CZI lessons from Brazil

Newly-elected CZI president Mr Kumbirai Katsande said Brazilian ambassador to Zimbabwe Ms Marcia Maro da Silva had accepted an invitation to present a paper at the CZI annual congress.
The organisation is yet to finalise the list of presenters but other high-profile delegates who have already accepted invitations include Coca-Cola East Africa president

Mr Nathan Kalumbu, and Industry and Commerce Minister Professor Welshman Ncube.
Focus will be largely on the Brazilian envoy as the keynote speaker to provide candid lessons on how her country wrote its success story.
Although Brazil’s economic growth has appeared to stutter since late last year, it is on record as having achieved the largest growth in the last two and a half decades.
The economy recently overtook the UK’s to become the world’s sixth biggest, with GDP value of US$2,5 trillion. It now ranks among the world’s fastest-growing economies.

CZI believes that Brazil, a member of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) bloc of fast-growing economies, could provide tips on how to achieve sustainable growth.
“We are glad that she (Brazil’s envoy) has accepted our invitation and will be our keynote speaker,” said Mr Katsande.

The new CZI boss said the diplomat would discuss how her country managed over 90 percent usage of ethanol in vehicles and how it has built a vibrant agricultural system.
Mr Katsande said the CZI national executive would finalise the logistics for the congress on Friday as it prepares on how to tackle many of Zimbabwe’s economic problems.

Chief among the macro-economic constraints in Zimbabwe are the choking power crisis, high cost of funding, external competition, low agriculture productivity, antiquated industrial equipment, low exports, poor infrastructure, low demand and unsustainable debt overhang.

Mr Katsande returns to the helm of CZI for the third time running.
The CZI presidency is neither campaigned for, nor contested for.
While Mr Katsande would not blow his own trumpet on his wealth of experience, members see in him someone who believes other captains of industry are overburdened by workloads at their firms.