Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
PREPARATIONS for the CEO Africa Annual Roundtable have reached an advanced stage, with organisers revealing that they are now at 60 percent of overall preperations.
The conference is slated for 11 to 14 October in Victoria Falls and will run under the theme: “Delivering the Vision: Prospering through Smart Partnerships”. It is expected to bring together over 400 corporate chief executive officers and senior executives, in both private and public sectors from the country and other countries.
In an interview, CEO Africa Roundtable chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Kipson Gundani said they were happy with the preparations thus far.
“Preparations for the CEO Africa Annual Roundtable to take place in Victoria Falls next month are at an advanced stage and we are 60 percent ready as we put final touches. This year’s event is set to bring over 400 delegates from different parts of the country, continent and the globe to deliberate on different aspects of the economy,” he said.
He said the 9th edition of CEO Africa Roundtable has evolved from a purely annual event to a permanent platform through which African decision-makers can connect with each other continuously, as well as with international investors and institutions operating on the continent. Mr Gundani said they thrived to provide a viable and significant platform for championing economic growth across the continent.
“Key topics to be covered include navigating the geo-political risks, building an African continent resilient to global shocks, promoting health and wellness, turning a leaf on occupational health and safety (OHS) at the workplace, as well as infrastructure-big projects, how to Africanise investments and cybersecurity, how to implement robust governance, among others.”
Mr Gundani said there will also be strategic roundtables that will unpack investment opportunities in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia, among other countries. He said the ‘Invest In’ sessions will allow CEOs and investors to meet with high-level African government officials to gain deeper insight into their countries’ economic development strategies.
“These sessions provide exposure to a variety of key sectors, business environments, public and private investment opportunities. The key speakers for Malawi will be their Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Honourable Sosten Alfred Gwengwe, for Zambia it will be their Minister of Finance and National Planning, Honourable Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane. While for Zimbabwe, it will be the Minister of Finance and Economic Development as well as the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) board chairman, Mr Busisa Moyo.”
Mr Gundani said there was need to also tackle agribusiness as the highway to wealth and industrialisation of Africa as the continent was importing about 85 percent of its food (US$35 billion) annually and is expected to import US$110 billion by 2025.
He said during the closed-door session, key CEOs, private and development bankers and government representatives will discuss how to coordinate a multistakeholder push, driven by local players, to ensure African countries meet their food needs as well as increase the sector contribution to economic growth.
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