Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri in Victoria Falls
THE CEO Africa Roundtable has said it is targeting to increase its chapters around the continent from the current four to ten by the end of 2024, as they continue to champion economic growth across the African continent.
The CEO Africa Roundtable is a high-level platform for corporate chief executive officers and senior executives, in the both private and public sectors, created to engender cross-fertilisation of critical economic and business knowledge in and around Africa.
In an interview at a dinner event to mark the closing ceremony of the 9th edition of the CEO Africa Annual Roundtable 2023 on Friday, the Zimbabwe headquartered group chief executive officer (CEO) Mr Kipson Gundani said they continue to make inroads towards broadening the high-level platform.
“On chapters currently we are sitting on four that is Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana and the target is to get six more before 2024 ends. The targeted countries in west Africa is Ghana, in east Africa its Uganda and Rwanda. In Southern Africa we still want to engage Namibia, Mozambique and Eswatini. That will give us the total of 10 that we desire to have by end of next year as we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary,” he said.
“We have already began some preparatory work particularly in Rwanda and Uganda to set up the chapters, so that is what we will be preoccupied with now going forward.”
He said the African market presents huge potential for local products and services but the business environment continues to be threatened by economic ills such ad high inflation, unsustainable debts, increasing costs of doing business, energy challenges, global supply chain disruptions and some external shocks associated with climate change among other things.
Mr Gundani said as the CEO Africa Roundtable the platform was meant to bridge some of these challenges as well as seeking solutions from business leaders.
He added: “Investments happening in Africa over the past few decades have raised billions of dollars, hitting a record US$83 billion in 2021. There are diverse investment opportunities across the globe, from Cairo to Cape Town, these include agriculture, mining, infrastructure, ICT, natural resources, tourism and pharmaceuticals among others. However, the is need to counter geopolitical tensions and the global economic slowdown that have made economies more inward-looking. As a continent we need to also capitalise on opportunities present by agreements such as the African Continental Free Trade Area among others to grow the African economy.”
The 9th edition of the annual conference which was held from 11 to 14 October and ran under the theme: “Delivering the Vision: Prospering through Smart Partnerships,” was officially opened by President Mnangagwa on Thursday.
The President called on the executives from around the country to build and improve internal capacities towards a modern and industrialised country, critical for the attainment of Vision 2030 of achieving an upper-middle income society.
In a Presidential interface with business, he said Mnangagwa has said the country will revert to the exclusive use of the local currency as the sole legal tender and ditch the multi-currency regime as no country can develop without its own currency.
Mr Gundani said: “We are happy that the President came and interacted with the CEOs in a very jovial and productive manner. I think people had lingering fears around the Mutapa Investment Fund, clarification was provided and they are now better informed on how it will be a game changer in the country’s quest to allow Zimbabweans to benefit from their natural resources.”
The Minister of Industry and Commerce Dr Sithembiso Nyoni, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Matabeleland North, Richard Moyo, Minister of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa and Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Joshua Sacco among others government officials headlined the conference as well as other key speakers and dignitaries from other countries.
Online Reporter