The Crown is Female: How Victoria Falls Hosted the Takeover of African Tourism

40% and Rising: Inside the continental surge of women leading Africa’s tourism future

A powerful wave of transformation has swept through the Tourism Hub of Zimbabwe, leaving an indelible mark on Victoria Falls and the broader African continent. From April 29 to May 1, 2026, the iconic destination played host to the 2nd UN Tourism Regional Congress on Women Empowerment in Tourism in Africa, a landmark event that shifted the global narrative from basic inclusion to active female leadership.

Under the theme “Advancing from Empowerment to Leadership: Driving Structural Change in the Tourism Sector in Africa,” the congress officially opened on April 29 with a stirring address by Her Excellency Dr. Auxillia Mnangagwa, the First Lady of Zimbabwe and Tourism Patron. Her presence signaled a decisive step toward accelerating inclusive growth, urging delegates to dismantle the systemic barriers that have long kept women in support roles rather than executive chairs.

“This gathering is a decisive step toward accelerating inclusive and shared growth for women,” Dr. Mnangagwa declared to the assembly of ministers, industry leaders, and activists. “We must call for stronger female leadership in every sphere of business.”

A Historic Milestone for Global Leadership

Dr. Mnangagwa emphasized that tourism must remain people-centred, delivering tangible benefits to marginalized communities, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities. In a particularly moving moment during the opening ceremony, she congratulated UN Tourism Secretary General Her Excellency Ms. Shaikha Al Nuwais on becoming the first woman to assume the organization’s top post. She described Al Nuwais’s rise as a “powerful global statement” that women are not just ready to lead but are poised to transform the global tourism and hospitality industry.

The congress served as a platform to highlight that while women constitute a significant portion of the hospitality workforce, their representation at the executive level remains disproportionately low. The gathering aimed to bridge this gap, offering pathways for women to rise from participants to policymakers.

From Grassroots to Global: Practical Empowerment

Dr. Mnangagwa moved beyond rhetoric to reaffirm the Zimbabwean government’s commitment to practical empowerment. She highlighted a suite of initiatives designed to create jobs, open markets, and strengthen tourism value chains from the grassroots up:

• Amai’s Traditional Cookout Competitions: Celebrating culinary heritage while creating market opportunities for local women.
• Agric4She: Bridging agriculture and tourism to support female entrepreneurs.
• AgroTourism4She: Integrating farming with visitor experiences to diversify income streams.
• Farm to Market Galore: Streamlining supply chains to ensure local produce reaches tourism hubs efficiently.

She underscored that skills development, capacity building, and access to finance are the essential tools women need to drive measurable change. These programs are not merely about survival; they are about creating a sustainable economic ecosystem where women lead the value chains.

The Winds of Change Across the Continent

The momentum was echoed by UN Tourism Secretary General Ms. Shaikha Al Nuwais, who commended the First Lady’s visionary leadership. “When women are invested in, entire communities prosper,” Al Nuwais noted, urging delegates to build bridges that elevate women into positions of influence.

She celebrated the “winds of change” sweeping across Africa, pointing to a striking statistic: 40 percent of the continent’s Tourism Ministers are now women. This surge in representation is proof that Africa’s future in tourism is increasingly female, bold, and unstoppable.

The conclusion of the congress on May 1 marked more than the end of a meeting; it was the beginning of a new era. As delegates departed Victoria Falls, the consensus was clear: the era of women merely participating in tourism is over. The era of women leading it has officially begun.