The Corporate Governance Unit under the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) recently facilitated a two-day Induction and Training workshop for the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) and Management Training Bureau (MTB) Boards and Senior Management from 22-23 May 2022 in Kadoma. The workshop’s main objective was to expose participants to critical corporate governance issues.
Speaking during the official opening of the workshop, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development (MHTEISTD), Honourable Professor (dr) Amon Murwira, said good governance is not an abstract or imported concept but is enshrined in Section 13 of the National Constitution that looks at National Development.
‘Good governance is not an abstract, imported concept … when we talk of good governance in Zimbabwe, we are talking about the constitutional dictates, what does the constitution say, what is the intention of our nation, where do we want to go, how do we want to achieve it? It must be ingrained within our laws and our national goals’, said Minister Murwira.
He further highlighted that for Zimbabwe to achieve its ‘National Strategic Intent’, that is, National Vision 2030, all government institutions must play their part by providing the requisite ‘National Capability’ through the ‘Configuration of Human Capital and other National Assets’.
Speaking on the first day of the workshop, Professor Fanuel Tagwira, the Permanent Secretary in the MHTEISTD, commended both the ZIMCHE and MTB Boards for their diverse composition, noting that their collective experience and success in academia, industry and commerce is essential to education and training.
In his presentation, the Secretary for State Enterprises Reform, Corporate Governance and Procurement in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr Willard L. Manungo, outlined the role of the Corporate Governance Unit (CGU) and highlighted that compliance with corporate governance principles as enshrined in the Public Entities Corporate Governance (PECG) Act [Chapter 10:31] by all state enterprises and parastatals would help to ensure the realisation of Vision 2030.
The ZIMCHE CEO, Professor Kuzvinetsa P. Dzvimbo, reiterated and reaffirmed the ZIMCHE’s commitment to delivering on its mandate as enunciated by Minister Murwira and aptly captured under the Heritage-based Education 5.0 Philosophy and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
Speaking at the close of the two-day workshop, Dr Raymore Machingura, the Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science and Technology Development, called on workshop participants to always act in the best interest of citizens in the execution of their duties in line with the principles of good corporate governance.
Issues on discussion included ‘Board Induction’, ‘Structure and Conduct of Board Meetings’, ‘Board Evaluation and the Role of the Company Secretary’, the ‘New Remuneration Framework’, Transparency, Disclosure and Accountability’, and ‘Internal Audit and Risk Management’.
Among those who attended the workshop were the CGU Chief Director, Mr A. Choruma, the Director for Higher Education Programmes (HEPs) in the MHTEISTD, Dr D. Murekachiro, ZIMCHE Board Deputy Chairperson and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe, Professor P. Mapfumo who was also representing the Chairperson of the ZIMCHE Board, Professor Emeritus. N. M. Bhebe, Chairperson of the MTB Board, Ms O. Kava, and MTB CEO, Ms N Matshe.