Introduction The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the European Zambia Business Club (EUBCZ) was held on Thursday, 23rd March 2023 at Radisson Blu Hotel. This report summarizes the key highlights of the meeting.

Attendance The meeting was attended by 44 members, who represented various sectors of the economy.

Opening Remarks and Apologies

The Vice President, Mr. Michael Kroupnik, called the meeting to order at 15:00 and welcomed all the members to the meeting.

President’s Report

During his speech, the President of EUBCZ, Mr. Mark Lüring, highlighted that with the support of the European Union through the Africa RISE Program, the club successfully organized three quarterly events in 2022, which led to the formation of partnerships between its members, increased membership, and the development of a new website. He also provided an overview of the club’s finances.

Looking forward to 2023, Mr. Lüring stated that the club would focus on addressing challenges faced by its members in the Energy, Finance, and Agriculture sectors. Additionally, he mentioned that the club would be lobbying the Ministry of Labor and Social Security on new minimum wage requirements, and encouraged members to submit proposals on labor issues for the Board’s consideration. In closing, he expressed his gratitude to the EU Ambassador to Zambia and COMESA, Mr. Jacek Jankowski, for their continued support of the EUBCZ.

Constitution Review, Adoption of Revised Constitution & Code of Ethics

The constitution was presented by the representative of B&M (Bowmans) Legal Practitioners. Some members expressed concerns over the voting disparity between large companies and small companies as indicated in the constitution. There was a suggestion that in the interest of fairness, competitiveness, and democracy, there should be no distinction in the voting rights between large, medium, and small companies.  The Board clarified that the proposed revision was intended to motivate members to aspire to pay the top-tier membership subscription.

By way of vote counts, the constitution was unanimously approved as presented.

Website Presentation

The Africa RISE support Website Designer/IT Consultant (Ms. Carrol Fleming) presented the new EUZBC website to the AGM.

Remarks by H.E. Jacek JANKOWSKI, Ambassador of the European Union to Zambia and COMESA

H.E Jacek JANKOWSKI, acknowledged the presence of the minister of tourism as well as all members of the board at the AGM and commended them for the important roles they play. He further noted the remarkable role of the government in terms of promoting sustainable development, inclusive growth, and job creation. In his closing remarks, he wished the EUZBC good luck for the upcoming year in achieving sustainability for the benefit of its members. He also reassured EUZBC that the EU Delegation to Zambia and COMESA would continue supporting the Club’s activities.

Keynote Speech by Guest of Honour – Mr Rodney Sikumba (Ministry of Tourism)

The minister of tourism welcomed the members to the EUBCZ Annual General Meeting and commended the existing relationship between the government and the EUBCZ. He reminded members that the government was working round the clock in unlocking various sectors of the economy such as mining, agriculture, health tourism, and education among others, and urged members of the EUBCZ to consider some of the opportunities within the aforementioned sectors in order to generate more revenue for the club.

Closing Remarks

Elaine Henning, Vice-President of the EUZBC, highlighted some of the key challenges from which the club was emerging over the last few years, Covid 19 being one of them. She further indicated the key values of the club, which include interactions with the European Union member states and promoting business interactions among the members. She urged members to network and interact among themselves. Lastly, she expressed her sincere gratitude to the Minister of Tourism and the ambassador to EU and COMESA as well as all the board members of the club who were present.

Conclusion

The Annual General Meeting of the European Zambia Business Club was successful as it achieved its objectives of reviewing the constitution, presenting the annual report, and providing a platform for members to network and interact with each other. The meeting was graced by the presence of high-level officials from the government, which signifies the importance of the relationship between the government and the private sector.

After the session, the EUZBC hosted a networking cocktail that presented another great way for members to interact.

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To all our members who have not yet paid your annual membership subscription, please do so without further delay to enjoy the numerous benefits the EUZBC has to offer. If you have not yet received an invoice for 2023 membership fees, please feel free to reach out to our secretariat on email [email protected]