Story by Gay Matambo
THE critical role of risk management in safeguarding economic stability and supporting sustainable development dominated discussions at the Risk Officers Convention which concluded in Nyanga on Saturday.
The high-level gathering brought together Chief Risk Officers and senior executives from Zimbabwe’s financial, insurance and corporate sectors to explore strategies aimed at strengthening institutional resilience, enhancing governance frameworks and mitigating emerging risks in an increasingly complex global environment.
As Zimbabwe advances its development agenda under the Second Republic, delegates underscored the importance of proactive risk management to protect institutions from economic shocks and ensure long-term growth.
Participants noted that evolving global and regional challenges require organisations to adopt more dynamic and forward-looking approaches to risk governance.
“Capital is no longer just a number on an accounting balance sheet. It must be loss-absorbing, unencumbered, and actively protected by admissible assets. For us, this means managing risk in real-time, over a 12-month stress horizon, to guarantee absolute protection for our policyholders and stakeholders,” a risk officer said.
“Institutional shielding against global volatility is no longer optional if Zimbabwe is to realise its upper-middle-income economy status,” another risk officer said.
“The rapid adoption of AI-driven risk modelling is a double-edged sword for Zimbabwean enterprises. Our mandate in 2026 is clear. We cannot let our organisations run blindly toward digital transformation without strict guardrails. We are setting up internal governance structures to ensure transparency, data privacy, and a solid defence against escalating regional cyber threats,” a participant said.
The gathering comes at a crucial time as the country accelerates its socio-economic growth under national development frameworks.
“By building robust institutional frameworks against global volatility, climate shocks, and cybersecurity threats, your corporate strategies directly safeguard our national fiscal stability, protect public wealth, and accelerate Zimbabwe’s unstoppable march toward a prosperous, middle-income economy by 2030,” Chief Director Legal Services and Compliance Monitoring, Corporate Governance Unit Office of the President and Cabinet, Ms Sanguita Popatlal said.
The convention concluded with a collective commitment by risk executives to strengthen collaboration, enhance information sharing and deepen cross-sector cooperation to improve institutional preparedness and resilience against emerging threats.
