Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe in Masvingo
The potential listing of Air Zimbabwe on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) or Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX) could provide a new funding avenue for the national airline while strengthening the country’s tourism growth strategy, Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SECZ) acting chief executive Mr Tichaona Mushambadope has said.
Mr Mushambadope said a strong and functional airline was critical to expanding Zimbabwe’s tourism sector, particularly as the country seeks to attract more international visitors and investment.
“One of the key components in terms of growth of the tourism sector is a functional airline and to create a functional airline from our won resources can be tricky but one of the options can be the listing of Air Zimbabwe on either the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange or Victoria Falls Stock Exchange,” Mr Mushambadope told The Chronicle on the sidelines of the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Investment Forum in Masvingo.
A listing could potentially allow the airline to mobilise domestic and foreign capital while broadening public participation in its growth and restructuring.
The proposal also places the capital markets at the centre of Zimbabwe’s tourism development strategy, with a stronger national carrier potentially improving connectivity to key tourism destinations.
The VFEX, with its US-dollar trading platform, could offer Air Zimbabwe an additional avenue to tap hard-currency capital, while a ZSE listing would widen access to local investors.
The proposal comes as Government seeks to leverage tourism as a major source of foreign currency, investment and employment.
