Takundwa elected new ZNCC president

LIVINGSTONE MARUFU IN VICTORIA FALLS
Josephine Takundwa has been elected President of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), becoming one of the few women to lead the country’s largest private sector representative body.
She succeeds Tapiwa Karoro, whose tenure came to an end at the chamber’s annual congress.
Announcing the leadership transition, ZNCC Chief Executive Officer Christopher Mugaga said the election underscored the chamber’s commitment to promoting gender inclusivity and women in leadership.
“There has been a power shift within the chamber. Please help me welcome the incoming ZNCC president, Josephine Takundwa. ZNCC is highly gender-sensitive and continues to promote women into positions of authority,” Mugaga said.
Takundwa is a seasoned entrepreneur and business leader with interests spanning technology, energy and agriculture. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Earthlink Technologies, a Harare-based power protection and energy solutions company.
She also founded Sesame for Life Private Limited, an agribusiness enterprise that promotes sesame production in drought-prone regions of Zimbabwe as a means of enhancing rural livelihoods and climate resilience.
Beyond her business ventures, Takundwa has emerged as a prominent voice on economic and business policy issues. She has consistently advocated for measures aimed at improving the operating environment for businesses and enhancing Zimbabwe’s competitiveness.
Among her policy positions, she has called for a reduction in the Intermediated Money Transfer Tax (IMTT), arguing that the levy raises transaction costs and increases the cost of doing business throughout the value chain.
She has also championed the liberalisation of goods markets, lower corporate tax rates and the alignment of Zimbabwe’s trade and investment laws with the requirements of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to create a single continental market for goods and services.
Her election comes at a time when the business community is calling for stronger private sector engagement in economic policy formulation, improved ease of doing business and greater support for industrial growth and regional trade integration.