PHIILIMON MHLANGA
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ)’s flagship Winter School roars to life today in the internationally acclaimed Sun City Resort, South Africa.
It runs up to Sunday September 1, 2019. This year, ICAZ runs the event in partnership with Financial Markets Indaba (FMI) of South Africa. FMI, is a series of investment conferences convened under Indaba Africa, an emergent Research network of interactive conferences that seeks to profile the investment potential of Zimbabwe and Africa.
Over 300 delegates, including chief executive officers, chief finance officer, other accounting professionals who are decision makers in their organisations and investors from Zimbabwe and other parts of the world are expected to converge at the resort for the four day event and proffer ideas on how Zimbabwe could deal with its damaging power crisis, among others, and to enable local firms to secure foreign capital.
The critical power shortages in Zimbabwe is ravaging the already ailing economy and government is seeking investment and sustainable solutions to the power challenges bedeviling the economy. Electricity consumers are currently subjected to several hours of power cuts. Zimbabwe is battling power crisis caused by dwindling water levels in Kariba for electricity generation and frequent machine break downs at the country’s largest coal-fired Hwange Power Station and other smaller thermal power stations in Harare, Bulawayo and Munyati.
Energy and Power Development Minister, Fortune Chasi and ZESA Holdings acting chief executive officer, Patrick Chivaura, are expected to preside over the electricity discussions at the event.
“Senior government officials will engage with renewable energy project developers, financiers and promoters deliberating on consultative candid conversations on state of the energy industry in Zimbabwe, government’s efforts to fast track renewable energy projects and ensure corruption is addressed, licensing process and regulatory environment, and national project pipeline and funding gaps. Lasting solutions to the Zimbabwe electricity challenges will be discussed ….. with the host being the ZESA acting chief executive officer, Patrick Chivaura,” ICAZ and Financial Markets Indaba said in a joint statement.
Apart from the energy discussions, delegates will also discuss investment opportunities in Zimbabwe with the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA), which spearheads, license, establishment and operationalisation of investments in Zimbabwe. Delegates will also have an opportunity to get first hand information on Zimbabwe’s business and investment landscape especially in the Real Estate sector. The Real Estate Institute of Zimbabwe immediate past president Mike Juru is expected to deliver a speech on the state of the sector at the event.