THE Institute of Directors Zimbabwe (IoDZ) has launched a new product, Women on Board Zimbabwe (WoBZ), which seeks to promote the 50% representation of women in company boards.
BY TARISAI MANDIZHA
Speaking at a breakfast meeting in Harare yesterday, IoDZ chairperson Benson Gasura said gender and diversity leadership was an important fact and companies must start thinking seriously about gender and diversity.
Gasura said out of the 64 companies listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) there were 482 directors and less than 50 women were on the boards.
“IODZ has launched a new product, WoBZ, and we strongly believe women have a role to play and the objective is to increase gender and diversity on the boards,” he said.
“In February this year, we launched the director placement register. We want to have a pool of directors that are qualified. We are seeing a lot of companies that are collapsing and this is the responsibility of directors, but the challenge is that most of these directors are being given positions without properly being qualified.” Gasura said IODZ was pushing for a 50/50 in board representation.
“We need to have a pool from which directors can be uprooted and that companies can actually recruit directors,” he said.
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The Constitution of Zimbabwe compels the State to promote the full participation of women in all spheres. Gasura said IoDZ has set a target of at least 50% of women representation in public entities, corporates and parastatals.
“There must be an increase of women on boards, but I don’t know what is happening with the women today. Women needs to step up their efforts” he said.
