Antony Chawagarira
HARARE – Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi has been nominated for the Unstoppable Cabinet Minister of the Year award, placing Zimbabwe among the African countries whose ministers are being recognised for their contributions to national development.
Minister Rwodzi is among 10 African ministers shortlisted for the continental award, which recognises government leaders whose policies and administrative interventions are cited as having contributed to transformation in their respective sectors.
The Unstoppable African Awards recognise Africans working across various fields, including governance, business, education, healthcare, innovation, diplomacy, humanitarian work, culture, sports, and public service.
According to the award citation, the Cabinet Minister of the Year category recognises ministers for “bold administrative reforms, transparent policy implementation, and high-impact national infrastructure or social development blueprints.”
Minister Rwodzi’s nomination comes after she was recognised as the top-performing minister in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s 2025 Cabinet earlier this year.
Her nomination also comes at a time when Zimbabwe is positioning tourism as a key pillar of economic growth, with the sector increasingly contributing to foreign currency generation, employment creation, and investment.
Under the Second Republic, the government has been promoting tourism development through investment promotion, destination marketing, infrastructure development, and the diversification of tourism products as part of efforts to grow the national economy.
Zimbabwe’s tourism sector has also received international recognition through two recent accolades, further raising the country’s profile as a tourism destination.
The latest nomination adds to the recognition of Zimbabwe’s tourism sector and comes as the government seeks to harness the industry’s potential to support the attainment of Vision 2030.
The Unstoppable African Awards are intended to spotlight African leaders and changemakers whose work is considered to contribute to social and economic development through innovative approaches and transformative initiatives.
Minister Rwodzi’s nomination, therefore, places Zimbabwe in a broader continental field of government ministers being considered for recognition under the awards.
