ACZ to Boost Regional Trade with New Victoria Falls Airport Cargo Village

VICTORIA FALLS – The Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) has announced plans to construct a dedicated cargo handling facility at the Victoria Falls International Airport, a strategic move aimed at unlocking the export potential of the Matabeleland North region and supporting national economic growth.

Speaking in an interview with Breeze FM, ACZ Public Relations and Communications Manager, Mr. Tonderai Mangombe, detailed the project’s rationale, drawing a direct parallel to the successful expansion of the airport itself.

Mr. Mangombe explained that the initiative is driven by the diverse range of products originating from the region that are in demand for export.

“Victoria Falls is also part of the industrial region for Zimbabwe,” stated Mangombe. “For example, if we look at Mat North, we supply from, animal trophies, fish from Binga and also Victoria Falls is in need of horticultural products. there are artifacts being made by those artists within the Victoria Falls region that need to be exported.”

He emphasized that the current lack of a dedicated cargo facility makes it impossible to gauge the true volume of goods available for air transport. “Our aim is to grow the export market for Victoria Falls, for Zimbabwe, and for Mat North. So once there is a cargo facility, because sometimes we will never, never know how much cargo we can lift until we have a cargo facility.”

Mangombe invoked the recent history of the Victoria Falls International Airport to counter potential skepticism. He recalled the initial opposition to the airport’s upgrade, where critics questioned the need for a large airport due to low traffic.

“There wasn’t enough traffic because there was no airport,” he argued. “But once we had a new airport, we managed to attract more than eight new airlines into Victoria Falls, of which four of them were international airlines.”

He believes the “cargo village” will follow the same trajectory, creating its own demand and revealing a latent market. “By having a cargo village, it’s also the same target, the same intuition that once we have it, you will realize that there’s quite a number of cargo that need to be transported from Victoria Falls into the world, into Zimbabwe, into Harare, within the region, outside Africa and all.”

Ultimately, the project is framed as a critical component of Zimbabwe’s broader national development strategy. Mangombe stated that the ACZ is supporting the national drive for industrial growth towards achieving Vision 2030.

“This is about leaving no one and no place behind,” he concluded. “Once we leave Victoria Falls behind, then the achievement of that becomes tricky.”

The development of the cargo facility is expected to provide a significant boost to local farmers, artisans, and businesses by providing them with efficient and direct access to international and regional markets.