RBZ appoints digital ID advocate Innocent Matshe a...

RBZ appoints digital ID advocate Innocent Matshe as Deputy Governor

Zimbabwe can expect a more leaning towards digitisation for financial inclusion with the appointment of the just unveiled Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe deputy governor Dr Innocent Matshe.

“I have been advocating for digital IDs for a long time. Zimbabwe needs to digitalise its ID systems urgently. This will not only help financial inclusion but will assist in the 'leaving no one behind' agenda and data systems for development,” writes Innocent Matshe on his Twitter handle.

Financial inclusion is a big headache for Zimbabwe as it battles to regularise the large informal sector.

Effective digital ID systems would certainly help the current moves by the central bank to induce stability to the local currency.

Matshe replaces Dr Kupukile Mlambo who exited in June 2022 at the end of his tenure.

“RBZ congratulates Dr Innocent Matshe on his appointment as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe with effect from 1 October 2022. Dr Matshe brings in vast wealth of experience to RBZ.

“He is a highly specialized expert in applied and policy economic analysis and has a special inclination in micro-macroeconomic linkages and digital finance. His expertise will therefore greatly assist the Bank in his functional areas of Research, Administration and IT,” reads the announcement from the central bank

Matshe worked for African Economic Research Council for more than 10 years and was a director of training by the time he exited. The Kenya based outfit describes itself as an idea “to set up a framework for supporting sound economic research on themes of importance to the management of economies in Africa and make existing expertise available through experienced economists who could serve as resource persons to the researchers supported under the framework.”

It has a membership of 12 central banks including RBZ.

Matshe has also worked as a World Bank consultant, senior researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council (S.A) and has been chair of the Department of Economics at the University of Zimbabwe.

A statement posted by the central bank on Twitter on Thursday 13 October 2022 reads:

Matshe holds a Doctorate of Philosophy, Economics attained in 2000 from the University of Manchester.