Econet Wireless founder, Strive Masiyiwa joins Africa Progress Panel

The founder of Econet Wireless, Strive Masiyiwa has joined the Africa Progress Panel as a Member of the Panel, bolstering the Panel’s experience of business, governance, and other issues critical to Africa’s development.

“Strive brings a wealth of extraordinary business and governance experience. We’re delighted to have him join us,” Kofi Annan, Chair of the Africa Progress Panel and former Secretary-General of the United Nations, said.

Chaired by Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Africa Progress Panel (the Panel) includes distinguished individuals from the private and public sectors, who advocate on global issues of importance to Africa and the world.

These complex, high-impact issues include global governance, food security, sustainable economic development, and the Millennium Development Goals, which all require engagement from a wide range of stakeholders within and outside the continent.

Widely known for a landmark ruling in Zimbabwe which led to the end of state telecommunication monopolies in Zimbabwe and elsewhere, Masiyiwa’s flagship business, the South African-based Econet Wireless is a global telecommunications group with operations, investments and offices in more than 18 countries worldwide. Other business activities include financial services, insurance, renewable energy, bottling, and hospitality.

Masiyiwa is also a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation, and a board member of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, also chaired by Kofi Annan, and a co-founder of the Carbon War Room, a global, independent non-profit established to help entrepreneurs unlock market-driven solutions to climate change.

“It is an immense privilege to receive this invitation and I look forward to working with the Panel however best I can to promote sustainable and equitable development in Africa,” Masiyiwa said.

“This is also a tremendously exciting moment to be working on oil, gas, and minerals – the subject of this year’s Africa Progress Report and a critical issue for our continent,” he said.

The Africa Progress Panel will release its annual Africa Progress Report in May 2013 which will explore the ways in which Africa can use its natural resource wealth to generate meaningful human development.