2nd UN Tourism Regional Congress on Women Empowerment in Tourism in Africa Official Opening by The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa
2nd UN Tourism Regional Congress on Women Empowerment in Tourism in Africa Official Opening by The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa
May 7, 2026
A powerful wave of transformation swept through the Tourism Hub of Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls, as Women Empowerment took centre stage with Tourism Patron Her Excellency The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa officially opening the 2nd UN Tourism Regional Congress on Women Empowerment in Tourism in Africa, setting an inspiring tone under the theme, ” Advancing from Empowerment to Leadership Driving Structural Change in the Tourism Sector in Africa.” Addressing delegates from across the continent, the First Lady said the gathering was a decisive step toward accelerating Inclusive and shared growth for Women, while calling for stronger female leadership in every sphere of business. She emphasised that Tourism must remain people-centred and deliver tangible benefits to marginalised Communities, including Women, Youth and Persons With Disabilities. In a moving moment, she congratulated UN Tourism Secretary General Her Excellency Ms Shaikha Al Nuwais on becoming the first woman to assume the organisation’s top post, describing her rise as a powerful global statement that Women are ready to lead and transform the Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
Dr Mnangagwa reaffirmed Government’s commitment to practical Empowerment programmes such as Amai’s Traditional Cookout Competitions, Agric4She, AgroTourism4She and Farm to Market Galore, initiatives designed to create jobs, open markets and strengthen Tourism value chains from the grassroots upward. She further underscored the need for Skills development, Capacity building and access to Finance as essential tools for Women to drive measurable change.
Speaking at the same event, UN Tourism Secretary General Ms Al Nuwais commended the First Lady’s visionary leadership and applauded her life-changing programme, she noted that when Women are invested in, entire Communities prosper, urging delegates to build bridges that elevate Women into positions of influence. She celebrated the winds of change sweeping across Africa, where more Women are now rising to lead, including 40 percent of the continent’s Tourism Ministers, proof that Africa’s future in Tourism is increasingly female, bold and unstoppable through the power, leadership and limitless potential of Women.
