What Moyo will focus on as IBA president

NEW president of the International Bar Association (IBA), Sternford Moyo, will use his tenure to focus on issues to do with corruption, cyber security and how strategies in extractive industries can meet the needs of investors and the developmental rights of communities in which the investment takes place.

While Moyo will be doing this on the international stage, the issues he will focus on are also pertinent in his home country, Zimbabwe.

Fighting the corruption scourge is a key focus area for the Zimbabwe Government. The country is ranked lowly at 158 out of 180 countries, according to the 2020 Corruption Perception Index.

Government puts upholding the rule of law and combating corruption as key tenets of the National Development Strategy 1.

It also lists corruption as a major stumbling block in the delivery of public services and vows to implement the anti-corruption strategy and enforcement of assets forfeiture.

Another focus area for Moyo is that of cyber security.

According to the statement released by IBA, Moyo outlined cyber security at private and public institutions as one of his “additional objectives” as IBA president.

He will focus on cybersecurity “with the aim of working towards developing best practice guidelines for a new global framework for public institutions and private companies.”

This is at a time the Zimbabwe government has said promulgation of the Cyber Security Act will be prioritised during the NDS1 period in order to ensure Increased Consumer Satisfaction and protection on use of ICTs.

Another issue on Moyo’s agenda is that of extractive industries.

The extractive industry can be defined as processes that involve different activities that lead to the extraction of raw materials from the earth (such as oil, metals, mineral and aggregates), processing and utilization by consumers.

With good governance and transparent management, the revenues from extractive industries can have an impact on reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity, while respecting community needs and the environment.

According to World Bank, the extractive industries sector plays a dominant economic, social and political role in the lives of 3.5 billion people living in 81 countries, 51 of which are now compliant with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a global standard for transparency and accountability.

However, many of these countries, including Zimbabwe, still face a myriad of challenges, such as resource dependency and weak governance.

According to IBA, Moyo said he will focus on “updating guidance and recommendations regarding the extractive industries so that current strategies meet investor protection and developmental rights of the communities where the investment takes place.”

Meanwhile, Moyo is the first IBA President of African descent in the history of the 74-year-old organisation. He succeeds Brazil’s Horacio Bernardes Neto with a twoyear tenure through to 31 December 2022.

Moyo’s professional career has seen him hold a variety of leadership positions, including having been a bar leader in Zimbabwe and in Southern Africa, and corporate leader in mining, manufacturing, financial services and leadership development.

As Senior Partner in Scanlen and Holderness, a large corporate law practice established in 1894, Moyo specialises in mining, corporate and commercial law.

At IBA, Moyo will be deputised by Almudena Arpón de Mendívil from Spain.