Midlands readies for Dubai 2020 expo

THE Midlands Province has been urged to prepare for the 2020 Dubai Expo, as Zimbabwe gears up for the international exhibition, which is set to run from October this year to April next year in the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking after paying a courtesy call to the Minister of State for Midlands Province, Larry Mavima in Gweru, the commissioner general for Expo Dubai 2020, Ambassador Mary Mubi, said the province should start exploring various products it has, which can be incorporated in the country`s exhibits.

“One of the missions that we are undertaking is to identify the products that will do well in that market.

“We will have two platforms where we will showcase Zimbabwean products,” she said.

“If you have products in the province that you think are world class, whether in the horticulture sector or in the retail store, we believe that we can go and show case those products and hopefully provide a market for the region.”

Amb Mubi said Zimbabwe’s pavilion at the exhibition would be divided into four sections based on culture and heritage, land and agriculture, human resource and the country`s vision.

She said the Midlands province should tap into its art and cultural artifacts, tourism sites and infrastructure.

Traditional foods and indigenous plants are also among the targeted unique selling Mr Edward Muchengeti Tierra Chemicals gets US$20k equipment in indigenous plants both in terms of cosmetics and medicine. So, these are some of the products that we really want to take,” said Amb Mubi.

Zimbabwe targets among others to showcase indigenous crops and recipes, which seem to have been neglected by citizens.

“If we go and talk about Zimbabwe being open for business, how ready are we at Ambassador Mary Mubi our borders, what is the culture change that we need to build, remember this is a long-term project that we need to undertake. How open are we as a province, like if an investor comes to your province, how quickly can they get a project up and running?” she said.

Amb Mubi added that the media also have a crucial role in promoting the country`s image and showcasing the opportunities Zimbabwe has to offer.