabwe.com"><span lang=EN-US style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>www.bullszimbabwe.com</span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'> </span><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Blog:           </span><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><a href="https://bullszimbabwe.com/category/blogs/bullish-thoughts/" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>www.bullszimbabwe.com/blog</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Twitter:         @bullsbears2010<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>LinkedIn:       Bulls n Bears Zimbabwe<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Facebook:     </span><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBullsBearsZimbabwe&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGhb_A5rp4biV1dGHbgiAhUxQqBXA" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>www.facebook.com/BullsBearsZimbabwe</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'>Skype:         Bulls.Bears <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><img border=0 width=278 height=110 id="Picture_x0020_5" src="cid:image005.png@01D6FBBE.85AC06D0" alt="cid:image005.png@01D6FBBE.85AC06D0"></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-left:36.0pt;line-height:115%;background:white'><b><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZW'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;height:10.05pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;background:#1F497D;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;background:#1F497D;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:white'>DISCLAIMER: This report has been prepared by Bulls ‘n Bears, a division of Faith Capital (Pvt) Ltd for general information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for any securities. The information contained in this report has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or warranty is made or guarantee given as to its accuracy or completeness. All opinions expressed and recommendations made are subject to change without notice. Securities or financial instruments mentioned herein may not be suitable for all investors. Securities of emerging and mid-size growth companies typically involve a higher degree of risk and more volatility than the securities of more established companies. Neither Faith Capital nor any other member of Bulls ‘n Bears nor any other person, accepts any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this report or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Recipients of this report shall be solely responsible for making their own independent investigation into the business, financial condition and future prospects of any companies referred to in this report. Other  Indices quoted herein are for guideline purposes only and sourced from third parties.</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;background:#F2F2F2;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=top style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;background:#F2F2F2;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>(c) 2021 <b>Web</b>:</span><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><a href="http://www.bullszimbabwe.com"><span lang=EN-US style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'> www.bullszimbabwe.com </span></a></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>Email:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> </span><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><a href="mailto:info@bulls.co.zw"><span lang=EN-US style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>info@bulls.co.zw</span></a></span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> <b>Tel:</b> +263 4 2927658 <b>Cell:</b> +263 77 344 1674<o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr><td width=927 valign=bottom style='width:695.6pt;border-top:none;border-left:solid white 1.0pt;border-bottom:none;border-right:solid white 1.0pt;background:#F2F2F2;padding:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></td><td width=6 style='width:4.4pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:105%'><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></table></div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>