CEO Africa Roundtable Honours Excellence as Leaders Chart Continent’s Next Economic Frontier

By Shingirai Vambe

The curtains came down on one of the most anticipated executive gatherings on the regional calendar as the CEO Africa Roundtable Annual Banquet convened in Harare, celebrating a year in which the organisation emerged as a continental voice for business, policy influence and investment diplomacy.

Held under the theme “Celebrating Resilience, Excellence, and Strategic Foresight,” the banquet recognised top-performing chief executives across 13 sectors while reflecting on a year of international missions, economic advocacy, and deepened partnerships. Government, business leaders, regulators, and diplomats converged in the capital for what has become the signature event of Zimbabwe’s corporate leadership landscape.

One by one, the highest-performing CEOs across key industries were recognised for their strategic leadership, innovation, and contribution to national and regional economic development.

In the Retail Sector, the winning CEO, Emmanuel Chitowamombe of Kopje Spare Parts Distrubutors was honoured for driving a comprehensive digital transformation that enhanced operations and elevated customer experience. The awards panel noted that the recipient’s “ethical leadership and decisive strategy set the benchmark for retail excellence.”

The Insurance CEO of the Year, Douglas Hoto of First Mutual Holding, was celebrated for steering the sector through economic uncertainty with a resilient, future-focused strategy anchored in digital integration and expanded market access.

In Health, the award went to a leader who has strengthened patient experience and widened access to essential services through continual product and service innovation, earning recognition for ethical and impactful leadership. Leticia Gaga who is the current Chairperson of the Private Healthcare Associations of Zimabawe and CEO for Baines Avenues Clinic.

The ICT Sector CEO of the Year, Never Ncube of Dandemutande, was recognised for shaping the digital ecosystem through forward-looking strategy, improved access technologies and user-centred solutions that deepen digital inclusion.

Tourism and hospitality, an industry recovering from regional headwinds, honoured Joy Mataruka CEO for Manna Resorts, demonstrated unwavering strategic leadership, elevating service excellence and destination competitiveness.

Zb Financial Holdings CEO, Shephered Fungura, scooped the award in the Banking Sector, the award celebrated a leader who advanced digital banking, strengthened efficiency, and expanded financial inclusion, with evaluators noting their “commitment to innovation backed by strong corporate governance.”

Education, regulatory governance, professional services, agribusiness, and real estate also produced standout CEOs whose leadership has influenced sector-wide standards and positioned their institutions for long-term competitiveness.

The Young CEO of the Year award spotlighted emerging leadership talent, a visionary whose innovative solutions and strategic thinking demonstrated enormous promise for the future of African enterprise.

The pinnacle award, Overall CEO of the Year, Frank Magama of Kutsaga went to a leader described as a “visionary at the forefront of research, innovation, and institutional transformation.” The winner’s blend of scientific expertise and business acumen, coupled with a commitment to mentorship and community upliftment, set them apart in a year marked by shifting regional economic dynamics.

Their work, the judges said, demonstrated the type of leadership needed to move African industries from resilience to global competitiveness.

Guest of Honour, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Professor Amon Murwira, delivered a keynote that blended economic philosophy with strategic national direction.

Reaffirming Zimbabwe’s commitment to sovereign development, Prof. Murwira emphasised that a nation’s strength lies in its capacity to innovate from within. He underscored that the pursuit of endogenous industrialisation, industries built from local talent, local resources and local innovation, must dominate Zimbabwe’s economic future if the nation is to remain resilient and competitive.

“Our Constitution urges us to pursue policies that secure prosperous, happy and fulfilling lives for all,” he said. “A country is built by its own people. Endogenous innovation is not an option, it is the only path to sovereignty.”

He contrasted endogenous industrialisation with exogenous models inherited from colonial economic structures, calling for a strategic shift toward value addition, beneficiation and heritage-based industry.

“When we transform our own resources into globally competitive products, we transform not just our economy, but our standing in the world,” he said.

Murwira highlighted progress in trade promotion through ZimTrade, expanded international participation, and the need to build world-class local manufacturing, quality-assurance systems, and export-ready industries.

He reiterated that economic diplomacy must align with continental objectives under the AfCFTA, stressing that African business leadership, represented through platforms like CEO Africa Roundtable, is essential to achieving shared regional prosperity.

CEO Africa Roundtable CEO Kipson Gundani described 2025 as a year in which the institution cemented itself as a continental business diplomacy hub.

From Brazil to Japan, South Korea to the United Kingdom, and the diaspora corridors of the Kingdom, the organisation executed high-impact missions that opened new trade, investment, and technology pathways.

The Brazil agribusiness mission immersed Zimbabwean executives in large-scale mechanisation, industrial farming systems, food-processing technologies, and agricultural finance models. The mission produced a landmark MOU with the Afro Chamber, creating a long-term economic corridor for technology transfer and joint venture development.

In Japan and South Korea, CEOs engaged with some of the world’s most advanced innovation economies. Gundani highlighted that these missions were not “tourism,” but industrial diplomacy, positioning Zimbabwean businesses for manufacturing partnerships, technology imports, and high-value export opportunities.

The Kingdom Diaspora Mission underscored the economic power of Zimbabweans abroad, who remitted US$2.4 billion in 2024, and formalised new frameworks for diaspora-led investment.

Throughout the year, CEOART intensified its engagement with Government on macroeconomic policy, regulatory reform, taxation, currency stability, and business competitiveness.

Its quarterly briefs, business confidence indices, and fiscal submissions became essential reference points for policymakers.

Gundani said the 2026 National Budget demonstrated attempts at fiscal consolidation and export growth, but emphasised the need for ongoing dialogue to protect industrial viability and ensure predictability in the business environment.

As the banquet drew to a close, both Government and business reaffirmed their commitment to working together to deliver Vision 2030 and to position African executives at the centre of global competitiveness.

“With unity of purpose,” Gundani said, “2026 will not just be another year, it will be a turning point.”

As guests toasted to resilience, excellence and strategic foresight, the CEO Africa Roundtable has evolved into a continental engine for economic leadership, investment mobilisation and the redefining of Africa’s place in the global economy.

About The Author