AHead of the start of the country’s premier trade show at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre on Monday, exhibitors are sprucing up their exhibition space.

Zimpapers news crew observed a heightened hive of activity with various exhibitors busy on their stands.

Speaking in an interview at their stand, Zanupf politburo member Cde Elifasi Mashava said the party is exhibiting again so as to afford the public an opportunity to understand how the party functions particularly the First Secretary who is also the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa together with his deputies in both party and Government, secretary general Advocate Jacob Mudenda, chairperson Cde Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri and all it’s 21 departments.

“We are here to show how the party works since the party is supreme to Government. It deploys officials to Government so that they implement party resolutions.

There is also going to be a historical exhibition during the time when the President was incarceration and I can tell you that a lot of visitors to our stand will leave the place crying, it’s so touching,” said Cde Mashava.

Local exhibitor, Advance Fire Engineers managing director Mr Lovemore Ndebele said his company was excited about this year’s trade show and were ready for the trade week.

“To us, this presents an opportunity to meet with our existing and new clients. Even before the start of the show, we have already met up with a number of potential clients asking us about what we do exactly. It’s going to be a very exciting week,” said Mr Ndebele.

The 66th edition of ZITF, running under the theme “Connected Economies, Competitive Industries”, will take place from April 20 to 25.

The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair remains one of the largest multi-sectoral trade exhibitions in Sub-Saharan Africa, drawing exhibitors, investors and business delegates from across the region and beyond. The annual trade showcase, now a flagship economic event, is expected to attract a diverse mix of international exhibitors, investors and buyers, reaffirming its role as a strategic trade conduit linking Zimbabwean enterprises with regional and global markets. Beyond the spectacle of exhibition stands, stakeholders say ZITF must deliver hard, bankable outcomes: export contracts, joint ventures and investment deals that directly feed into industrial output, foreign currency generation and gross domestic product (GDP) growth.