WOMEN IN TOURISM ZIMBABWE PUSHES FOR BIGGER ROLE FOR WOMEN IN THE SECTOR

Women in Tourism Zimbabwe, the national chapter launched under the patronage of First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, continues to work toward getting more women into leadership roles across the country’s tourism industry, years after its official launch in Harare.

At the launch of the chapter, Mnangagwa urged women in the sector to work together rather than as individuals, warning that going it alone would hold them back. She also called on the chapter’s leaders to avoid corruption and to keep other women informed and included in decision-making. She said the platform was meant to give women the chance to run sustainable businesses of their own, creating jobs and supporting families in the process.

The push for women’s participation in tourism has continued to gain international attention. In late April this year, Zimbabwe co-hosted the second UN Tourism Regional Congress on Women’s Empowerment in Tourism in Africa, held in Victoria Falls from 29 April to 1 May, organised jointly with the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Organisers noted that although women make up around 69 percent of Africa’s hospitality workforce, they remain concentrated in lower-paid and informal jobs and are still underrepresented in executive positions. The congress focused on moving beyond basic empowerment efforts toward clearer leadership pathways for women in the sector.

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Nabeela Farida Tunis, who chairs the Women in Tourism Leadership Africa Committee, attended the congress and used the trip to launch a mentorship programme aimed at building leadership skills for women across the continent’s tourism industry. She also joined Zimbabwe’s Tourism Minister, Barbara Rwodzi, in a ministerial discussion on shaping tourism policy in ways that better serve women.

Training programmes on the ground have also been growing. A separate Women in Tourism Programme, run by the African Bush Camps Foundation, has trained 45 young women in Zimbabwe since 2023, with seven graduates going on to secure full-time jobs within the African Bush Camps group. Participants receive accredited hospitality training, paid workplace experience at a safari lodge, and mentorship, with a clear route into long-term careers in tourism. That programme has since expanded into Zambia as well.

Government messaging has echoed the same theme throughout the year. Zimbabwe’s tourism authorities marked Women’s Month by highlighting the role women play in the mainstream tourism sector under the banner “Women in Tourism.”

Together, these efforts point to a steady, if gradual, shift toward greater visibility and opportunity for women across Zimbabwe’s tourism industry, from community-level training programmes to high-level policy discussions on the continental stage.