Organizers of the Banjul Cultural Festival are advancing preparations for the annual event scheduled from December 24 through January 2 in Gambia's capital. The celebration ranks as the country's second-largest festival and attracts thousands of residents, domestic travelers and international visitors each year.
Committee members met at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture headquarters last week to review arrangements. Hassoum Ceesay, director general of the National Centre for Arts and Culture, presided over the session on behalf of the tourism minister. Various participating groups provided updates on their readiness for the upcoming festivities.
Four professional chefs from The Gambia have traveled to China for a two-week culinary training program following their successful participation at the 2025 West African Food Festival in Accra. The delegation, headed by Gambia Chefs Association President Haruna Musa Darboe, received the invitation from Chinese government authorities.
The group participated in ceremonies at Guangxi International Business Vocational College, where they demonstrated traditional Gambian cooking techniques alongside international colleagues. Darboe expressed appreciation for the educational opportunity and indicated that knowledge gained during the visit would be transferred to fellow culinary professionals upon returning home to advance the industry in The...
Africa's wealthiest individual, Aliko Mohammad Dangote, is scheduled to arrive in Zimbabwe on Wednesday for discussions about a potential US$800 million to US$1 billion investment project. The Nigerian billionaire will meet with President Mnangagwa and various government ministers to explore establishing an industrial complex that would include cement production facilities, limestone quarrying, coal extraction operations, and electricity generation infrastructure.
Presidential Investment Advisor Paul Tungwarara confirmed the visit, noting that talks will involve officials from multiple ministries covering finance, economic development, industry, commerce, agriculture, and land management. Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency...
Zimbabwe plans to share agricultural expertise with Angola following discussions between the nations' leaders during Luanda's 50th independence celebrations, President Mnangagwa announced Wednesday after returning to Harare. Zimbabwean extension workers already assist Angolan farming development, with formal cooperation talks scheduled to expand technical assistance in crop production methods that enabled Harare to reach wheat self-sufficiency.
Mnangagwa described Angola's five decades of sovereignty as transformative while praising President João Lourenço's modernization efforts and regional integration contributions within SADC. The Zimbabwean delegation attended wreath-laying ceremonies at Republican Square before witnessing...
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority enrolled approximately 100,000 additional taxpayers in 2025 through targeted campaigns addressing small and medium enterprises alongside informal sector operators, Commissioner General Regina Chinamasa announced during a Zimbabwe National Defence University presentation in Harare. Adrian Swarres, who oversees compliance and automation, delivered the address outlining how presumptive tax structures and simplified registration procedures reduced barriers for entrepreneurs lacking formal accounting training while supporting government efforts to ease business conditions.
Corporate income tax collections increased 85.29 percent during the past five years as automation enhanced monitoring capabilities, with...
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga met with Zimbabwe's junior parliamentary delegation on Tuesday before their Saturday departure for World Children's Day events in Gaborone, Botswana. Child President Lionel Mazarire told reporters that authorities plan to provide equal educational resources for students regardless of whether they live in cities or villages, while also emphasizing the need to avoid substance abuse and engage confidently with international counterparts.
Patrick Masakura, serving as Child Deputy Vice President, said officials stressed academic discipline during the briefing attended by Child Speaker Michael Ndambani and Senate President Tinayeishe Manyere. Public Service Minister Edgar Moyo confirmed the government's...
Portfolio committee budget requests for 2026 have reached ZiG783 billion, exceeding Treasury's proposed ZiG231 billion allocation by more than threefold, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube reported during the Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo. The minister explained that revenue collection systems can realistically support the lower figure based on a 16 percent revenue-to-GDP ratio, while meeting the inflated demands would surpass economic capacity.
Ncube highlighted persistent problems with ministries and agencies signing contracts that exceed approved budgets. Currency instability has enabled contractors to inflate prices by two or three times actual costs, creating discrepancies between government revenues collected at official exchange...
Vice President Kembo Mohadi inspected Zimbabwe's Museum of African Liberation site on Tuesday, praising its continental scope ahead of the 2027 African Union Mid-Term Summit scheduled for Harare. The main structure has reached 75 percent completion with SADC and Zimbabwe exhibition spaces finished, while surrounding facilities, including a shopping complex, military exhibition park and heritage village, advance toward readiness.
Mohadi encouraged liberation war participants to contribute artifacts and testimonies that preserve authentic African narratives. Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi, leading the Institute of African Knowledge, reported the nation had achieved three-quarters of construction progress independently and confirmed its...
President Mnangagwa established a $200,000 rotating empowerment program for Zanu-PF wings operating in Chitungwiza Zone 1, with each of the party's four divisions receiving $50,000 allocations. Central Committee member Kudakwashe Tagwirei announced the provincial fund management structure during an inter-district gathering attended by 20,000 members at the Aquatic Complex, where he additionally committed to installing 80 boreholes across five constituencies and distributing 12,500 holiday packages to residents.
Charles Tavengwa, party secretary for Education, Research and Ideology, reported that conference delegates unanimously supported extending Mnangagwa's tenure past 2028 to allow completion of infrastructure initiatives and...
