Story by Tichaona Kurewa
The inaugural United Nations Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy for Africa concluded in Victoria Falls this Saturday, marking a significant milestone for the continent’s culinary landscape.
The three-day event brought together top chefs, policymakers, and tourism experts from across Africa and the world to discuss the potential of gastronomy to drive sustainable tourism and economic growth.
Delegates from Ghana, Botswana, Zambia and Germany who spoke to ZBC News believe that the forum has laid the groundwork for positioning Africa as a global culinary destination.
“We have learnt that as Africans we need to work hard to preserving our traditional foods because most of it is in very rare content. Through this forum we have learnt the there is lot of research that can be done in terms of improving the current grain, the quality of the grain and even think about exposing outside Africa,” said a delegate.
“It has brought us back to the basics as Africans, we had lost our value but thank you so much to Her Excellency, Madam Auxillia Mnangagwa for bringing this back to Africa,” noted another.
By harnessing the power of food, the continent can create new jobs, preserve cultural traditions, and attract more tourists.
“When we talk of a destination’s competitiveness, we talk of a destination that has a lot of options in-terms of activities and visitor experience. Gastronomy on its own has always been an area of interest even going to our culture we solidify a relationship through sharing a meal. By incorporating gastronomy tourism we are also solidifying our position as a tourism sector by offering a wider experience,” explained Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe, past president, Vengai Nhau.
Now that this edition has come and gone lets regard highly all policy directions documents that were born out of this forum and ensure that they guide our domestic policies on this important matter)
Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Permanent Secretary, Dr Takaruza Muyanyiwa also said, “The inaugural forum which is the brain child of the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa also saw a number of business conferences being held on the sidelines including The Women in Tourism Leadership Africa Committee meeting where notes were shared on how the sector can further benefit women.”
The forum also explored various themes, including the preservation of traditional African cuisine, the development of culinary tourism products, and the role of gastronomy in empowering local communities.
