Victoria Falls Special Economic Zone concept under scrutiny

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

VARIOUS stakeholders from Government and private sector are meeting in Victoria Falls to interrogate the Victoria Falls Special Economic Zone (SEZ) feasibility study as efforts to operationalise the tourism corridor intensify.

Last year Government started crafting a blueprint to guide operationalization of the greater Victoria Falls SEZ and Cabinet approved the Integrated Development Programme/Conceptual Development Framework for the Victoria Falls-Hwange-Binga SEZ whose idea is to integrate economic activities, catapult growth and improve livelihoods in the province.

The SEZ will help create a tourism corridor stretching from Kazungula west of Victoria Falls, to Hwange, Binga, Sijalila and Kariba, including areas around Lake Gwayi-Shangani in Hwange.

Government wants to make Victoria Falls its tourism capital and the Second Republic has deliberately focused its priorities to the resort city and developments especially in the tourism sector, including plans to come up with Masue and Batoka cities are testimony to that.

Government established and appointed Mosi-oa-Tunya Development Company to spearhead tourism infrastructure development in the SEZ, including Masue City, about 10km outside the existing city centre and the company has been conducting a feasibility study with assistance of Old Mutual.

Mosi-oa-Tunya company is under the Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Ministry, which organized the SEZ feasibility study validation workshop.

In her keynote address, Tourism Minister deputy Minister Barbara Rwodzi said the SEZ is one of the key projects that President Mnangagwa has given priority as it will also unlock potential of tourism towards Vision 2030.

 

“Government envisions the Victoria Falls SEZ to become a competitive tourism destination and as Ministry we have now to move to mortar and brick stage in 2022,” she said.