adminMost successful because it broke a record set way back in 1997 when the economy was operating at full throttle and at its peak. According to the ZITFC, 230 direct exhibitors booked more than 6 900 square metres of space this year.
Foreign exhibitors came from a number of countries including Russia, China, Dubai, Indonesia and South Africa.
In 1997, 6 000 square metres of space was booked.
Since then participation at the event has seen the number of companies and space taken dwindling as the country grappled with economic woes, largely brought about by illegal sanctions that saw the country portrayed in bad light and potential investors taking flight.
The success of this year’s mining exhibition is a sign that some sectors of the economy are coming out of the woods.
Indeed, the mining sector was the only one to have its performance projection reviewed upwards when Finance Minister Tendai Biti presented his Mid-Term Fiscal policy last week.
According to Minister Biti, the mining sector will grow to 16.7 percent up from the initial forecast of 15.9 percent.
As Mine Entra ends today, we hope business took advantage of the exhibition to clinch meaningful deals for their companies and noted advice given during the conferences, which ran concurrently with the exhibition.
Zimbabwe is reputed to have a lot of minerals that are not being mined. Events such as Mine Entra present opportunities to craft strategies for the country to derive maximum benefits from its resources.
The fact that a number of foreign exhibitors took part at Mine Entra despite the hullabaloo created in some quarters over the indigenisation and empowerment regulations show that there is a willingness by these foreigners to do business in Zimbabwe according to the laws of this country.
We hope that locals, especially up and coming business people, will take advantage of the presence of foreigners to enter into strategic deals that will turn them into mining gurus one day.
It is disappointing that despite the excitement generated by the empowerment programme, small-scale miners are still taking a back seat at Mine Entra.
Only the voice of big miners represented by the Chamber of Mines was largely heard. Where were small-scale miners and their representative body?
We hope that in future, organisers will let small-scale miners also take a prominent role at the exhibition, as there is a large untapped market in the small-scale mining sector.
Most small scale miners are using rudimentary equipment, which needs to be replaced for them to effectively contribute to the mining sector. No longer should the up and coming miners continue to play a peripheral role in mining.
With the enactment of empower-ment regulations, small and medium scale entrepreneurs cannot be ignored but have to be incorporated in major events to do with business.
Online Reporter