Judge Mervyn King in Windhoek next week to address Corporate Governance conference
The pioneer of the importance of corporate governance in Africa, South Africa’s Judge Mervyn King is in Windhoek next week to bring gravitas to a continental conference on governance. Hon Leon Jooste, the Minister of Public Enterprises, is the keynote speaker.
The conference is organised by the Namibian chapter of the Institute of Corporate Governance.
The Windhoek conference is the 12th bi-annual conference of the African Corporate Governance Network. It is scheduled for Thursday 8th and Friday 9th of March at the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre. The theme is “Corporate Governance as a driver of sustainable economic development. The local Institute of Corporate Governance said the presentations and break-away sessions are aligned to embrace challenges, forge solutions and define the future of governance in Namibia first but also in the wider context of the African continent.
Delegates from more than 20 African countries indicated that they will attend.
The presenter line-up comprises Patrick Chisanga, a governance consultant and member of the IFC Private Sector Advisory Forum; Mr Said Kambi, the African Corporate Governance Network Chairman and Chief Executive of IOD Tanzania; Dr Daniel Malan, the Executive Director of the Centre for Corporate Governance in Africa and member of the WEF Council for Values; and Dr Lucy Newman, the Chief Executive of FITC Nigeria.
Local speakers are Mr Sven Thieme of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Executive Group Chairman of the Olthaver & List Group; Ms Kauna Ndilula, the Managing Director of BFS Nampro Fund; Mr Mihe Gaomab II, an Executive Director at the African Development Bank and Mr Steve Galloway, the ICG (Namibia) Director.
Mr Richard Frederick, a leading global experts on SOE governance will host a workshop for all delegates.
Presentations and panel discussions will look at governance as driver of value creation and an incentive for accelerated foreign investment.
The role of capital markets and the specific viewpoint of leading African institutions will add to the depth of exchange. From a local perspective, the role of governance in competitive business practices for Namibian companies will be discussed.
The Chairperson of the Namibian chapter of the Institute for Corporate Governance, Mr Escher Luaanda said conference partners include the Namibian Stock Exchange, the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the African Corporate Governance Network.
“Responsible businesses are now expected to engage in business practices that create sustainable value in the long term. We need to work collectively in Namibia. The continent is increasingly exposed to serious sustainability challenges such as water scarcity, climate change, corruption and poverty. Hence, our deliberations which attempt to link governance practices to positive economic benefits,” he said.
The conference is sponsored by Standard Bank Namibia, as platinum sponsor, along with Air Namibia, PwC, Deloitte, and the International Finance Corporation.
