Online Reporter
Fortune Makoni [email protected]
THE Bubi District Business Expo and Agricultural Show is creating new opportunities for local businesses to find markets, promote home-grown products and strengthen livelihoods, as the district moves to build a self-sufficient local economy.
The two-day expo, which entered its second day on Friday at Inyathi Training Centre, has brought together small-scale miners, farmers and business people from across Bubi to showcase their products and services while connecting with potential customers and business partners.
Held under the theme, “Resilient and Gainful Enterprises Towards Vision 2030: Our Collective Responsibility,” the exhibition is providing a platform for local entrepreneurs to demonstrate the range of goods and services produced within the district, with organisers emphasising the need for communities to support local enterprises.
Bubi Rural District Council chief executive officer Dr Patson Mlilo said the district had the capacity to produce enough food for its people and called for greater consumption of locally produced goods.
In his welcoming remarks, Dr Mlilo said the exhibition was giving the local community an opportunity to showcase its productive capacity.
He also thanked Government for allocating land to people in Bubi, saying the move had enabled farmers to make a living and contribute to the district’s food production.
“If I had powers, I would ban produce from other districts so that locals will rely on what we can produce. As a district we are able to feed ourselves,” said Dr Mlilo.
His remarks highlight the potential for Bubi to retain more economic activity within the district by creating stronger markets for local farmers, manufacturers and other small businesses.
Ward 8 Councillor Ignatious Khabo said exhibitions such as the Bubi expo were important in helping residents make an honest living and improve their standards of living as the district works towards achieving Vision 2030.
“Our President has a vision and it is our duty to make sure that vision is a success. Everyone in the community by 2030 must be self-sufficient,” said Cllr Khabo.
For local exhibitors, the expo is already providing tangible benefits through exposure and access to markets.
Ms Samukeliso Mabhena, a local leather products manufacturer, said she had gained valuable knowledge from participating in the exhibition while also getting an opportunity to market her products.
“I have learnt a lot from the exhibition and it has given me market,” she said.
The expo has also brought together different stakeholders, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to learn from one another, interact with customers and explore partnerships that can help their businesses grow.
The Permanent Secretary for Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises and Development, Dr Mavis Sibanda, toured the exhibition stands accompanied by Chief Mtshane Khumalo, Dr Mlilo, councillors and delegates from various ministries.
The participation of different Government departments and local leadership underscores the importance being placed on strengthening small and medium enterprises as part of district economic development.
For Bubi, the exhibition is more than a showcase of products. It provides a platform for local producers to connect with markets while encouraging residents to recognise and support the productive capacity within their own communities.
As businesses gain visibility and farmers find markets for their produce, increased local consumption has the potential to keep more money circulating within Bubi, supporting household incomes, enterprise growth and employment.
The drive to build resilient and gainful enterprises also dovetails with the broader national goal of creating self-sufficient communities that can contribute meaningfully to economic development and the attainment of Vision 2030.
