Chronicle Editor
Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]
ZIMTRADE is supporting eight youth-led and women-led businesses,by exhibiting them under the ZimTrade banner at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
The move aims to integrate these groups into the main export business, in a bid to boost Zimbabwe’s exports.
The annual trade showcase starts on Tuesday next week and runs until Saturday, with the first three days reserved for business exchanges and April 26 and 27 open to the public.
SMEs are seen as playing a pivotal role in transforming the Zimbabwean economy towards an upper-middle-income status by 2030.
Running under the theme, “Innovation: The Catalyst to Industrialisation and Trade,” the fair will be officially opened by Kenyan President, Dr William Ruto.
ZITF provides a unique space for networking, knowledge exchange and forging partnerships.
ZimTrade Southern Region manager, Mrs Jackie Nyathi, said adopting SMEs under the ZimTrade banner is designed to improve exhibition and negotiating skills for local small businesses, as they prepare them for regional and international exhibitions.
“We have eight SMEs exhibiting under the ZimTrade banner this year, with a varying product range, including clothing, pottery, leather products, processed foods and beverages. The platform is a unique window for them, to test the technical skills and capacities we have been building over the past year,” she said.
“This year, we have made deliberate efforts to target youth-led and women-led businesses. This is part of our broader strategy to integrate these groups into mainstream export business, which is crucial in boosting Zimbabwe’s exports.”
The Government expects SMEs to play a pivotal role in transforming the economy and this entails scaling up support for the sector, by providing finance and working space, to enable the sector to increase the production of quality goods and assist the sector to secure markets.
SMEs have become a big economic force in the country and across the globe, but most of them are still struggling to secure lucrative markets.
This has seen ZimTrade lining up capacity-building programmes, which are meant to improve the quality of products produced by SMEs, as well as marketing strategies that help them to enter both regional and international markets.These include the youth incubation programme, the Eagle’s Nest and the Next She Exporter targeting women led businesses.
Mrs Nyathi added that the ZimTrade pavilion will also promote the participation of Zimbabwe at the Expo 2025 Osaka, which is scheduled for April 13 to October 13 next year.
The world expo is an event that brings together people and innovations from around the world, to address issues facing mankind on a global scale.
Late last month, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Dr Frederick Shava officially launched Zimbabwe’s logo for Expo 2025, in Harare.Zimbabwe will exhibit in Japan next year, under the theme “Beyond the Limit.” —@SikhulekelaniM1
Online Reporter