More support from corporates towards ICAM Lake Conference as FDH Financial Holdings and LifeCo pump in a total of K7m

FDH’s Richard Chipezeani hands over the sponsorship to ICAM’s Chrissie Jere

* Theme ‘Navigating the Tough Economic Terrain: Moving Forward Regardless of Challenges’

* The country’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima to be guest of honour at the Mother of all Conferences

By Duncan Mlanjira

FDH Financial Holdings and LifeCo Holdings Limited joined the support towards the successful hosting of Institute of Chartered Accounts of Malawi (ICAM) annual Lake Conference at Sun ‘n’ Sun Holiday Resort in Mangochi by injecting a total of K7 million.

FDH Financial Holdings donated K4 million while LifeCo Holdings Limited has supported the ‘Mother of all Conference with K3 million.

This comes after TNM sponsored K12 million towards the event, which will be held from Thursday, September 16-18 under the theme ‘Navigating the Tough Economic Terrain: Moving Forward Regardless of Challenges’.

Presenting the sponsorship on Tuesday, FDH’s Head of Finance, Richard Chipezeani said as a financial institution, accountants play a huge role in their business and that their staff are also members of ICAM.

“FDH Financial Holdings, as a homegrown investment and financial institution continues to applaud the role ICAM plays in promoting the accounting discipline in the country, which is integral to the financial sector,” he said.

“As a partner of ours, we are happy to support ICAM to foster its growth and taking cognizance that this Lake Conference — dubbed the Mother of all Conferences — brings together various key players in the financial sector as well as relevant and critical sectors of the Malawi economy.

“It is important to foster such synergy as a catalyst for growth, development and economic empowerment in the country.”

Chipezeani said the conference’s theme resonates well with the challenges being faced due to CoVID-19, saying the country’s financial service sector needs to pool all their resources and efforts “to achieve the much needed economic empowerment with or without challenges brought by the pandemic and other economic challenges”.

During its handover of the cheque on Wednesday, LifeCo Holdings’ Finance Manager Limbikani Msefula said the Finance and accounting professionals “are the overseers of custodians of company and government resources” and the conference enables them on how best to serve the best interest of their institutions — including LifeCo.

“LifeCo wishes the accountants successful deliberations and they tackle the difficult terrain that is rocking our economy following the challenges being faced due to CoVID-19.

“As custodians of the financial resources of the economy, their commitment to professional standards and ethics can go a long way in growing our economy as well as sensibly managing the available resources in order to maximize outcomes for all stakeholders.”

In her vote of thanks, ICAM’s director of education and training, Chrissie Jere applauded the two companies for the gesture towards the event which the country’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima is expected to be guest of honour and deliver the keynote address.

She said the theme was chosen in order to move forward and face the challenges brought about by CoVID-19 instead of sitting back and await it to abate on its own.

“We must accept that CoVID-19 is here to stay for a while — it is a norm we must face with determination to overcome and through this conference we are going to brainstorm how we can do business by overcoming the challenges we are facing.”

She said being the Mother of all Conferences that is expected to attract over 900 delegates, they have made sure all CoVID-19 preventive measures will be strictly put in place and that they will use five Conference halls while others will attend virtually through Zoom.

She applauded both companies for the support, saying in these times of CoVID-19 it is not easy to part away with such huge sums of money and by doing so the two companies have shown their total commitment to the values and objectives of this ICAM annual conference.

In 2019, ICAM invited staunch Pan-Africanist, Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba from Kenya as guest speaker and this year’s also attracts several high profile professionals to address the delegates on how they can make better contributions towards the well-being of every Malawian.