Tinotenda Mhiko, chief executive officer of the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority, has been named Overall Best Performer for CEOs of Commercial State-Owned Enterprises in the President’s Award for Performance Excellence category.
The award was presented at the Performance Contracts Signing and Awards Ceremony held at the Harare International Conference Centre in Harare on Monday, recognising Mhiko’s leadership and commitment to performance-driven management.
This marks the third consecutive time Mhiko has received the accolade, highlighting sustained leadership at the state-owned agricultural enterprise.
Mhiko has earned several honours for his role in transforming Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector. In 2024, he won the prestigious Africa Food Prize, presented during the Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.
Congratulating him at the time, Emmerson Mnangagwa said the award recognised efforts to advance food security and strengthen agricultural systems across the continent.
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Mhiko received a US$100 000 prize as part of the award, in recognition of his role in promoting strategic irrigation initiatives aimed at improving sustainable agricultural practices and transforming Zimbabwe’s food systems.
With more than 15 years of experience across 10 African countries, Mhiko has been credited with spearheading reforms and innovation within ARDA.
Under his leadership, the authority has expanded programmes to boost national food production and strengthen Zimbabwe’s grain reserves. ARDA is also implementing initiatives to revive more than 460 irrigation schemes through partnerships between government and the private sector.
In addition, the authority is working towards establishing approximately 35 000 village business units, including school and youth business units, under the V30 Accelerator Model aimed at driving rural industrialisation and agricultural productivity.
Mhiko has also received recognition for corporate leadership. In 2023, he was named CEO of the Year at the CEO Africa Roundtable Awards for his role in transforming the parastatal.
During the same period, ARDA was recognised as the best-performing parastatal at both the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show.
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