CZI pushes for foresight-driven leadership
ROBIN PHIRI
The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) says local businesses must embrace foresight and scenario-based planning to strengthen their resilience in an increasingly unpredictable economic environment.
Speaking at the Strategic Intelligence Forum (SIF) in Harare, CZI chief executive officer Sekai Kuvarika said the initiative aims to equip executives and CEOs with actionable tools to navigate the volatility and complexity shaping today’s business landscape.
“The forum is meant to equip leaders with practical ways to address strategy in uncertain environments that are becoming more unpredictable,” Kuvarika said. “We talk about VUCA — volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity — and we are trying to introduce tools that can shift how we approach strategy and business models.”
She said the three-day session focuses on scenarios and foresight methods that help organisations model possible futures, anticipate change, and position themselves strategically to survive and thrive under different conditions.
“It’s not necessarily about eliminating undesirable futures but about being prepared to survive them and take advantage of the opportunities they present,” Kuvarika explained. “This approach introduces resilience and drives proactive innovation.”
Kuvarika noted that the adoption of foresight thinking is gaining momentum across Africa, citing South Africa’s Stellenbosch University and Zimbabwe’s National University of Science and Technology (NUST), which recently incorporated a strategic foresight module into its Master of Business Leadership programme.
“We’re at the beginning of building a community of business leaders that applies these new ways of thinking,” she said. “This can drive innovation and support better policy alignment.”
Turning to the operating environment, Kuvarika welcomed ongoing government efforts to streamline business processes and improve the ease of doing business, including the recent reduction of licence fees. However, she reiterated CZI’s long-standing concerns over the Intermediate Money Transfer Tax (IMTT).
“When it was introduced, we were told it targeted the informal sector, but it applies to everyone and remains non-deductible,” she said. “Our position is that it should either be made tax-deductible for formal businesses or removed entirely.”
Kuvarika acknowledged the government’s fiscal dependence on the levy but argued that its removal “would be a great relief to business” and encourage electronic transactions rather than penalise them.
“This is where collaborative approaches with government are needed,” she said. “We need to find ways to maintain revenue while easing the burden on compliant businesses.”
The Strategic Intelligence Forum forms part of CZI’s broader agenda to foster strategic foresight-driven leadership, encouraging Zimbabwean businesses to prepare for disruption rather than react to it, a shift Kuvarika believes is crucial for long-term competitiveness and innovation.
