Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve [email protected]
THE Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Monica Mutsvangwa, has arrived in Victoria Falls ahead of the launch of the Victoria Falls Arts and Crafts Cooperative Union.
Accompanied by the Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Richard Moyo, Minister Mutsvangwa upon arrival toured several curio markets where she interacted with various cooperatives operating in the resort city.
The launch follows a three-day capacity-building and policy dialogue workshop that ran under the theme of strengthening compliance, governance, and export readiness.
According to a concept note for the programme, arts and crafts are a key economic driver and leading export sector in Matabeleland North, particularly in Victoria Falls, which is Zimbabwe’s premier tourism destination and gateway to regional and international markets.
The sector supports livelihoods through stone and wood carving, basket weaving, painting, and textile beadwork.
However, most primary cooperatives have been operating in isolation without a unifying Cooperative Union as provided for under the Cooperative Act [Chapter 24:05].
The concept note identifies critical challenges including low compliance with the mandatory 5 percent annual contribution to the Cooperative Development Fund, fragmented operations, limited export knowledge, transport and logistics constraints, poor product standardisation, and weak bargaining power.
“If these challenges are not urgently addressed, the sector will continue to operate informally, resulting in lost revenue to the state and weakened cooperative sustainability,” reads the concept note.
The overall objective of the programme is to establish, register, and officially launch a fully compliant, functional, and market-oriented Arts and Crafts Cooperative Union in Victoria Falls.
The programme seeks to further enforce statutory compliance, building capacity in governance and exports, facilitating direct engagement with regulatory authorities such as ZIMRA, ZimTrade, SAZ, and EMA, and promoting arts and crafts through exhibitions.
Eleven primary cooperatives, including Lugwasyano Women’s Cooperative, Zambezi Art and Crafts, Sinathankayu Arts and Crafts, and Chinotimba Stone and Wood, are set to form the Union, representing hundreds of artisans.
