The 2026 Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Group Human Capital Conference officially opened today at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka, bringing together Human Capital leaders and practitioners from across the IDC Group under the theme, "Building One Integrated Human Capital Ecosystem Across the IDC Group."
Guest of honour and IDC Board Member, Mrs. Victoria Mupwaya, described the conference as a long-awaited platform for establishing a more cohesive approach to Human Capital reporting and accountability across the Group, in the same way the Group approaches financial reporting.
Mrs. Mupwaya said the Board's objective was to improve Group-wide visibility, strengthen compliance, and align people and organisational capabilities to business priorities. She urged practitioners to move beyond administering people processes and become strategic partners to business, strengthening succession planning and building a culture of performance and accountability.
IDC Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Cornwell Muleya, said the conference was a strategic platform for aligning Human Capital with the transformation and sustained performance of IDC portfolio companies, anchored in the IDC Transformation Strategic Plan (2024–2033) and Government's Grow Zambia Agenda.
Mr. Muleya outlined sector-specific priorities across the Group's energy, agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing and transport companies, and said that Human Capital leaders must have a seat at the table on strategy and organisational capability, driving a shift in culture under the principle of "One Group, One Purpose and One Ecosystem."
Meanwhile, IDC Chief Human Capital Officer, Mr. Owen Kabanda, said the conference marked the beginning of building an integrated ecosystem across 36 companies in 12 sectors, with a combined workforce of over 20,000 employees.
Mr. Kabanda added that the Group must now develop common standards, share talent and expertise, strengthen governance, and report on its people as a Group.
He thanked the Board and CEO for their support and said the three days must produce concrete outputs, including a 12-month implementation roadmap.
The conference, which began today, 23 September 2026, runs until Friday, 25 September 2026.
