ACZ chief executive Tawanda Gusha
TAWANDA Gusha is the inaugural chief executive officer of the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (Private) Limited (ACZ) whose principal mandate is to acquire, establish, develop, manage, maintain and control airports in Zimbabwe.
Gusha has over 23 years experience in aviation having worked in airport operations, airport infrastructure development as well as air traffic control.
Gusha is a holder of an MBA from the Midlands State University as well as a Graduate Diploma in Aviation Management from the National University of Singapore, among a host of other professional and academic qualifications.
He has extensive knowledge of airport management as well as project management. He has been leading quite a number of infrastructural and business development projects.
Currently, he is in charge of the successful setting up of systems and structures for the newly established Airports Company of Zimbabwe (Private) Limited, since the operationalisation of the civil aviation reforms.
Gusha has been leading notable infrastructural projects: the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport development project; Buffalo Range Airport runway and taxiway rehabilitation project; the Victoria Falls International Airport development project completed in 2016, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport terminal upgrading project completed in 2013 and Buffalo Range Airport terminal refurbishment project which was done through a private-public partnership arrangement with Tongaat Hulett and Malilangwe Trust in 2015.
On the business development projects side, he has been leading the business development initiatives with the thrust of growing both aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue streams.
Notably he piloted the route development assistance programme with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which has since engaged a route development consultant and has managed to lure Qatar Airways into Harare, Eurowings from Frankfurt to Victoria Falls, Mackair Botswana, LAM Mozambique and the local Kuva Air.
In addition, the programme brought about significant expansion of routes by existing airlines.
Complementing the business development projects, he signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airports Company of South Africa on regional route development.
The MoU is about collaboration in marketing the region, sharing business development ideas and growing aviation business into both countries.
He also spearheaded the formation of Victoria Falls route development committee meant to develop traffic into Victoria Falls.