COMMENT: ZITF theme is a wake up call for businesses

The 62nd edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) which kicked off in Bulawayo yesterday has brought much-needed activity and business to Bulawayo, a week after the successful hosting of the national Independence Day celebrations.

The Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) was packed yesterday with more traffic expected from today. This year’s edition of the ZITF has attracted over 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.

Vice-President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga is expected to officially open the International Business Conference (IBC) today and tomorrow he will address the inaugural Connect Africa running under the ZITF theme: “Rethink, Reimagine, Reinvent Value Chains for Economic Development.”

President Mnangagwa is expected to preside over the official opening ceremony on Friday after President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was scheduled to lead the proceedings, could not make it following the death former Kenyan leader, Mwai Kibaki.

Local hotels and lodges are fully booked due to the overwhelming number of visitors, with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority saying guests can also be accommodated in private homes and public institutions with adequate infrastructure.

As we reported yesterday, business analysts say the jump in exhibition space subscription buttresses the positive business sentiment and growing momentum towards tapping into available trade and investment opportunities.

In his welcome message to visitors and exhibitors, Bulawayo mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni said the theme of this year’s ZITF embodies the direction that Zimbabwe and the rest of the world are taking as countries slowly come out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s a reminder that innovation is an essential driver of economic progress and survival. The importance of technology and innovation has been noted as very key in the new normal and this has called on us to rethink, reimagine and reinvent how we manage our processes,” said Clr Mguni.

“Covid-19 has called on us to reboot and restart the production process. The pandemic has shown that without technology, it will be a challenge for our businesses and our operations to survive.”

Indeed, technology is essential in the re-industrialisation of Bulawayo. Once the industrial hub of the country, the city has in the 21st century become a shell of what once was a bustling industrial city.

A number of companies shut down and while some survived the tough economic environment of the past, technology left them behind.

The ZITF is, therefore, a bridge linking Bulawayo industry with the latest technology and the rest of the world. The theme, “Rethink, Reimagine, Reinvent Value Chains for Economic Development,” says it all.