TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
Ambassadors should take the responsibility to promote and maintain Brand Zimbabwe in a bid to promote economic development and create relations with other countries, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said.
Monica Mutsvangwa made the remarks while addressing senior management and ambassadors attending the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s retreat and strategic planning review meeting in Bulawayo last week.
“Needless to say that you bear a special responsibility in promoting and maintaining a strong brand for our country. You often deal with Zimbabweans in the diaspora that have a special role in the Brand Zimbabwe exercise. Brand Zimbabwe cannot be achieved without your serious engagement and commitment,” Mutsvangwa said.
She said her ministry hopes to establish a strong partnership with ambassadors to package attractive investment information for the development and prosperity of the people of Zimbabwe.
This, Mutsvangwa said, should be easy to do, “considering the policies and strides of the Second Republic”.
Brand Zimbabwe was launched in September this year and is meant to enhance the country’s domestic and international appeal to investors and tourists.
The tourism sector is on the rebound following two difficult years due to Covid-19 lockdowns that disrupted business in 2020 and 2021.
In Zimbabwe, tourist arrivals have been on the rise and are expected to accelerate as the world moves towards the festive season.
Mutsvangwa said local and international investors were pouring millions of dollars into the country.
“Our bountiful mineral resources are exciting and attract the attention of world class corporate boardrooms. Who could have dreamt that Tsingshan Holdings Group, ranked number 238 on the Fortune 500 conglomerates would establish a full carbon steel ecosystem in Zimbabwe?
“It started with ferrochrome furnaces in Selous on the Great Dyke. The next step was the Dinson coke batteries from thermal coal in Hwange, Matabeleland North province and the final stage is the Manhize carbon steel blast furnaces in Mvuma, Midlands Province.
She said Zimbabwe’s national branding will also help it to position and reposition itself as part of an overall national economic development strategy whose ethos hinges on its ability to attract foreign investment, tourists, export markets, skilled human resources, among others.
