Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
ZIMBABWE and Zambia have reaffirmed their shared commitment to safeguarding the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site while unlocking its potential as a driver of socio-economic development through community empowerment and entrepreneurship.
The two countries are hosting a Capacity-Building Workshop and Field Project on Entrepreneurship around World Heritage in Africa, which commenced in Victoria Falls yesterday with a call for communities to benefit meaningfully from the iconic Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls.
The workshop, organised by the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) in partnership with the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), ZimParks, and the Zambia National Heritage Conservation Commission, has brought together heritage practitioners, traditional leaders, community representatives, and entrepreneurs from across the region.
Speaking at the opening session, Professor Never Muboko, representing the Director-General of ZimParks, said the initiative builds on the Mosi-oa-Tunya Declaration on World Heritage and Sustainable Development in Africa of April 2025.
“This workshop is a timely initiative that reaffirms our shared commitment to safeguarding heritage while unlocking its potential as a driver of socio-economic development.
“For Zimbabwe, this is not only about conservation, but also about empowering communities, fostering entrepreneurship, and ensuring that heritage contributes meaningfully to Vision 2030 and the aspirations of our people,” he said.
Prof Muboko emphasised the initiative aligns with Zimbabwe’s national development agenda of ensuring that no place and no one is left behind as the nation strives to achieve an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
The workshop, running from Monday to Thursday, is designed to strengthen the capacity of local communities and stakeholders to design, develop, and implement sustainable heritage-based enterprises that improve livelihoods while safeguarding the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage Site.
The AWHF Workshop Coordinator, Ms Rim Kelouaze, outlined the programme’s objectives, saying the initiative aims to build entrepreneurial capacity, particularly among youth and women, and strengthen understanding of the relationship between World Heritage, local livelihoods, and sustainable development.
Ms Kelouaze said the workshop positions entrepreneurship as a practical mechanism for connecting conservation, community benefit, and sustainable local development.
The programme combines technical sessions, field-based observation, stakeholder engagement, and business concept development, culminating in investment-ready proposals that will receive follow-up support, including mentoring and potential seed funding.
Zambezi River Authority’s director for projects and dam management services, Eng Sithembinkosi Mhlanga, represented by Mr Phillip Ziduche, Environment Health and Safety Manager, said the workshop demonstrates the power of collaboration in transforming shared commitment into practical actions.
“This workshop is one of the practical outcomes of the partnership between the African World Heritage Fund and the Zambezi River Authority under the Sustainable Development Programme for the Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site
“It demonstrates that through collaboration, we can transform our shared commitment to heritage conservation, sustainable development, and community empowerment into practical actions that deliver tangible benefits for both people and heritage,” said Mr Ziduche.
He further highlighted that as preparations continue for the Batoka Gorge Hydro-Electric Scheme, initiatives such as this workshop reaffirm the authority’s commitment to ensuring that infrastructure development is pursued responsibly through meaningful stakeholder engagement with UNESCO, heritage institutions, traditional leaders, and local communities.
Traditional leaders from both sides of the Zambezi, including Chiefs Hwange and Mvuthu from Zimbabwe, and His Royal Highness Chief Musokotwane, Minister Chief Mukuni, and His Royal Highness Chief Sekute from Zambia, graced the occasion, underscoring the vital role of traditional leadership in safeguarding shared heritage and guiding community development.
The workshop is expected to produce at least four business concepts during the workshop and follow-up phase, with at least two community-based initiatives selected and supported through seed funding.
Participants will engage in field visits and practical project development to explore innovative models of heritage-based entrepreneurship.
“The success of the workshop will be measured by its ability to translate World Heritage values into practical, responsible, and locally beneficial enterprise opportunities,” said Ms Kelouaze.
The workshop reflects the broader policy framework, including the 2015 Policy Document on integrating sustainable development into World Heritage processes, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the 2016 Ngorongoro Declaration on safeguarding African World Heritage as a driver of sustainable development.
