adminConrad Mupesa Mashonaland West Bureau
THE Hurungwe Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) recently participated at the Zambia SMEs exhibition expo where they signed a number of business deals.
The expo ran from May 5 to 7.
Members of the Hurungwe Chamber of SMEs exhibited their products made from waste recycling, shoes, from goatskin and detergents.
Zambia’s Minister of Trade and Commerce, Chipoka Mulenga visited the exhibition stands where he challenged the SMEs to partner in projects like waste recycling, peanut butter production, shoe manufacturing, detergents and chemicals making to supply regional and global markets.
Mr Never Gariromo, Hurungwe Chamber of SMEs’ organizing secretary, told The Herald that they signed various deals with traders who seek to buy their products.
“Our waste recycling model is expanding to Zambia. We make construction systems from waste plastic. This is urgently required by the government of Zambia. Our SMEs are going to partner the Zambian SMEs to set up production plants in Zambia, starting with Lusaka City.
“Arrangements have been made for our SMEs to partner Zambia in making shoes using goat skin,” he said.
He added that: “One of our members got a partnership to start a massive peanut butter production for regional and global markets. Another one who produces domestic, commercial and industrial detergents got a deal to supply products through a partner in Zambia.”
Mr Gariromo said Zimbabwe should take a cue from the Zambian government’s policy, which promotes SMEs by considering them for the supply of goods and services for government development programmes.
“Each Zambian ministry or government department is compelled to allocate a quota for SMEs when they call for tenders. “We also learnt that the Ministry of SMEs of Zambia has a good fund which trains SMEs on production of goods, products and services of high quality while banks and microfinance have flexible loan terms,” he said.
Women Affairs provincial development officer, Mr Patrick Rangwani said the exhibition by the Hurungwe Chamber of SMEs in Zambia was a sign that the Government had managed to expose SMEs to the regional market.
“This has also put the SMEs in the limelight as they now engage in business with traders in Zambia and this brings the much needed foreign currency both to the SMEs and the country. To the community of Hurungwe and Mash West this creates good business linkages and creation of employment to the community of Hurungwe,” he said.
Southern Africa (German Sparkassenstiftung For International Cooperation) whose Southern African region director, Markus Tacke engaged with Hurungwe Chamber of SMEs at the expo, is expected to offer financial literacy training to the group before July 2022.
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