Business group seeks to assist members access funding

Bianca Mlilo Business Reporter
A GROUP of about 100 business persons in Bulawayo have come together to form a new company that seeks to assist members in accessing funding and taping opportunities in the city. The group, Bulawayo Business Opportunities (BBO), is made up of major industry players drawn from across the industry sector divide.

BBO president Justin Shiri said they started as a WhatsApp group meant to revive businesses by Bulawayo people. “We’re very proud to be from Bulawayo and we’re doing this because we want a better future for our children. We acknowledge the good work that’s being done by other groups in the city,” said Shiri during a launch event last week.

“Our emphasis is on growing new enterprises as well as manufacturing and training programmes and we want to make a few millionaires in the next 10 years.”

The group was created in October 2014 with membership comprised of chief executive officers, general managers and directors of companies some of whom are based in Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Among these is Lucky Mlilo, the chief executive officer for ABUZ and Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel general manager Fungai Mutseyekwa.

Shiri, the association’s president, runs Roblee Investment, a global jewellery distributor while Edison Sabeta, who is BBO’s vice chairman, owns Summerfield Private Limited (a stockfeed seller) and is also a border clearing agent. Samy Kay runs BBO’s public relations and marketing department and is the administrator and finance director for Melger Engineering Private Limited.

Shiri said the group would be cautious in terms of marketing as they would want to make sure that the people joining them have the same interests as theirs.

“Our focus is on increasing production and to do that we need to use skills we’ve in other areas. The model being used by most businesses is to import, sell and import more.

“We, however, want to reverse that model by producing, exporting and producing more,” said Shiri.

He said the group would soon engage the Bulawayo City Council and was looking to growing its membership by incorporating young people into the group.

The group targets venturing into solar power plant development to complement local supply.