Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THE Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, has urged local authorities in the province to embrace small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and do more to provide them adequate working spaces to promote formalised business operations.
Speaking recently while officially opening the second edition of the Insiza Industrial Expo held at Filabusi Show Grounds, which amplified rural industrialisation opportunities, Dr Ndlovu also challenged local businesses to aggressively market their goods and services on both domestic and export markets to improve their visibility and profitability.
The expo was held under the theme: “Connect, Collaborate and Grow”, and comes at a time when Filabusi was recently upgraded from a business centre to a town.
Stakeholders are now working on modernising Filabusi to match its town status and the development is creating opportunities for small businesses hence the introduction of the annual expo.
This is as a platform for promoting value chains and linkages across different business sectors to empower communities and boost economic development.
The town is the capital of Insiza District and a service centre for the surrounding mining and farming areas, mainly cattle ranching and limited crop farming.
Dr Ndlovu said businesses should equally exploit developments in communication such as the emergence of fast-internet services to access new digital business techniques such as digital marketing, which will enable businesses to be effective in the global village.
“This platform presents a huge opportunity for all businesses regardless of their sizes to market goods and services and entrench their brands in both domestic and external markets,” she said.
“This will definitely lead them to register phenomenal growth and development in the near future in line with vision 2030, which is premised on the creation of an upper middle-income society by the year 2030.
“Insiza District boasts various value chains, which give the district economy a prominent position in industry and trade in Zimbabwe,” said Dr Ndlovu.
She said the value chains include but are not limited to gold mining, lithium mining, goat, cattle and horticulture.
“These value chains should be exploited in full by the residents to create wealth for the present and future generations,” said Dr Ndlovu.
She said developments in Filabusi have to be enhanced to match the demands of a town.
Dr Ndlovu said the existing markets in Filabusi should be upgraded to meet standards found in big cities and towns such as Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru and Mutare, among others.
“The work space for MSMEs should be given attention by our local authority working closely with relevant stakeholders in order to promote decent work and economic growth for all business players in line with SDGS and NDS1. This creates business confidence among the traders and customers,” said Dr Ndlovu.
She said it was pleasing to note that there is fair participation of men and women in business, a virtue which demonstrates the commitment of Insiza District to the concept of equal society.
“Its time women are freed from the burden of care work and get adequate space to significantly participate in productive work,” said Dr Ndlovu.
Addressing the expo participants, principal administrative officer in the District Development Co-ordinator (DDC)’s office and general manager of the Industrial Expo, Ms Siceco Gwayi, said the district is rich in natural resources such as gold.
“Our theme embodies the essence of what we aim to achieve today, connecting is the first step. It is about building networks, fostering relationships and ensuring that every voice is heard,” she said.
Ms Gwayi said the next step is to ensure businesses collaborate.
“The challenges we face in Insiza—be it in agriculture, mining, education, healthcare, or economic development requires a collective effort,” she said.
Ms Gwayi said once businesses work together, the focus shifts to growth, not just in terms of numbers but in the growth of minds, skills and community spirit.
“Growth means investing in our people, empowering our youths and nurturing local entrepreneurship,” she said.
Chief Sibasa urged youths who are unemployed to take advantage of the district’s many business opportunities instead of engaging in illegal activities such as drug and substance abuse.
He said youths should identify potential business ventures and then seek assistance from Government and its development partners. — @DubeMatutu
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