Zim to host inaugural KUZANA SCEEZ 2026 event

The main programme will run from 7 to 10 October at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) grounds and will include music performances, exhibitions, conferences and a marathon. The event will conclude with a football match at Barbourfields Stadium on 11 October.

Organisers said the platform would be held under the theme, KUZANA – Towards Vision 2030 through Sports and Creative Industries, and aims to position sport, arts and creativity as sectors capable of contributing to investment, employment creation, tourism and economic growth.

According to the organisers, the initiative seeks to bring together artists, athletes, cultural practitioners, sports federations, creative businesses, investors, policymakers and development partners.

The event is aligned with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which forms part of the country’s Vision 2030 agenda aimed at achieving upper middle-income economy status. NDS2 follows the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (2018–2020) and National Development Strategy 1 (2021–2025), which focused on macroeconomic stability, infrastructure development, agriculture, industrial transformation and improving the ease of doing business.

Organisers said the platform is intended to encourage investment and commercial opportunities within the sports and creative sectors, with a focus on translating talent into economic value.

The inaugural edition is expected to attract more than 70 000 attendees over five days, according to organisers, who said the event would create opportunities for networking, partnerships and market access.

Programme activities are expected to include workshops, masterclasses, investment discussions, sports activations, fashion showcases, music performances and networking sessions. Participants from sectors such as media, film, technology, finance and production are also expected to attend.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is expected to officially open the event.

Organisers said they are inviting participation from sponsors, exhibitors, investors, speakers and strategic partners, particularly those interested in areas such as creative financing, intellectual property, talent development, sports commercialisation and cultural entrepreneurship.

“KUZANA SCEEZ 2026 is about recognising sport and creativity not only as entertainment, but as productive economic sectors. It is a platform for talent, enterprise, investment and national development,” the organisers said in a statement.

The event is being organised in partnership with Nhimbe Trust, Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and MOSRAC, with Bulawayo serving as the host city for the inaugural edition.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Anselem Sanyatwe, last week announced the launch of the event.

“The Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (MoSRAC) hereby announces the launch of the Kuzana Sport and Creative Economy Expo of Zimbabwe (SCEEZ), a landmark international platform designed to unlock the economic potential of the nation’s sport and creative industries,” Sanyatwe told local media.