Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi has been named Unstoppable African Cabinet Minister of the Year 2026 at the first Unstoppable African Awards, held in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday night.

The award was presented at the Hilton Hotel during the launch of The Africa Agenda Forum (TAAF), The Diplomat and Spiked Media reported. Both said winners were chosen through a public vote open across Africa and beyond. The Herald and iHarare also reported the win.

Who else was in the running

Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Geoffrey Ruku, was first runner-up, according to The Diplomat. Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for East African Community Affairs, Beatrice Askul, came second runner-up, and Uganda's Minister for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, was third runner-up. Spiked Media said Ruku was also the evening's chief guest.

Rwodzi was not in Nairobi. Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Kenya, Winpeg Moyo, collected the award and read her speech. She was joined by the ministry's Permanent Secretary, Dr Takaruza Munyanyiwa, and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive Dr George Manyaya, The Herald said.

What she said

In the speech, Rwodzi said she received the award "not merely as a personal achievement, but as an affirmation of Zimbabwe's collective efforts to reposition Tourism as a strategic driver of economic growth and national development."

She dedicated it to President Mnangagwa, saying he had placed tourism at the centre of the government's Vision 2030 plans, and to First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, the patron of the tourism and hospitality industry. She also dedicated it to tourism workers and to young African women hoping to lead.

"I consider these honours a responsibility rather than a destination," she said, as quoted by The Herald and Spiked Media. "They challenge us to do more, lead with purpose and demonstrate that transformative leadership can deliver tangible results for our people."

Why it matters

The award is a public-vote honour from a new forum rather than an official ranking, but it adds to a run of recognition that the government uses to market the country. In her speech, Rwodzi pointed to Forbes naming Zimbabwe its top must-visit destination for 2025, a Pacific Area Travel Writers Association award for natural wonders at ITB Berlin in March 2025, and Condé Nast Traveller listing Zimbabwe among the best places to visit in 2026.

According to The Herald, the ministry is trying to widen tourism beyond wildlife into cultural and heritage tourism, religious and sports tourism, food tourism and conferences, across all 10 provinces. Tourism is one of the sectors the government is counting on for jobs and foreign currency.

Rwodzi also said she had been named Zimbabwe's Overall Best Performing Cabinet Minister for 2025, the first woman to receive that recognition.

Sources: The Herald, 1 Nov 2026: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/tourism-minister-rwodzi-dedicates-african-tourism-award-to-president-first-lady/ · The Diplomat (Zimbabwe), 1 Nov 2026: https://thediplomat.co.zw/rwodzi-named-unstoppable-african-minister-of-year/ · Spiked Media, 1 Nov 2026: https://spikedmedia.co.zw/zimbabwes-unstoppable-moment-tourism-minister-barbara-rwodzi-named-africas-cabinet-minister-of-the-year/ · iHarare, 1 Nov 2026: https://iharare.com/barbra-rwodzi-named-africas-unstoppable-cabinet-minister-of-the-year/

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