VP Chiwenga to headline Connect Africa Symposium

Senior Business Reporter
Vice-President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga is set to headline the second edition of the Connect Africa Symposium scheduled to run concurrently with the annual Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).

The symposium expected to be attended by over 300 delegates will be held under the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Potential: Innovation, Competitiveness and Sustainable Development.”

The ZITF runs from April 25 to 29 under the theme “Transformative Innovation, Global Competitiveness”.

ZITF company chairman, Mr Busisa Moyo said the event will be attended by representatives from various organisations, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Kenyan National Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Infrastructure Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ).

“Experts from business, finance, technology and entrepreneurship, will offer diverse perspectives on what African countries need to do to become competitive in the global market,” said Mr Moyo.

Another key conference — ZITF Innovators’ Forum will also take centre stage as it will focus on the youth in the discourse of innovation and global competitiveness through youth-focused programming.

It will run under the theme, “Industry 4.0: Unlocking the Potential of Transformative Innovation for Global Competitiveness.”

Mr Moyo said innovations from across four thematic tracks, namely Agriculture, Energy, Information, Communication and Technology (ICTs) and the Informal Sector, will be spotlighted during the Pitch and Hackathon Competitions.

The event will feature presentations from the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), Lupane State University, Innovation for Africa, Girls in STEM Trust, Elevate Trust and UmojaLands.

Sector specific expos such as Scholastica, the education, careers and training expo, A’sambeni Africa Business Tourism Expo which spotlights Zimbabwe as a premier destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and events will also run concurrently with the trade exhibition.