As Zimbabwe’s economy continue to recover some multi- national companies and investors are now heading to the once breadbasket of Africa. SONY Gulf FZE, the regional headquarters for Sony Corporation Japan, has opened its first exclusive Sony store in Zimbabwe through a strategic alliance with Innscor Africa group’s TV Sales & Home brand. The Sony store will provide customers with a unique destination to explore the complete Sony experience.

The official opening of the brand store was attended by Sony Gulf general manager Mr Hiroshi Kikuchi, deputy director Mr Dinakaran Munaswamy, deputy general manager, area sales and marketing Sony Gulf, Mr Bhop and Mr Sean Gorringe from Innscor.

Speaking at the launch of the new showroom along Samora Machel Avenue, Mr Kikuchi said: “This Sony store will showcase all our latest products and technologies and also provide an opportunity for entertainment content such as movies, music, games to be demonstrated and experienced.

ZIMBABWE is set to host the 2012 Africa Travel Association (ATA) annual congress in the resort town of Victoria Falls, giving the country an opportunity to market its key attractions to the world.

Some 300 delegates are expected to attend the meeting in May, among them tourism ministers from the continent, tourism board heads, private sector leaders, travel industry professionals, including product buyers and sellers, travel trade media, scholars as well as African Diaspora leaders.

“It is indeed an honor to be the proud host of the ATA’s 2012 World Congress. The 37th annual Congress in Zimbabwe will afford the delegates an opportunity to experience our many attractions.” Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi said.“We look forward to telling our story about Zimbabwe, A World of Wonders.”

The French consortium which has been granted a licence by the Zimbabwean government to build a US$3 billion thermal power plant in the country is in the process of finalising preparations to commence construction.

Revealing this to New Ziana, energy and power development minister Elton Mangoma said that when complete, the 2,000MW project which was being rolled out over the next four years was expected to alleviate the country’s worsening power woes.

Currently, the country’s sole power utility, Zesa Holdings, is producing about 1,400MW against a national demand of over 2,000MW per day, leaving a shortfall which has to be imported.

THE Inter-ministerial Committee on the 2013 UN World Tourism Organisation General Assembly to be held in Victoria Falls has officially launched the Local Organising Committee. An official in the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity, Dr Ivanhoe Gurira said in a statement last week that the inter-ministerial committee chaired by Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Rtd Col Christian Katsande outlined the mandate of the local committee.

The committee would have its sub-committees.”Mainstream and align local development plans of Victoria Falls with works and programmes towards the hosting of the UN WTO General Assembly and to familiarise the inter-ministerial committee members with the site recommended for the construction of the Convention Centre and its integral ancillary facilities,” said Dr Gurira.

In its first meeting on December 13 last year, Dr Gurira said the inter-ministerial committee constituted eight sub-committees to carry out preparations for the co-hosting of the 2013 UN WTO General Assembly.
There would be a committee on resource mobilisation chaired by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion.

The Zimbabwe RBZ governor Gideon Gono (pictured with Finance minister Tendai Biti) reiterates that Zimbabwe will reintroduce the local currency to circulate along with other foreign units.

He says “no economy can survive without its own currency. When I talk of reintroduction of local currency, it doesn’t have to be the Zimbabwean Dollar, but whatever we decide, we need it so that we are not prone to factors in economies we have no control over.

Gono also gave assurances that the domestic financial sector is safe and sound despite facing numerous financial and economic challenges.

From next month, Emirates will launch a five-times-a-week transcontinental service linking Harare, Lusaka, Dubai and the UAE.

Tourism, which relies heavily on a strong and vibrant aviation sector, is projected to rebound on the back of this development.

Global aviation market intelligence organisation Centre for Aviation says Emirates’ flights linking Zimbabwe, Zambia and the UAE would “provide Zimbabwe with its first link to the Middle East that could then open lines to new trading partners in the Gulf” and beyond.