The 2026 Lakeshore Business Leaders’ Summit officially opened at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi, with NICO Group occupying a prominent position as the event’s Lead Sponsor. Held under the theme “Leading with Purpose: Harnessing the Power of Transparency and Accountability,” the summit brings together the nation’s top executives and government officials to shape the future of Malawian enterprise.
NICO Group’s participation was far from ceremonial. True to its integrated “One NICO” identity spanning banking, insurance, investments, and technology, the Group embedded itself at the heart of the summit’s high-level proceedings from the very first session.
The NICO Group Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Kwanele Ngwenya set a confident tone early in the day by officially introducing the summit’s keynote speaker, Mr. Nyimpini Mabunda, a distinguished leadership strategist and transformation architect whose career spans more than 25 years of executive leadership across Africa and the United Kingdom.
Following the keynote address, there was a concern of forex misuse as private sectors generate forex, citing macadamia exports and information technology center generating $150 million last year. However, the Reserve Bank of Malawi’s policy of returning 30 percent of repatriated forex is a concern damaging exporters’ ability to scale their businesses. Kwanela Ngwenya called for concerned efforts to address the challenges.
The session brought a further demonstration of NICO’s prominence when Group leadership joined the Right Honourable Justice Dr. Jane Mayemu Ansah, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, on a tour of the exhibition pavilions. The occasion included media interviews highlighting the alignment between private-sector excellence and the national development agenda.
NICO Group’s presence at the 2026 Lakeshore Business Leaders’ Summit reinforces its standing not merely as a corporate sponsor, but as an active architect of Malawi’s economic future.