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Joseph Madzimure-Senior Reporter
The Brand Zimbabwe campaign will be launched on Monday in Harare to improve the perception of the country internally and externally and to attract investors and tourists.
The programme is expected to start at 2pm at Celebration Centre in northern Harare.
All Government Ministers, permanent secretaries, commissioners, members of the council of chiefs, judiciary, parastatal boards and management, the business community, heads of industry and commerce, leaders of religious organisations, tourism associations, vice chancellors from universities, youth leaders, representatives of political parties in Zimbabwe and senior Government officials are expected to take part.
The Brand Zimbabwe launch was delayed owing to the need to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking in Harare yesterday, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa said preparations were progressing well for the launch.
“The decision was made to postpone then,” she said. “You recall that the whole world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and Zimbabwe was not spared. This further delayed the start of the project as the nation mobilised energy and resources for saving lives under threat from this pandemic.
“I am happy as a bearer of the good news that initiative has been revived and preparations for the launch are actually progressing very well.”
Minister Mutsvangwa stressed that the case for branding cannot be overemphasised, saying it was common cause that a strong and positive country brand both domestic and international will attract tourists, investors, students and visitors to the country.
“We envisaged that this initiative and exercise would help our country to plan, brand, and position itself in the minds of our citizens, international stakeholders and global customers,” she said.
“It is our fervent hope that at the end of it all, our country will be there to put ourselves on the map, with a positive identity and high quality in it. You can also see that the Brand Zimbabwe project neatly dovetails with the Second Republic’s policy thrust of engagement and re-engagement.”
The policy, Minister Mutsvangwa said, highlighted the re-affirmation as enunciated in the National Development Strategy 1, which provides that under the image building, international engagement and re-engagement cluster, the Second Republic would undertake to improve the country’s perception, the country’s image, the branding and promoting international relations that allow the country to take its right place in the community of nations.
“You must remember that our image suffered from the backlash of the Western nations as they reacted with utter hostility to the implementation of the land reform programme, resulting in that backlash from the international community, imposing of illegal sanctions to our country which caused a lot of pain on our people,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
She said the process of branding Zimbabwe was meant to spruce up the image of the country and make it an attractive tourism and investment destination.
The pursuit of a positive brand was an indispensable marketing tool in the globalised village.
“This agenda of growing national prosperity requires new identity as well as best methods in our national work style,” she said. “Branding helps shape ourselves as a country. It reflects who we are and what we are aspiring to be and beyond.”
This endeavour, Minister Mutsvangwa said, was a collective response requiring everyone’s intervention.
“Zimbabwe is open for business, true to his mantra, His Excellency President Mnangagwa is going further with development of this nation,” she said. “He is committed to his mantra that no one and no place shall be left behind.”
Online Reporter