It is rare that you have women anchoring such a discussion as was held on Thursday 4th of January, talking about investments in a supposedly impossible-to -invest environment.
The Investment 101 handbook is the pioneering project which was packaged in a single, well- researched and very robust publication, all the reader needs to know about the Zimbabwe Capital Markets. The book was launched at an event officiated by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Prof. M. Ncube on the 11th of December, 2020 in Bulawayo.
The webinar series which kicked off on Thursday is designed to stimulate activity on the various Stock Exchanges via direct purchases of shares and other instruments or via Unit Trust Investments.
The book takes each of the subjects in turn and in textbook style, attempting to convey information in bite-size, easy to digest pieces, to educate the public on the various investment avenues available to them.
For this episode of the webinar, Kudzai and Michelina, who are dynamic women in their own right, university trained investment advisors, possibly third or fourth generation of financially viable professional women, took listeners through a very engaging and real life analogies, analyses, explanations and teachings about managing assets and  managing resources, and where to place, savings and investments.
Michelina Chindiya is a Wealth Specialist at Carrick Wealth. She has been featured on BBC Africa and Bloomberg as a regular contributor and influencer in the arena of wealth management and investing. Michelina is passionate about educating the youth of Zimbabwe on the benefits of smart investing and financial discipline.
Kudzai Mubaiwa is lead consultant with Investor Saint PL, a financial and digital literacy company. She is also a cofounder of iZone Hub, a Zimbabwean hub that serves makers, innovators, creatives and small business owners. Kudzai hosts Mari Podcast and blogs on personal finance and small business. She is a certified Business Advisor with Growth Wheel as well as an International Business Innovation Association Certified Hub Manager.
Historically, women have been excluded from these investments spaces from the perspective of culture and tradition and subdued incomes in comparison to men and low confidence levels and generally limited exposure.
However, this position is turning around because of greater openness, higher levels of education, and the lowering of barriers as indicated in many areas around the world, as most recently indicated in the appointment of a female Vice President in America, for example.
This development bodes well for young women who we expect to benefit from  exposed to the subject of capital markets at school level and this initiative also works in tandem with the whole STEM thrust at curriculum level for primary school and high school students.
SECZ in collaboration with financial inclusion partners, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, the Insurance Pensions Commission guided by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development are participating in curriculum review under the relevant ministry to ensure that young people are inducted in the workings of and later to participate in the capital markets for the economic development of the country.
Members of the public are invited to join upcoming investor education webinars, which will be advertised on social media. Visit Facebook and Twitter for updates: @seczim.
This article was written as part of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe ’s Investor Education Campaign in partnership with the Investor Protection Fund. For more information, please contact: seczim@seczim.co.zw
