Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
The Municipality of Kariba has begun crafting a new five-year strategic plan that will guide the resort town’s development from 2026 to 2030 with a focus on strengthening tourism, improving service delivery and addressing long-standing energy challenges.
The planning workshop, being held in Harare, brought together councillors, municipal management, government officials and representatives from the business and religious communities.
The review comes as the town concludes its 2020–2025 strategic cycle. In an interview, Kariba Mayor Councillor Ralph Maoneyi, said the new plan would build on the successes of the past five years while addressing gaps in infrastructure, energy supply and investment attraction.
“We are reflecting on how far we have gone in pursuing our vision to become the ultimate tourism destination embedded in a thriving local community,” he said.
“We are also reviewing how accessible our services have been and how we supported tourism growth.”
Clr Maoneyi said the municipality would channel much of its budget towards capital projects and infrastructure development to complement private sector investment in hotels, conference facilities and other amenities.
“Our trajectory is not divorced from our previous direction. We still want to be a growing tourism hub and create a thriving environment for our people,” he said.
“The energy issue has been a major problem over the past five years, and it is now a priority area in our strategic thinking.”
The mayor said Kariba’s budget for the coming year stands at US$15 million, with expectations of steady growth as the town expands and attracts more investment.
Acting District Development Coordinator, Mr Takura Mahanzu, said the five-day workshop was part of efforts to align local authority plans with the national Vision 2030 agenda.
This strategic meeting is meant to review progress under the National Development Strategy 1 and prepare for NDS2, which feeds into the national vision of achieving an upper middle-income economy by 2030,” he said.
“Local authorities are the custodians of service delivery and they must develop plans that ensure quality services for their residents.
“The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works will continue to provide guidance and oversight.”
He said the workshop was being facilitated by consultants from the Public Service Commission and would result in a comprehensive document to guide Kariba’s operations and development priorities up to 2030.
Kariba Business Community secretary, Mr Nomana Mbabvu, urged the Government to support boosting local enterprise and enhancing tourism standards in the resort town.
“We are part of this strategy from 2025 to 2030, and we are asking the Government to promote local businesses and investment,” he said.
“Kariba needs more visitors, more activity, and improved standards so that money circulates within the local economy.”
The new plan is expected to position Kariba as a key tourism and investment hub, complementing Zimbabwe’s broader economic transformation agenda under Vision 2030.
