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Business Correspondent
Zimbabwean companies targeting to grow the footprint of their products and services in export markets must take full advantage of events organised to create linkages with potential business partners.
This was said by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Dr Frederick Shava, ahead of the buyers’ seminar, scheduled for next Wednesday in Harare.
The seminar, organised by national trade development and promotion agency, ZimTrade, is designed to strengthen linkages and create networks between local industry and leading buyers in targeted markets.
In the Second Republic’s spirit of leaving no one and no place behind, Minister Shava said the seminar is part of the wider activities implemented by the Government and related institutions to create networks that will ease the landing of local products and services in export markets.
“The Government, through my ministry, has been focusing on economic diplomacy where we want to unlock value from our excellent foreign relations, and we have been implementing several programmes to that effect.”
“Unlocking this value requires improved links between our companies here in Zimbabwe and buyers from across the world and the scheduled Seminar will do just that,” he said.
Minister Shava also implored local companies to leverage these programmes to create seamless distribution networks in export markets as demand for Zimbabwean products has been growing.
“Our products are of high quality and our Embassies are receiving many inquiries of buyers looking to source from Zimbabwe as markets prefer our products. With such a huge demand for local brands, what is important is to ensure that we have platforms that make it easy for Zimbabwean companies to engage with potential buyers.”
Minister Shava further encouraged companies that want to grow their exports, in the region and beyond to take maximum advantage of the buyers seminar and connect with reliable businesses that will help in expanding their markets. The buyers’ seminar will see international buyers engage in business-to-business meetings with suppliers of products such as fast-moving consumer goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, agriculture inputs and implements, mining supplies, and engineering.
Leading buyers from Qatar, Sweden, and Russia have been invited to do business with local suppliers, as part of efforts to grow Zimbabwe’s exports into non-traditional markets.
The seminar will also provide an opportunity for ZimTrade to share its findings of a market scan conducted in Qatar recently.
The scan identified export opportunities in sectors such as horticulture, processed foods, meat and meat products, leather and leather products, essential oils, and services.
Considering the need to grow Zimbabwe’s exports across the continent, riding on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), buyers from Ghana, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo will also engage local businesses during the Seminar. ZimTrade has facilitated several export promotion activities, including Outward Seller Missions and participation at trade fairs in these markets over the past few years. The Seminar will provide a platform for local companies to discuss new orders, as well as further engage and concretise on supply deals that have been in the pipeline.
The buyers’ seminar will precede the Annual Exporters’ Conference and Exporter of the Year Awards to be held on 19 October, 2023.
The Conference will bring together all key stakeholders in the export business under one roof to discuss ways to stimulate production and export growth.
The conference is a platform for delegates, business leaders, policymakers, and the exporting community to dialogue and develop solutions to improve our trade balance.
Several local and international speakers have been lined up to unpack issues affecting exporters and share their knowledge and experiences.
The theme of the conference this year is ‘Exporting into the future’ which is in line with our Vision 2030 of becoming an upper-middle income economy.
The current National Export Strategy and National Trade Policy implementation timeframe is expected to come to an end this year.
The Conference will provide a platform for stakeholders in the exporting business to take stock of milestones achieved and lay a foundation for the development of a futuristic policy to guide export growth going forward.
Online Reporter