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Writes Wallace Mawire
Zimbabwe will on Friday 15 November 2024 launch the African Union Sports Council Region Five sports museum after it won this year’s bid to host the continental regional event.
The African Union Sports Council Region Five is in Zimbabwe for a series of meetings to discuss matters related to sports development in the region.
Key stakeholders from across Southern Africa, among them CEOs of sports commissions and councils, Chairpersons, Directors of Sports, Perma Secretaries in ministries responsible for sports as well as the AUSC Region Five Troika of Ministers are in the country.
The meetings are meant to enhance collaboration and craft strategies for the alignment of sports, recreation, and cultural identity in the region. The programme will culminate in the Silver Jubilee Museum launch at the National Sports Stadium and a cultural festival at the African Heritage Village at the Liberation City in Harare.
Acting Director of the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts, and Culture, Ignatius Vambe, said that the country stands to benefit immensely from sports development through the museum. He said that many visitors are expected to visit the museum when complete.
Stanley Mutoya, Chief Executive Officer of the AUSC Region Five said that the council headquarters are located in Yaounde, Cameroon, and the Region Five is composed of 10 member countries.
Mutoya said that the proposed infrastructure will be a purpose-built museum and an edifice to reflect the stature of sport in the region.
He also said that the initiative has received the support of the Presidium and will house the regional sports heritage.
Nicholas Moyo, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture, in briefing Minister Kazembe Kazembe, Acting Minister at an official opening of the AUSC Region Five Board of Directors meeting in Harare yesterday, said that eight countries are participating in the regional event, namely Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini to enhance the impact of sport in the region.
Acting Sports Minister, Hon Kazembe urged the members to work for the promotion of sport development across the region, facilitation of sustainable funding for grassroots programmes, advocating for increased investment in sports, and navigation of complexities in sports governance.
Minister Kazembe said that the challenges faced in sports administration are regional hence the need for collaboration to overcome them and to also share best practices, including athletes’ skills development and sports infrastructure development.
