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ZIMBABWE’s leather and textile manufacturing sector has started warming up for the upcoming Southern African Development Community (SADC) Industrialisation Week to be hosted in Harare next month, which will precede the SADC Summit slated for August.
The 7th Annual SADC Industrialisation Week will run from 28 July to 2 August, 2024 under the theme “Promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development towards an Industrialised SADC”.
At the event, which will be hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries will assume chairmanship of the SADC Business Forum.
The event will be hosted in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat, the SADC Business Council and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries.
Preliminary indications suggest that about 150 companies from the SADC region will participate at the event, comprising private sector players in the agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, pharmaceutical, financial, consumer and capital goods, women and youth, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and infrastructure sectors. The major highlights of the industrialisation week will be as follows: Investment Conference Official Opening by President and the Ministers’ Plenary Session.
Various industrial sector leaders have already started warming up for the high-level regional engagement with Zimbabwe, as the host expected to showcase its massive manufacturing potential.
Zimbabwe Leather Development Council (ZLDC) secretary, Mr Jacob Nyathi, who is in Harare and was part of the team that has started conducting pre-conference field visits has expressed excitement over the preparatory progress, and hoped the event will yield good prospects for the leather and textile sectors, in particular.
“I am delighted to report that the SADC Industrialization Week combined Zimbabwe Leather Development Council (ZLDC), Zimbabwe Clothing Manufacturers Association (ZCMA)/ Zimbabwe Textile Manufacturers Association, Zimbabwe Leather Collective (ZLC) and the Bulawayo Textile and Clothing Cluster (BTCC) organizing Committee, which is fully supported by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) started field visits for the planning and preparations for an exhibition and world-class fashion showcase to be staged at the Dinner Gala to be held on August 1st, 2024 during the 7th SADC Industrialization Week at the Harare International Convention Centre (HICC),” he said in an update shared with sector players.
“This event is going to be graced by several SADC Ministers of Industry and Trade, representatives of development partner organizations, embassies and trade missions accredited to Zimbabwe and many other high ranking officials, private sector executives and academia from the region and abroad. This is a show not to be missed. The Dinner Gala will also be attended by officials from the SADC Secretariat and the SADC Business Council,” said Mr Nyathi.
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