Online Reporter
Conrad Mwanza
I believe Zimbabweans at home and across the diaspora should make a conscious effort to use and promote Air Zimbabwe.
Not simply because it is an airline that happens to operate from Zimbabwe.
Because it is ours.
Air Zimbabwe carries our flag, our name and our identity. When it succeeds, Zimbabwe succeeds. When it grows, the possibilities for Zimbabwean tourism, trade, investment and connectivity grow with it.
And there is a simple economic reality we sometimes overlook:
The more we use it, the stronger it can become.
We have to support what we want to grow
We all want better connectivity for Zimbabwe.
We want more routes.
We want more aircraft.
We want excellent customer service.
We want competitive fares.
We want Zimbabwe connected directly to the world’s major cities.
But growth requires demand.
The more passengers who choose Air Zimbabwe, the stronger the commercial case becomes for investment in aircraft, routes, technology, training and the overall customer experience.
That creates a positive cycle.
We use it. We promote it. It grows. It improves. We use it more.
This is how national assets become national champions.
Promote it when you fly it
And support doesn’t end when we buy a ticket. We live in the age of social media.
When you have a good experience on Air Zimbabwe, post about it.
Take the picture.
Share the journey.
Tag the airline.
Tell people about the service.
Recommend it to friends and family.
For some reason, we can sometimes be quicker to broadcast what is wrong with our country than what is working.
We should change that.
If something needs improving, of course we should say so constructively. Feedback is part of building a better airline.
But when something is good, we should be equally loud about it.
Every Zimbabwean with a social media account has the ability to become a small ambassador for Zimbabwe.
London-Harare is bigger than a flight
I particularly welcome the ambition around strengthening connectivity between London and Harare.
The UK is home to a significant Zimbabwean diaspora. Better connectivity between London and Harare is therefore not merely about tourism.
It is about families.
It is about business.
It is about investment.
It is about the movement of people, ideas and capital.
Every improvement in connectivity makes Zimbabwe a little easier to do business with.
Imagine a Zimbabwean entrepreneur or professional in London being able to get to Harare more easily for meetings, opportunities and investments.
Imagine international investors finding Zimbabwe easier to reach.
Imagine tourists having simpler access to Harare, Victoria Falls and the rest of our country.
Connectivity creates economic opportunity.
That is why successful national airlines can become important pieces of a country’s economic infrastructure.
The diaspora can help build this
I keep coming back to the Zimbabwean diaspora because I believe its potential is enormous.
We often think about diaspora contribution primarily through remittances. But it can be much bigger than that. The diaspora can invest. The diaspora can promote Zimbabwe.
The diaspora can bring knowledge and networks home. The diaspora can create businesses.
And the diaspora can deliberately support Zimbabwean companies.
When travelling home, consider our national airline where it makes sense.
When someone asks about travelling to Zimbabwe, mention Air Zimbabwe.
When you have a positive experience, share it.
These sound like small decisions.
But multiplied across hundreds of thousands of people, small decisions become economic power.
Imagine what Air Zimbabwe can become
I don’t think we should look only at the Air Zimbabwe of today.
We should think about the Air Zimbabwe we want to help create.
More aircraft.
More destinations.
More frequencies.
Better digital experiences.
Stronger customer service.
More Zimbabwean pilots, engineers, cabin crew and aviation professionals building careers.
And our flag appearing at more airports around the world. That should excite us.
Because every new route potentially creates another connection between Zimbabwe and an opportunity.
Supporting our own is part of the African Dream
There is a wider principle here that goes beyond aviation.
If we want strong African companies, Africans have to support African companies. If we want Zimbabwean brands to become regional and eventually global brands, Zimbabweans have to be among their first believers.
That doesn’t mean closing ourselves off from the world.
Quite the opposite.
I want Zimbabwe to welcome international airlines, international hotels, international investors and international companies.
Competition makes us better.
But while welcoming the world’s brands into Zimbabwe, we must also build Zimbabwean brands capable of going out into the world.
Air Zimbabwe should be one of them.
Our national Airline is our responsibility too
It is easy to think of Air Zimbabwe as somebody else’s responsibility.
The Government’s responsibility.
Management’s responsibility.
The aviation industry’s responsibility.
Of course, those institutions carry enormous responsibility for running and growing the airline.
But as Zimbabweans, we have a role too.
Our purchasing decisions matter.
Our recommendations matter.
Our social media posts matter.
Our feedback matters.
Our belief matters.
The more we support the airline, the more opportunity there is to reinvest, improve the experience and expand what Air Zimbabwe can offer.
I want the day to come when seeing Air Zimbabwe at Heathrow, Dubai, Johannesburg, Nairobi or anywhere else in the world is completely normal.
Not because we are asking anyone to support Zimbabwe out of sympathy.
But because we have built something competitive, respected and proudly Zimbabwean. So next time you are booking a journey and Air Zimbabwe is an option, give our national airline a look.
And when you have a good experience, tell somebody.
Use it. Promote it. Support it. Help it grow. Because ultimately, the Zimbabwean and African dream I believe in isn’t going to be built only by governments or big investors.
It will also be built through millions of everyday decisions by Africans choosing to believe in, invest in and promote what is ours.
Our flag deserves to fly around the world.
Conrad Mwanza is the author of The Zimbabwean Dream and Group CEO of Destiny Media Group
