Hello, I'm Barney Kavai!

Affectionately known as Barney in his circles, Barnabas M Kavai’s life story is an example of the Zimbabwean dream. He was born in Zimbabwe five years after independence to hardworking parents Anne and Barnabas. As a child he was academically exceptional, motivating his parents to ensure they explored this potential despite the economic hardships that the country was experiencing. Barney attended Kwenda Mission High School in Sadza, Chikomba. He developed a keen interest in computer studies, a sector that was suited to his academic skills and was at the time globally job secure. Upon completing his secondary studies, he attended university in Belgium Campus in South Africa and his merits opened an opportunity to travel to Belgium completing his BSC in Computer Science.

In Belgium 2009, Barney, being far away from Africa, he turned to social media to stay connected with friends and family. He stumbled into a world where Africans all over the world created digital communities and platforms for their different nationalities, such as Facebook groups, Online Radio stations. Soon he grew an interest in promoting Zimbabwean Bred musical talent on these online platforms. He worked with producer Jusa Dementor and DJ and promoter Abra Simz at A.B.R.A (African Bred Recording Artists) Records discovering, developing promoting grassroots Zim Dancehall artists at a time when the genre was non-existent in Zimbabwe itself. Zimdancehall was known for highlighting the social and economic challenges of the marginalized youth. Barney’s knowledge in the tech world and administration skills, gave the new genre an edge. He would assist artists to set up home studios to record and teach them to self distribute to online radios and platforms such as soundcloud and iTunes. By encouraging listeners online to request these songs on local radio stations, it pushed these traditional FM radio stations to giving this new genre airplay purely based on demand. The A.B.R.A team’s biggest achievement was connecting Jamaican artist Red Rat with Winky D, on the number one hit song “Rize up Zimbabwe”. Till today, this collaboration is noted as the day the genre of Zimdancehall gained national and international acclaim. This music revolution became the spark that ignited his passion for disruptive entrepreneur ideas. He went on to register the companies BMK Management and RIZE Organisation in 2013.

During his time on social media working with artists he noticed a lacking in finances and business acumen was a major deterrent to their progression. This motivated him to acquire an MBA at Bournemouth University in the UK. He had a vision to bring structure and economic freedom to those in the creative sector. He began working in healthcare to help fund his Masters Degree, which opened up his mind the another sector with untapped potential.

Barney noticed that people of African descent were exceptional care workers, primarily because of their cultural background of living with the elderly. He also noted that the cost of care was high for the service users with very little going to the talented carers, many of them migrants. Its this personal frustration that drove him to start his own agency with competitive prices, and giving better rewards to those talented and compassionate carers. Global Healthcare Solutions (GHS Care) was a major success within two years, earning him media attention and high end clients. The agency, located in the seaside town of Bournemouth provided quality care services with competitive pricing. Already having been a natural talent spotter, he flourished as a recruiter. He empowered his staff to not only mark the register but to find other talents that could be nurtured within the business. In 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the world was devastated by loss and turned upside down. GHS saw an opportunity to expand its group into specialized cleaning to combat the pandemic and GHS Cleaning was established. In a year the company had grown out of the healthcare industry shadow, being one of the first local cleaning companies offering chemical and UV light sterilization services for homeowners and corporates in Dorset. Barney had again proven that challenging economic conditions drive him to create lucrative solutions. As the pandemic shook the entertainment industry, BMK Management team was tasked to find real solutions to survive the struggling market. Barney recognised the need to focus the business on strategic projects thus established a team based in Zimbabwe to explore key clients with potential to have a global reach. The team engaged multi platinum selling artist Shingai Shoniwa (formerly of the Noisettes) who was enjoying major success on Tik Tok with one of the biggest sound trends of 2021 with ‘Never Forget you’. Shingai was in need of a specific skill set to navigate the Zimbabwean market and the team assisted in marketing, rebranding and establishing a corporate network for the brand. BMK also signed Actress, Singer and Author Prudence Katomeni to start writing an African voice curriculum which incorporates African artists. Barney also considered how artists could benefit from blockchain technology and he turned to Jusa Dementor to begin exploring NFTs as a viable option to selling music. Music was not the only thing that Barney wanted to apply his blockchain expertise in. Upon returning to Zimbabwe, dealing with multiple currencies was challenging, and as a global citizen, he was keen on creating borderless communities, so he established Great Dyke Blockchain Technologies in South Africa. Setting up a team, A2Z DevOps that would focus on developing software. He entered into a joint venture with A2Z Tech Solutions, a hardware company with the intention of revolutionizing the IT industry with efficient and cost effective tech solutions. He also started Kavai Precious Metals with his first action being creating a Joint Venture with Monachrome Private Limited to explore the untapped portfolio of mining claims. His intention was to bring funding to claim holders with potential to have high returns. Barney continues to explore different sectors of business around the globe while maintaining a balanced and fulfilled life. As a product of Africa, he is an example of what every African parent wishes through his exemplary feats.