Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia – NCZ has announced the appointment of William Mwale as its new Chief Executive Officer – CEO.
The board of directors of NCZ announced the appointment of William Mwale as CEO on 27 August, 2020. In a statement availed to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Board Chairperson Dr. Chitundu Kasase, told Mwale to turn around NCZ as he has the requisite expertise and skills.
Dr. Kasase stated that prior to his appointment, Mwale worked as the interim NCZ CEO, on secondment from Indeni Petroleum Refinery Limited. The new CEO has more than 20 years of experience in processing plants having worked at Indeni Petroleum Refinery Limited, Water Engineering Limited and at Lafarge Zambia.
The board has urged Mwale to turn around the company into viable commercial enterprise by driving transformation from within, particularly in areas of cost reduction, innovation, market repositioning and internal restructuring.
Dr. Kasase assured Mwale that the board will render its full support to continued growth of the business and to ensuring that NCZ rebuilds its brand and strategically re-position itself as a premier fertilizer and chemical manufacture.
In addition, the board is confident, that with this appointment, the growth trajectory that NCZ has embarked on will be sustained.
NCZ has experienced challenges to source for financing to revamp and update its fertilizer and Chemical manufacturing plant and technology owing largely to unbridled competition from imports.
Zambia in October and November 2019 experience steep depreciation of the Kwacha following massive imports in both fertilizers and fuel. This scenario has prompted stakeholders to look at viable ways to stem forex outflows by re-energizing local fertilizer and biofuel production.
Concerned citizens have however warned that the current importers and transporters of fertilizers are working flat out to frustrate efforts to successfully increase local production.
Mwale has a daunting task to first secure financing to upgrade the NCZ manufacturing plant before he and the NCZ management team can look to challenge the lucrative import trading in fertilizers. It remains to be seen if Mwale will be able to make a difference.
