By Derick Tsimba

The Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Priscah Mupfumira has appointed a new acting Zimbabwe Tourism authority (ZTA) Chief Executive, Mrs Rita Likukuma.

ZTA Head Corporate Affairs, Godfrey ‘Chief’ Koti, today in a press statement said the Minister and ZTA had seconded the appointment of the new acting ZTA Chief Executive.

“The Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Priscah Mupfumira and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Board (ZTA) has seconded from the board, Mrs Rita Likukuma on an acting role of Chief Executive with effect from 01 February 2019.  ZTA Chief Operating Officer, Mr Givemore Chidzidzi had been acting since November 2018 on behalf of Dr. Karikoga Kaseke who has been off work on medical grounds.

“Mrs Likukuma brings in vast corporate governance experience having served on various Boards.  She is the Deputy Chairperson of the current Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Board and Non-Executive Director of PG Industries. Mrs Likukuma is the current Chairman at Turnall Holdings Ltd and she is a Director on the Morgan Company Board, an international business consortium currently in advanced stages of setting up in Zimbabwe. She was the Chairman of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe until January 2013.  In June 2014, she was appointed a member of the CMED Board of Directors,” he said.

Koti also said Mrs Likukuma was qualified to lead the authority in line with the required advancement by the nation.

“Mrs Likukuma served as the Managing Director at the Solar Division at Art Corporation and was a senior executive at Unilever.  She holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Oxford Brookes University and a Bachelor of Science Economics Degree at the University of Zimbabwe.  The new ZTA Acting Chief Executive also studied for a City and Guilds Diploma in Electrical Installations. Mrs Likukuma is charged with driving the vision of the Authority in line with that of nation,” said Koti.