malvernmugadzikwa
Business Writer
Local and foreign companies are showing huge interest in attending the SADC Industrialisation Week, which will take place in Harare from July 29 to August 2, 2024.
Statistics from the portal, www.44sadcsummit.gov.zw, created for delegates to register shows that more than 120 participants had registered to attend the conference in just 18 days after the web based portal went live.
While local individuals and institutions dominate registrants, there has also been growing interest from the 15 member SADC countries and beyond.
Of the registrants, 58 are from Zimbabwe, 43 non-Zimbabweans while 20 are exhibitors.
According to Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries chief executive officer Sekai Kuvarika, interest is not only restricted to SADC countries but from other international countries.
“We are getting inquiries from China, Turkey, and Egypt among other countries,” Kuvarika said.
The CZI boss said the SADC Industrialisation Week (SIW) will also be graced by a representative from the German SME Association to present on internationalisation of SMEs.
She said the SADC Industrialisation Week will provide an opportunity to learn from the Germans in terms of “how they’ve managed to deliberately create policies and support structures to internationalise their small and medium enterprises.”
Kuvarika previously said the aim in bringing the expert from German is to understand how the country can work on internationalisation of SMEs.
“We are aware that other economies have really managed to grow on the back of SMEs which have gone on to become international businesses.
“And for that we are having some sessions on the internationalisation and promotion of SMEs and entrerprenuership,” Kuvarika told SADC Ambassadors to Zimbabwe at a recent SIW awareness luncheon in Harare.
“For that we also going to have a speaker coming from German. We know that the Germans have a very good history of internationalising their SMEs which are across the globe.
“So the association of SMEs in German is also going to come and share their lessons with the SADC entrerprenuers and SMEs and our policymakers on how this can be made possible in our region,” Kuvarika said.
She said the Indian Franchise Association is also expected to present opportunities to entrepreneurs who may want to get into franchising.
“We are also looking maybe to bring some entrepreneurs from South Africa and other SMEs that are coming from the region are going to participate in that forum.
Other delegates expected to attend the conference include players from the private sector, industry experts, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and foreign business delegates from outside the SADC region among others.
Recently addressing regional Ambassadors at the SIW awareness luncheon in Harare, Ministry of Industry and Commerce Permanent Secretary, Dr Thomas Utete-Wushe said the convention would target participation by private sector players particularly those involved in the agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, pharmaceutical, financial, consumer, capital goods and infrastructure sectors.
“The SADC Industrialisation Week is targeting 300 participants, mainly the private sector, as well as other stakeholders from the public sector, academia, and development partners. For the exhibition, the target is 150 companies.”
Out of these, a total of 100 stands will be reserved for local companies, innovation hubs, SMEs, women, and youth exhibitors whilst 45 will be reserved for the other 15 member States, with each member State allocated at least three booths.
The SADC industrialisation week (SIW) serves as a platform that brings together a wide range of stakeholders who are dedicated to advancing the industrialisation agenda in the region.
Bongani Ndlovu