Mutare – The Zimbabwe Council of Copyrights (ZICCO) will take its Annual General Meeting to Mutare on November 14, with financial transparency topping the agenda as the organisation pushes its decentralisation drive.

The Mutare meeting will be the first time the copyright body has held its AGM in Manicaland, a move the organisation says is meant to take governance to members outside Harare and Bulawayo.

Finance Director Dickson Mhizha said his department is finalising financial reports that will be tabled before members for scrutiny.

He said accountability remains at the heart of ZICCO’s operations as it scales up welfare and operational programmes.

“Transparency is at the core of ZICCO’s principles, and our members deserve to know how their organisation is performing financially. As always, I am ready to share the organisation’s financials with our members,” Mhizha said.

“My department is busy preparing the reports for all to see.”

Chief Executive Officer Tafadzwa Masembura said taking the AGM to Mutare is part of ZICCO’s alignment with Government’s devolution agenda.

Masembura said after setting up offices in Bulawayo and holding last year’s AGM there, the organisation has now opened new offices in Masvingo and Mutare following recommendations by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media and Broadcasting Services for collective management organisations to spread their footprint across provinces.

“As an organisation, we will follow and complement Government policies. That is why, for the past two years, we have been devolving to hold our key programmes and meetings in different parts of the country,” he said.

The Mutare AGM is expected to shape ZICCO’s 2027 expansion plan, with the organisation keen to grow its membership beyond its traditional bases. Masembura said while Harare and Bulawayo still account for the bulk of members, Gweru has a considerable following, while Masvingo and Mutare are emerging centres.

He urged members to turn up in large numbers to participate in decision making.

“Members must prepare for the AGM and come in their numbers because this is their organisation. Their voices matter, and they must take an active role in determining how they want it to be run,” he said.

Ahead of the AGM, ZICCO has launched a membership blitz in Manicaland, cutting its registration fee to US$5, inclusive of a membership card, until November 10. The discounted fee gives artists access to royalties, funeral cover, legal assistance and medical aid.

The drive is being spearheaded by veteran music promoter and artist manager Tobias Kusano, a former ZICCO board member, who is mobilising creatives across the province.

“Artists are jumping at the opportunity to be formally represented by a collective management organisation which has proved to have their interests at heart since its inception three years ago. We are registering not only music rights holders in Mutare, but across the whole province, including remote areas,” Kusano said.

ZICCO, which was established in 2023, represents artists, composers, music producers and arts associations. Its mandate includes royalty collection and distribution, copyright awareness, licensing and legal support.

This year’s AGM is running under the theme “Protecting Creativity, Powering the Future” and is expected to focus on financial accountability, member participation and the organisation’s national growth strategy as it seeks to bring more creatives into the formal copyright system.