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The 62nd edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) begins in Bulawayo today.
The city will be busy this week as hundreds of exhibitors and businesspeople and thousands of ordinary people would be at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) for the five-day exposition.
In recent days exhibitors were busy working on their pavilions amid hopes for big business. The ZITF has attracted more than 500 direct exhibitors, of which 71 are first timers.
A total of 14 foreign countries – Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Belarus, Britain, Indonesia and Japan are represented.
The increased visitor traffic is good news for Bulawayo and the country as a whole, said Industry and Commerce Deputy Minister, Raj Modi.
“Bulawayo will be very busy this week and this is good for the local businesses who always look forward to the ZITF as a Christmas moment for their operations. Retailers, hospitality sector and others make good business during this period,” said Deputy Minister Modi, who is also a local businessman and legislator for Bulawayo South.
There is a packed programme for the week with Vice-President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, expected to officially open the International Business Conference (IBC) tomorrow.
He will also deliver a keynote address at the inaugural Connect Africa Symposium the following day.
The IBC will run under the ZITF theme: “Rethink, Reimagine, Reinvent Value Chains for Economic Development”.
According to the ZITF Company, there will be three-panel sessions, the first being anchored on the structural transformation of value chains.
These will highlight perspectives from business and industry leaders and will be co-chaired by the president of Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), Mr Kurai Matsheza, and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) president, Dr Tinashe Manzungu.
ZITF chief executive officer, Dr Nicholas Ndebele, has said due to the overwhelming response and space limitations in the conference venue, this will result in limiting the number of attendees on a first-come, first-served basis.
The second panel will seek to tackle inclusive value chain development through financing and investment.
This segment will be led by the executive vice-president of Afreximbank, Mr Denys Denya, managing director of BancABC Zimbabwe, Dr Lance Mambondiani who will be representing Bankers Association of Zimbabwe, IDC chairman, Mr Winstone Makamure, Zida acting chief executive, Mrs Duduzile Shinya, and AFDB country manager Ms Moono Mupotola.
The third panel will be focused on re-imagining value chain opportunities and challenges and will be chaired by ZEPARU executive director, Dr Gibson Chigumira.
In view of the Covid-19, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has said it will be exhibiting and services including PCR and antigen testing, vaccination card activation, alcohol disorder, and drug use screening tests, among others.
President Mnangagwa had invited his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta to be the guest of honour at this year’s event. However, President Kenyatta will not make it following the death of one of his predecessors, Mwai Kibaki.
Kibaki died last Thursday aged 90 and President Kenyatta declared a mourning period until his burial, with flags flying at half-mast. The former Kenyan leader will be given a state funeral with full military honours, the Kenyan government said while officially announcing his death.
The ZIEC is set on a 17-hectare site situated close to Bulawayo’s central business district. Six specialised exhibition halls, hundreds of individual pavilions and open-air expo facilities are all fully serviced and equipped. It is open for business all year round.
The Bulawayo Agricultural Show will, as usual, run concurrently with the ZITF.
Also to run at the same time with ZITF is Scholastica, A’sambeni, Ultim8 Home and Pakprint.
Scholastica is Zimbabwe’s leading expo that seeks to strengthen value chains in education, careers and training. This year’s expo brings together institutions, career consultants, industry experts, continuous development professionals and students to rethink, reimagine and reinvent the sector.
A’sambeni provides a platform for companies, buyers, decision makers, investors and other stakeholders in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions/Events (MICE) tourism sector to network and share ideas.
Ultim8 Home is the place to be for anyone passionate about and or providing that new look to interior design, renovation or construction projects in a new era. The expo showcases an array of fixtures and finishings for comfortable indoor living.
Pakprint is the premier printing and packaging expo that brings together industry professionals to showcase and share ideas on the latest technologies that promote efficiency, waste reduction, recycling and eco-friendly production.
Business days are from today until Thursday after which the event opens to the general public for the last two days.
There will be the ITF Charity Golf Challenge on Thursday.
The golf tournament merges business and leisure exchanges away from the hype of activity in the exhibition halls. Players are able to make meaningful and lasting connections whilst refreshing and supporting a charitable cause. Causes that have been supported by the ZITF Charity Golf Challenge include Khayelihle Children’s Home, Ekuphumuleni Geriatrics Home, Tsholotsho Flood Victims, Esandleni Sothando and Ingutsheni Central Hospital said the company.
On the same day there would be the ZITF Diplomat’s Forum.
Hosted in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Trade, the ZITF Diplomat’s Forum brings together high-level delegates to discuss trade and investment opportunities in Zimbabwe. It also provides participating diplomats the opportunity to strengthen existing relations between Zimbabwe and its international allies.
The forum takes the form of a multi-stakeholder dialogue facilitating economic and commercial exchanges between Zimbabwe and its strategic partners.
This is an event dedicated to bringing African political leaders, key economic players and investors together in discussing and sharing solutions to solve the socio-economic problems plaguing the African continent.
Held annually during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, the Connect Africa Symposium will provide a platform for various stakeholders to present their research and possible solutions to problems in the areas of:
Infrastructure Development, Agriculture Development, Education, Mining Opportunities, Health Care, Poverty, Investment in Africa, Peace and Security as well as Corporate Governance.
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