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Kumbirai Tarusarira Business Reporter
Richmond Furniture boss Henry Ruzvidzo has been elected new president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI).
Mr Ruzvidzo has taken over from Mr Sifelani Jabangwe who has been at the helm since June 2017 having taken over from United Refineries chief executive officer Busisa Moyo.
As an experienced industrialist, he is expected to maintain CZI’s hardline stance in lobbying for policies that will address the cocktail of problems affecting industry.
The problems range from failure to access foreign currency, crippling power shortages and production costs which continue to haunt the country`s industry.
Mr Ruzvidzo who has deputised Mr Jabangwe since 2017 says he will accelerate the organisation`s business transformation agenda and also lobby for industrial cause.
“My vision will be in two parts, thus the development of industry and development of CZI as a lobby group, I think we need to make CZI much faster in terms of its response to situations that take place on the country’s business front to make it more efficient in terms of servicing its membership and solving problems that its members face.
“In that regard we actually have a business transformation process that we had started two years ago which we will be accelerating during my twelve month term,” he said.
Mr Ruzvidzo is a trained chemical engineer by profession and has worked in the Zimbabwe’s industrial landscape for a number of years for different mining, fertiliser manufacturing, timber processing and building supply firms.
He also served as the CZI Mashonaland chamber vice president before being promoted to CZI vice president.
Outgoing president Mr Jabangwe suggest that for future growth, Zimbabwean industries need to diversify their trading routes to protect itself from natural disasters like cyclone Idai which had a toll effect on the operations of local industry as goods were stuck.
“The objective to achieve middle income status requires establishment of new industries which require new technology with a significant amount of research and development top create a whole new era in industry which will allow the economy to achieve middle income status.
“One of the headwinds we need to face is the impact of cyclone idai and the drought which are all challenges related to climate change. CZI will have to increase its participation in the crafting and implementation of mitigation interventions as the effects of climate are now with us.
“The cyclone also showed that we need to do something to diversify our trade (routes to market) as the concentration on Beira and Durban only can disrupt economic activities if ever any disruption affects any of those two routes,” said Mr Jabangwe.
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