ElEducated with a Masters Degree in International Journalism form the City University of London, the chief executive officer of Mighty Movies and current president of the Affirmative Action Group (AAG) presented the impact of the empowerment and indigenization bill on business persons residing in the Diaspora at our trade mark Connect2Network event. He also is the first guest on our new ZGClub TV.
Elsie Owusu OBE
JustGhana
Elsie is a successful woman in business whose specialism’s include Architectural regeneration, art into Architecture, transportation and environmental matters in the UK, Middle East and Africa) will discuss infrastructural innovation and its relationship to business and investment in Africa. She is passionate about developing architecture in response to environmental change and is part of a consortium working towards a carbon neutral city in Ghana. Owusu is a founder member of the Society of Black Architects, and is on the board of Arts Council England. She is an ambassador for Creative Partnerships, the Vice Chair of Women’s Transportation Seminar, Acting Chair of the charity, Aduna and was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Betty Makoni - Girl Child Network
The Founder of the Girl Child Network http://girlchildnetworkworldwide.org/ which works with young girls that have been traumatized through abuse in Zimbabwe gave a presentation of her story and the story of the many underage Zimbabwean girls who are exposed to all manner of abuse, sharing their success in tackling this head on and mapping the long journey ahead. Betty Makoni used her experience to transform the lives of girls in southern Africa by creating a girls' rights advocacy group with 30,000 members in Zimbabwe.
Alistair Boyd - Royal Africa Society
In his after dinner speech he spoke about life before independence. In his previous life he was the Deputy Chief Executive to the UK Government-owned Commonwealth Development Corporation where he was awarded a CMG in 1994 by the Queen. He was later the UK Chair of the African Medical and Research Foundation (also known as The Flying Doctors). He has been on the Board of the, once flourishing, Africa Centre in Covent Garden, was the first Chair of the Southern Africa Business Association and has been closely involved with European DFIs. Presently he is vice-chair of the Royal African Society, is a board member of the African Land Fellowship Programme, the senior non-exec director of Douglas Bay Capital, mentor to a youth centre in South West Uganda and is becoming involved with afforestation programmes in Kenya.
Dr Win Mlambo – Zimbabwe Embassy (UK)
Dr Mlambo from the UK Zimbabwean Embassies office gave us a talk on the strengths and opportunities and the general overview of the economic and political climate in Zimbabwe, citing the various treaties and incentives that are designed to attract business back into Zimbabwe.
David Smith
The importance of the independence of the judiciary from the Executive and its importance in stabilising investments and confidence.
Professor Steven Chan
Talk around the recovery potential for Zimbabwe, rate of recovery and the role of the private sector and politics.
Deputy Prime Minister Honorable Thokozani Khupe
Update on progress made by the GNU and opportunities for investment in Zimbabwe
Innovation In Action For Zimbabwe Presentations (listed below)
H.E. Gabriel Machinga - Zimbabwean Ambassador to the UK
who will give an overview of the economic and political climate in Zimbabwe
Mr Martin Simonek - Solar Analyst, New Energy Finance
on business models and precedents for solar energy in Zimbabwe. New Energy Finance is the world’s leading provider of information and research on clean energy
Nigel Ridgway - Global Practice Leader- Arup Birmingham
On engineering opportunities at a regional scale. He has been involved in project engineering and project management of water and environmental projects overseas.
Richard Lander Senior Project Manager- Cloud 9 Communications
on new approaches for the next generation of wireless internet in Zimbabwe. Richard has extensive experience in establishing internet networks in developed and developing countries across Africa, Europe and Asia
