Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
THE City of Bulawayo has outlined ambitious objectives for its participation at the forthcoming 66th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), anchored on a strategic relocation from its traditional exhibition pavilion at the Zimbabwe International Conference and Exhibition Smart City to Hall 3.
The move is expected to enhance the city’s visibility and impact, with the local authority targeting at least a 30 percent increase in visitor engagement and a 20 percent growth in investor inquiries compared to the 2025 edition.
The 66th edition of ZITF, running under the theme “Connected Economies, Competitive Industries,” runs from April 20 to 25 in Bulawayo.
According to Bulawayo City Council (BCC), the relocation is designed to provide a larger, flexible and modern exhibition environment where all departments, agencies and partners can present their work under one unified city brand.
According to a business and investment report, town clerk Mr Christopher Dube said the decision marked a significant shift in how Bulawayo positions itself as an investment destination.
“The City of Bulawayo would participate at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) 2026, continuing its proud legacy of showcasing the city’s economic potential, service innovations, and investment opportunities.
“The Pavilion had served as the primary exhibition site for many years, effectively supporting public engagement and bill payments. However, its spatial limitations had constrained the city’s ability to fully demonstrate the breadth of Bulawayo’s creativity, innovation, and modern development potential,” he told the Business and Investment Committee.
Mr Dube said the relocation to Hall 3 was not merely logistical, but a bold reimagining of the city’s exhibition strategy.
“For 2026, the city proposed a strategic relocation of its main exhibition from the Pavilion to ZITF Hall 3. This shift was not merely logistical, it represented a bold transformation in how Bulawayo marketed itself as a modern, progressive, and investment-ready city.
“The Pavilion would remain operational for meetings, as an information centre, and for municipal bill payments, while Hall 3 would become the heart of Bulawayo’s exhibition activities showcasing the city’s projects, innovation, culture, and industrial potential on a much larger and more dynamic platform.”
The city has a long-standing history of participating at ZITF through its pavilion, which has served as a hub for public engagement, information dissemination and promotion of municipal initiatives.
However, authorities noted that the expansion of the city’s portfolio of projects and partnerships had rendered the pavilion increasingly inadequate.
“The city’s exhibitions had consistently received recognition for innovation and civic engagement, reinforcing Bulawayo’s leadership in municipal excellence. However, as the city’s portfolio of projects and partnerships had expanded, the Pavilion had become increasingly limited in accommodating all departments, agencies, and innovative city initiatives.
“Recent exhibitions had included initiatives such as Mthwakazi cultural promotion, Gender Links, TTI innovations, SEZ development, and MSME empowerment programmes. These projects required more exhibition space, improved visitor flow, and interactive platforms to effectively showcase the City’s evolution.”
Authorities said the fixed structure of the pavilion had also constrained creativity and limited opportunities to demonstrate Bulawayo’s growing potential in areas such as investment promotion, smart city development, sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Hall 3, in contrast, offers an open and modern setup suitable for digital screens, virtual reality tours, live demonstrations and creative installations.
“The move to ZITF Hall 3 was therefore a strategic step that provided the city with a larger, flexible, and modern environment where all departments and partners could present their work under one unified city brand.
“The expansion of city programmes had outgrown the Pavilion. Hall 3 could accommodate all departments, projects, and initiatives such as Mthwakazi, Gender Links, TTI, SEZs, youth entrepreneurship, and green innovation under one dynamic setup.”
The relocation is also expected to strengthen regional cooperation, with provision for the integration of sister cities Durban and Polokwane within a shared exhibition space.
“It provided room for co-branding, joint exhibitions, and trade collaborations that reflected regional co-operation and enhance Bulawayo’s international standing.”
Beyond physical space, the city intends to leverage ZITF 2026 to demonstrate alignment with global development frameworks.
“The exhibition would highlight how the City advanced sustainability, innovation, and inclusivity through smart urban management,” reads part of the report.
It will also showcase Minimum Service Delivery Standards, allowing departments to demonstrate performance benchmarks in key service areas such as water, sanitation, waste management, health, roads and social services.
The relocation forms part of a broader rebranding strategy aimed at positioning Bulawayo as a future-oriented metropolitan hub.
“This relocation aligned with the city’s strategy to rebrand Bulawayo as an investment-ready, future-oriented metropolis. The stand design would embody the ‘Spirit of Bulawayo’ — resilience, innovation, and pride.”
Key objectives for the 2026 exhibition include repositioning the city’s brand as progressive and investor-friendly, maximising exposure through interactive and technology-driven displays, showcasing flagship projects such as Gender Links, TTI, SEZs and MSME programmes, and strengthening collaboration between city departments, investors and partners.
Strengthening sister city relations through expanding cooperation with Durban and Polokwane through joint branding and trade linkages is another objective.
