ICAZ Winter School 2026: charting the profession's path to AI-enabled finance
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ) · Professional bodies · Zimbabwe
The challenge
ICAZ invited Berachah Global to join Breakout A, Panel Discussion 2, “AI & Digital Transformation”, at its Winter School 2026, held at Elephant Hills Resort, Victoria Falls, from 30 July to 2 August 2026. Under the theme “Charting New Frontiers: Resilience, Innovation & Sustainable Value”, the Institute wanted its members to move beyond awareness of AI to a clear view of what it means for the finance function, and what finance leaders should do about it.
Our approach
Our AI and Digital Transformation Lead, Tapiwa Manjengwa, delivered “Driving strategic transformation and value creation in the finance function”, built in three parts. The imperative. Why AI, why now, and why Africa: the converging forces behind adoption, Africa's AI market growing to an estimated USD 16.5 billion by 2030, the continent's born-digital payment rails and young workforce, and an honest look at the infrastructure constraint. The agentic shift. How finance moves from automation to augmentation to agency, what AI agents are and how they work, a worked intercompany-reconciliation example, and the five finance domains where measurable value lands: close and reconciliation, accounts payable, FP&A, treasury, and financial crime and AML/KYC. The playbook. A readiness test built on the semantic layer (“one definition of revenue before any agent executes”), a 24-month roadmap from foundation to autonomous finance, an ROI formula with a 17-KPI dictionary, and the people side of transformation: why most organisations deploy AI but few capture significant value, the hidden 90% of the work, and the six ways AI initiatives fail. Throughout, we kept the focus on what chartered accountants own: data definitions, governance, controls and the measurement of value.
The results
The session gave ICAZ members a practical framework they can take back to their organisations, from a first semantic-layer audit to a measured pilot. In a letter of appreciation, ICAZ Chief Executive Officer William T. Mandisodza said the perspectives on AI adoption, transformation strategy and leadership resonated strongly with participants and stimulated meaningful discussion, and that our ability to make complex technology practical and relevant to the profession contributed significantly to the overall success of the Winter School. “Your contribution brought immense value to our delegates.” — William T. Mandisodza, Chief Executive Officer, ICAZ
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