Zambia Sugar PLC has announced the appointment of Oswald Magawenzi as its Country Manager Director, according to a statement from the company.
Oswald who previous managed the Eswatini Illovo company takes over from Rebecca Katowa, the Zambian outfit’s first female Country CEO who resigned on 31 August 2021.
According to the statement issued on behalf of the Board by Company Secretary Harriet Kapekele-Katongo in Lusaka on 6th September 2021, “Mr Magwenzi has held various positions in the Illovo group and joins Zambia Sugar from Ubombo Sugar in Eswatini where he was the Country Managing Director since 2013”.
As far as academic qualifications are concerned, Oswald holds a number of qualifications from different countries. “Mr Magwenzi holds a BSc Agriculture Honours degree from the University of Zimbabwe, a Diploma in Marketing from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an MSc in Irrigation Engineering and Post-graduate Certificate in Civil Engineering from the University of Southampton in the UK and an MBA (Finance) from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia”.
Oswald is also a company man having worked for the Illovo group for many years as well as International Finance experience. “He brings a solid knowledge base gained from 29 years of middle, senior and executive management experience in the sugar, irrigation and international finance sectors including the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC)”.
The llovo outfit Oswald was previously responsible for has a 60% share in UBOMBO SUGAR LIMITED, with 40% of shares held by Tibiyo Taka Ngwane (Tibiyo), according to the Ilovo Eswatini website. Ubombo, situated adjacent to the Usuthu River in the southeast of the country, annually produces approximately 300 000 tons of sugar compared to the Zambia’s Nakambala estate which produced 398 000 tonnes in 2020. It is one of three sugar producers in the country whose combined total sugar output of approximately 730 000 tons is marketed and distributed by the Eswatini Sugar Association (ESA).