Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
PREPARATIONS for the 7th annual Sadc Industrialisation Week (SIW) slated for between 28 July and 2 August, are at an advanced stage with local and regional companies registering for the showcase.
It is being hosted by the Government through the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), in partnership with the Sadc Secretariat and Sadc Business Council in Harare. The SIW will be a forerunner to the 44th Sadc Heads of State Summit in August and will be held under the theme: “Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development towards an Industrialised Sadc.”
The Government expects about 300 guests and 150 companies to participate in deliberations during SIW. The week-long conference was recently described by Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu as a platform for the private sector and policymakers to attend and interact. In an interview on Saturday, Ministry of Industry and Commerce Permanent Secretary Dr Thomas Utete Wushe said preparations were at an advanced stage.
“We are happy with the progress that has been made so far. The Sadc Industrialisation Week is targeting 300 participants, mainly from the private sector, as well as other stakeholders from the public sector, academia, and development partners. For the exhibition, the target is 150 companies.” He said out of these, a total of 100 stands will be reserved for local companies, innovation hubs, SMEs, women, and youth exhibitors while 45 will be reserved for the other 15 Member States, with each member state allocated at least three booths.
The Permanent Secretary said there will be a dedicated pavilion for Regional Investment Promotion Agencies from the 15 Sadc member countries, while a portal has already been developed for participants to register online.“SIW aims to build coalitions to ensure understanding and co-operation among stakeholders on how to implement the Industrialisation Strategy, including the development of Regional Value Chains mainly the pharmaceuticals, mineral beneficiation, and agro-processing,” he said.
CZI chief executive officer (CEO) Ms Sekai Kuvarika said from Sadc member countries about 10 companies had registered so far. “We are looking at about 10 or more companies from the Sadc member countries that have registered so far and I am sure more are yet to register. 100 stands have been reserved for companies from around the country and I cannot ascertain as yet how many will be coming from which places so far,” she said.
Meanwhile, in an interview on the sidelines of the 2025 Economic Census Provincial Sensitisation Workshop for Matabeleland North Province on Wednesday, National University of Science and Technology (Nust) Department of Banking and Economic Sciences lecturer and researcher Mr Emmanuel Sibanda urged Bulawayo companies participating at SIW to showcase problem-solving innovations.
“When we look at the Sadc Industrialisation Week and the fact that we are going to be having businesses from Bulawayo participating, it is important for the businesses to showcase innovations that solve problems being faced not only in Bulawayo or Zimbabwe but within Sadc as well,” he said. This is because the Bulawayo companies will be participating in a regional endeavour that is taking place in Zimbabwe. They should showcase innovative products and services that are tailor-made to solve challenges in the Sadc region.”
He said it was possible and practical to come up with solutions that solve local problems and also speak to the regional problems, by finding novel approaches, while creativity generates original ideas and envisions unexplored possibilities.
Mr Sibanda said scalable solutions were critical in the current era and generation, taking valuable lessons learnt during the Covid-19 pandemic period.
“Businesses with a record of transformation and disruption responded to Covid-19 by focusing on innovation. These innovative solutions should be scalable, they should not be solutions that can be applied, let’s say only in Bulawayo but they should be scaled also to a national level and also to our Sadc region,” he said. He said as Bulawayo works on regaining its industrial hub status, identifying potential investors and funders for different re-industrialisation and new projects during the Sadc Industrialisation Week was equally important.
The SIW events will include conferencing and exhibitions, while several private sector players are expected to be part of the programme. SIW is an annual public-private engagement platform designed to foster new opportunities for intra-African trade, develop cross-border value chains, and identify investment opportunities in the Sadc region.
The SIW, which will officially be opened by President Mnangagwa on 31 July will commence with a media awareness day on 28 July followed by an investment conference to be presided over by Vice-President Constantine Chiwenga, on 29 July. Plenary sessions will be held on 30 July. The Minister of Industry and Commerce and the private sector will host a welcome cocktail, gala dinner, and fashion show on 1 August.
The events will wrap up with organised factory visits to outstanding and innovative local companies, to showcase Zimbabwe’s industrial potential.
derick.khumalo