Vusumuzi Dube
Simba Jemwa, Online Reporter
THE Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcast Services, Monica Mutsvangwa has urged ambassadors accredited to different parts of the world to use their offices and contacts to market Brand Zimbabwe as engagement and re-engagement efforts continue.
Minister Mutsvangwa was speaking to the diplomatic community that was gathered for the ongoing Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s Senior Management and Ambassadors Retreat that is being held at a Bulawayo hotel today.
“This event also comes on the backdrop of the recently launched Brand Zimbabwe Project aimed at re-asserting our true identity and restoring the country’s position on the international stage through a positive and high-quality image. My presentation this morning will focus on the Brand Zimbabwe project and how its success hinges on the diplomatic community,” said Minister Mutsvangwa as she addressed the diplomats and Foreign Ministry senior management.
“On 5 September, 2022 the Government of Zimbabwe launched the Brand Zimbabwe project whose initiative is to portray a new Zimbabwe under a new political culture and industrious workmanship. The Brand Zimbabwe initiative signalled a re-commitment of the Second Republic’s promise to re-curate and project our true national image. That rebranding drive which includes engagement and re-engagement is creating new opportunities for partnerships and new friendships,” she also told the delegates at the retreat.
The Minister also said: “We are meeting today with you, our country’s top diplomats, those who have the responsibility of defending and promoting all the aspects of our country, politics, defence, security, culture, investments and trade relations, to mention but a few. Our friends, potential partners, foes, and all those that are interested in the country come to you first before they land in our country. You are the first image of the country that they encounter, and as such we will often be judged or commended through you.”
Minister Mutsvangwa said ambassadors bear a special responsibility in promoting and maintaining a strong brand for the country. She acknowledged that they deal with Zimbabweans in the diaspora who also have a special role in the Brand Zimbabwe exercise.
“Brand Zimbabwe cannot be achieved without your serious engagement and commitment. The Ministry of Information hopes to establish a strong partnership with you to package attractive investment information for the development and prosperity of the people of Zimbabwe. This should be fairly easy to do, considering the policies and strides of the Second Republic.
“At present, Domestic and Foreign Direct Investment is breathing a new entrepreneurial ethic across the length and breadth of our country. Our bountiful mineral resources are exciting and attracting the attention of world class corporate boardrooms. Who could have dreamt that Tsingshan Holdings Group, ranked number 238 on the Fortune 500 conglomerates would establish a full carbon steel ecosystem in Zimbabwe?”
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter