Zimbabwe’s public institutions risk falling behind in an era increasingly defined by transparency, stakeholder accountability and rapid technological disruption unless they abandon rigid leadership systems that stifle consultation and innovation, business and governance leaders have warned.
Speaking ahead of the 2026 Zimbabwe Leadership Forum gatherings in Kariba and Singapore, Zimbabwe Leadership Forum chairperson Canaan Dube said many public institutions still operate through outdated command-and-control structures that weaken trust, disconnect executives from operational realities and undermine effective decision-making.
“When you come to the public sector, it’s the top-down,” Dube told journalists in Harare. “The top-down, which says, either my way as a leader or no way.”
His comments come as governments and corporations globally face mounting scrutiny over governance standards, transparency and institutional credibility, amid growing public demands for accountability and the rise of artificial intelligence, digital oversight and stakeholder activism.
Dube said leadership systems that exclude broader participation often create dangerous blind spots for executives and policymakers.
“Because then you lead in a vacuum,” he said. “You lead without checking the rear-view mirror to see whether the followers are still with you, physically and mentally.”
The remarks underscore growing concerns among governance experts that some public institutions across emerging markets continue to rely on hierarchical systems better suited to earlier political and economic eras, despite rising pressure for more agile and collaborative leadership models.
While Dube acknowledged that decisive authority remains necessary during moments of implementation and crisis management, he argued that sustainable leadership increasingly depends on blending executive authority with consultation and collective intelligence.
“In terms of executing the strategy, you see quite a lot of bottom-up coming in,” he said. “There are times when you need to make things work, but there are times when you need to sit down and feed from the brains around you.”
The governance debate is expected to dominate discussions at this year’s Zimbabwe Leadership Forum events.
The annual Leadership Summit, scheduled for Kariba from June 25 to 28 under the theme “The Trust Equation: Governance in the Age of Transparency,” will focus on governance systems, ethics, artificial intelligence, institutional accountability and rebuilding public confidence in leadership structures.
A second high-level engagement, the Chairperson’s Lounge in Singapore later this year, will examine how executives and policymakers can respond to global volatility, geopolitical shifts and intensifying stakeholder expectations under the theme “The Power Shift: Reinventing Leadership in an Uncertain World.”
For many delegates, Singapore itself is expected to serve as a case study in governance execution and long-term institutional planning.
The Asian financial hub has built one of the world’s most competitive economies through policy consistency, disciplined institutions, regulatory certainty and heavy investment in strategic infrastructure. Its economy expanded by approximately 4.4% in 2024, supported by strong performances in finance, trade and manufacturing, while maintaining low unemployment and fiscal stability despite a fragile global economic environment.
Forum organisers say those lessons are increasingly relevant for Zimbabwe as policymakers, executives and public institutions face pressure to improve efficiency, restore confidence and modernise governance systems in a rapidly changing economic landscape.
Dube also said the organisation was intensifying efforts to bring younger people into leadership and governance conversations through a new initiative called Catch Them Young, a mentorship and leadership incubation programme designed to expose emerging leaders to governance, ethics and decision-making processes at an early stage.
He said the programme aims to bridge the widening generational gap in leadership by equipping young professionals, entrepreneurs and students with practical leadership skills while creating pathways for them to participate meaningfully in national and institutional development.
“We cannot continue having conversations about the future without preparing the people who will inherit it,” Dube said. “Leadership succession is not accidental. It must be intentional.”
The initiative, according to organisers, will involve mentorship platforms, leadership training sessions, policy engagement forums and exposure to senior executives from both the public and private sectors. The programme is also expected to focus heavily on innovation, digital transformation and ethical leadership — areas increasingly shaping the future of governance and business globally.
Analysts say such initiatives could become increasingly important as African institutions grapple with demographic shifts, youth unemployment and demands for greater inclusion in economic and political decision-making.
Against that backdrop, this year’s forums are expected to sharpen debate over whether Zimbabwean institutions can transition from rigid command structures toward more responsive leadership systems capable of rebuilding trust, improving execution and navigating a more complex global economy.
