Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
The People’s Own Savings Bank (POSB) in partnership with the country’s trade development and promotion agency, ZimTrade hosted an exports awareness seminar for local businesses, a development that supports the Government’s initiatives to boost exports and generate foreign currency for the country.
The seminar which was held in Harare was also live-streamed on POSB’s social media pages to enable those who were not able to attend the physical event to participate.
The thrust of the businesses export seminar was to provide an opportunity for local businesses to learn about the latest trends in export markets, appreciate the exports value chain and how they can take advantage of these trends to grow their businesses.
Participants were also apprised of the various requirements and regulations that must be adhered to when exporting goods and services to regional and international markets.
POSB chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Garainashe Changunda said: “As POSB, one of our mandates is to promote exports to boost the country’s foreign currency generation efforts and economic growth. We understand the impediments that businesses face when it comes to exporting their products.”
He said they support exporters through their financial and non-financial services, including trade finance, foreign exchange services, export credit facilities such as pre-export loans, offering foreign payment solutions including Mastercard Services and provision of export documentation services among others.
Mr Changunda said exporters play a pivotal role in the economy as they help create employment, increase foreign exchange earnings and contribute to the country’s economic growth.
“Zimbabwe has enormous export potential and POSB is committed to helping businesses take advantage of these opportunities.”
ZimTrade CEO, Mr Allan Majuru said they were pleased to partner with POSB in the seminar that had great potential to contribute to the development of the country and the growth of our SMES.
“In addition to learning about the export processes, participants will also get opportunities to network with other local businesses. This will provide an opportunity for businesses to build relationships and explore potential partnerships that can help them to grow their businesses,” he said.
“We have also roped in experienced exporters to share testimonials with those that are still starting. The seminar was a great opportunity to ask questions and engage with the experts to gain a deeper understanding of the export processes,” Majuru added.
The seminar was a multi-sectoral event aimed at improving knowledge on the ease of doing export business in Zimbabwe and a platform for stakeholder engagement to understand the existing export opportunities in the international and regional markets and how Zimbabwean exporters can exploit the same.
Several experts with valuable experience, knowledge and insights into the export processes including export market opportunities, export compliance and requirements for registration under Trade Agreements spoke during the seminar.
Bongani Ndlovu