Turn climate challenges into green opportunities: ZITF Company

Judith Phiri,Zimpapers Business Hub

THE Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company has called on players in environment, climate and wildlife to turn climate challenges into green opportunities by investing in new technologies and promoting sustainable practices.

Like any other country, Zimbabwe has not been spared from the effects of climate change which has resulted in increased temperatures and decreasing, more variable rainfall, leading to more frequent and intense droughts, heatwaves and floods.

These shifts are significantly impacting food security, water availability, and agriculture, threatening human development and livelihoods, especially for rural populations.

Speaking at the 2025 Zimbabwe Climate Change Sustainability Week (SW) and Green Business Expo has in Bulawayo on Wednesday, ZITF Company chief executive officer (CEO), Dr Nicholas Ndebele said Zimbabwe, like many nations, faces profound climate vulnerabilities.

“We are all too familiar with the harsh realities of recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall and biodiversity loss that threaten our national food and water security. Here in Bulawayo, our very host city, these challenges are epitomised,” he said.

“The pressures of rapid urban growth are testing our infrastructure, while chronic water scarcity puts hundreds of thousands of our residents at risk. These are not abstract concepts; they are lived experiences that we must address with collective will and innovative solutions.”

He said turning climate challenges into green opportunities for our urban and rural communities would reinforce the national vision of building a climate-resilient economy by 2030, as articulated in the National Development Strategy 1 and 2.

Dr Ndebele who is also the Co-Chairperson of the SW25 Event Organising Committee, said fostering dialogue was critical to solidify the national consensus on regenerative agriculture, sustainable mining and ecosystem restoration.

He added: “Our discussions will reinforce the operational alignment of the private sector and civil society with Zimbabwe’s national development strategies and our robust climate policy frameworks. Crucially, we are here to unlock the necessary investment. Zimbabwe has raised its ambition in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 3.0, committing to a 40 percent per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by 2035.”

Dr Ndebele said as the ZITF Company their stated mission was to bring awareness, connect business, stimulate and promote sustainable growth in trade, commerce and industry for Zimbabwe.