Ministers meet over KAZA

Herald Reporter

Government ministers from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana responsible for coordinating operations of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) met in Katima Mulilo, Namibia, on Thursday to reflect on how the joint efforts in the development and management of the area are progressing.

Zimbabwe was represented by Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Deputy Minister Barbara Rwodzi.

The ministers noted significant impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism industry as the private sector, local communities and all sectors of the nations were negatively impacted.

Through KAZA, funding has been mobilised to support mitigation of the Covid-19 impacts.

The four countries said they remained committed to regionally-intergrated approaches to supporting recovery of the tourism sector and were commited to diversification as a strategy for a resilient tourism industry in KAZA.

To this end, the member States are advancing works on tourism branding and corporate identity, destination marketing activities, and establishment of the Great KAZA Birding Route, which among other initiatives, will help to better undertake the joint marketing of KAZA.

They reaffirmed the commitment to the KAZA vision, underpinned by the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations through the approval of key strategic documents to inform work of the member States.

As KAZA member States, ministers said they will continue to foster joint responsibilities in promoting sustainable management and use of natural resources.

They will work to continue to identify opportunities and implement measures that enable local communities, as custodians, to legitimately benefit from these resources.

The meeting was also attended by Namibian Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta, Zambian Minister of Tourism Rhodney Sikumba, Botswana Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism Philda Nani Kereng, and other officials from the member States.