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Mbulelo Mpofu, Features Reporter
THE turn of the new year provided many with a chance to map out New Year’s resolutions with renewed impetus and comedian and rural tourism champion, Carl Joshua Ncube is no exception.
His is a resolution to promote the country’s rural tourism which bodes well and aligns with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) which is aimed at realising the country’s economic blueprint, Vision 2030.
The Government’s Vision 2030 aims at growing the economy to become an upper middle-income economy characterised by increased investment, decent jobs and communities free from poverty and corruption.
Ncube wants to tap into the objectives of the Strategy and play his role of building the country under the mantra, “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo.”
These objectives include strengthening macroeconomic stability, characterised by low and stable inflation, as well as exchange rate stability; achieving and sustaining inclusive and equitable Real GDP growth; promoting new enterprise development, employment and job creation; strengthening social infrastructure and social safety nets; ensuring sustainable environmental protection and resilience; promoting good governance and corporate social investment and to modernise the economy through the use of ICT and digital technology.
Ncube is a seasoned celebrity chef who has flown the country’s flag high after being featured on the Best Ever Food Review Show (BEFRS) YouTube channel. His culinary skills led to the host of the popular gastronomic YouTube channel, paying a courtesy call in January last year.
Showcasing some of the finest cuisines taken from his cookbook titled, “Chikafu” Ncube took BEFRS’s host, American filmmaker Will “Sonny Side” Sonbuchnera and part of the production crew on a gastronomic excursion of Zimbabwean food.
Ncube has spearheaded a drive to promote food tourism in Zimbabwe and through his recipe book Chikafu, the comedian has managed to lure one of the biggest food review shows in the world.
His recipe book encourages eating home-cooked traditional meals.
Ncube said he intends to build his rural eatery as a way of promoting rural and food tourism.
“End of January we’ll start building our rural BnB. We’re shopping for materials for our rural hut that we want to build soon. We’re using this build as the template for the future of rural touriZim. We have been put as part of the UZ Innovation Hub to help build our rural BnB platform.
“I’ve always been fascinated with rural architecture from a tender age as my late dad was a woodwork, metalwork and technical graphics teacher. We’re using this building as the template of the future of rural touriZim,” Ncube said.
Vision 2030 created structures to help achieve set goals and one of those is architectural excellence, something that fascinates Ncube.
Last year, at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), the Second Republic under the guidance of President Mnangagwa commissioned UZ’s Innovation Hub.
UZ Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo said the University continued to make progress towards implementing its programme approach to research and innovation, underpinning the industrialisation thrust.
“The University of Zimbabwe has to date registered 21 start-up companies from its first cohort of graduates and students and these are at various phases of business development. A number of private and public companies are now also coming on board to begin to collaborate with the University Innovation Hub and also with the faculties to produce at large scale and commercialise goods and services that are coming from the research and innovation, but particularly from the start-up companies,” he said.
Ncube joins a list of patriotic Zimbabweans sprucing up the country’s image and these include Mr Takudzwa Mutepfa who is based in the diaspora.
Mr Mutepfa invested US$1 million in the construction of a massive cultural village in Lubangwe, Hwange District in Matabeleland North, complementing Government’s efforts to promote rural tourism.
If the country is to move forward, each and every Zimbabwean must play a role and it’s never too late for one to take their place and complement Government efforts to improve the citizens’ livelihoods. — @eMKlass_49
Online Reporter