CEO ART expands footprint across Africa
BUSINESS REPORTER
CEO Africa Roundtable (CEO ART), a high level platform for corporate CEOs and senior executives in both public and private sectors, is expanding its presence across the African continent, Business Times can report.
On Friday last week, CEO ART, launched the Malawi Chapter at the Bingu International Convention Centre, in the capital Lilongwe.
CEO, Kipson Gundani, said the body will launch another chapter in Zambia.
This will be followed by the unveiling of two more chapters in east Africa before the end of this year.
“It’s a historic event since the birth of CEO Africa Roundtable in 2018. We dare to dream. Our dream is to build a platform for CEOs from Cape to Cairo. A platform that engages and a platform that facilitates transformative business deals,” Gundani told delegates at the launch of the Malawi chapter.
He added: “Malawi is our first Chapter outside Zimbabwe. In April, we will be launching a Chapter in Zambia. And before the year ends, we will be launching two more Chapters in East Africa. The journey has just begun.”
CEO ART board chairman, Oswell Binha, said: “We are truly proud to be able to host it here at the immaculate President Hotel in the Bingu International Convention Centre.”
He added: “Special mention goes to the Standard Bank of Malawi for partnering CEO ART. Any financial institution that seizes the opportunity is the one that comes where all CEOs are supposed to converge. We are deal brokers. And certainly we are going to deal with the Standard Bank of Malawi as we start engaging on this journey. They will certainly reap the benefits of the decision they have just made.”
Binha said politics should enable economics for Africa’s comparative advantage.
“The future of Africa is economics. And any government functionaries, this is a message to you for your planning dashboard. The whole of Africa has got so much of a reputation for politics. We want to see politics enabling economics for Africa’s comparative advantage. The fact that we have started discussion on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), is a move in the right direction.
Private sector facilitation is the future of poverty alleviation, economic development and sustainability of the economy in the region.”
AfCFTA is an ambitious trade agreement, which aims to eliminate barriers to trade in Africa.
The objective of AfCFTA is to significantly boost intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value added production and trade across all sectors of Africa’s economy.
Speaking at the same event, the Zimbabwe ambassador to Malawi, Nancy Saungweme said CEO Africa Roundtable was an important platform for business executives to share information towards building African economies.
“I am deeply honoured to be part of this event (launch of Malawi Chapter). On behalf of the government of Zimbabwe, I would like to take this opportunity to express gratitude to the government of Malawi for facilitating the launch of the Malawi Chapter. Before coming as an ambassador, I was also very much a very serious business person. So, I am very happy to be here,” Saungweme said.
