daniel chigunwe
The just-ended two-day National Multi-Stakeholder Conference on preparations for the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan was a success as it helped to gather stakeholders’ inputs into the planning process and identify business opportunities for marketing the country, an official has said.
In an interview with New Ziana, ZimTrade chief executive officer Allan Majuru said the conference drew over 120 participants from various sectors of the economy who contributed immensely to ensure Zimbabwe’s participation brings tangible results.
Zimbabwe is participating in World Expo 2025, scheduled for April 13 to October 13, 2025 in Osaka, Japan under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.
The World Expo is an event that brings together people and innovations from around the world to resolve global issues facing mankind.
“The good thing is that all stakeholders from all walks of life including the academia, private and public sectors, SMEs, youths, to mention a few, attended this conference. The input that we got was mainly to make sure that we put the best foot forward as a country to showcase. We agreed and there was consent to say it’s not about the private sector, it’s not about the public sector, it’s about Zimbabwe, he said.
“So, we are going to put Zimbabwe first and then the rest of us. So, we are putting in place strategies and plans that are going to be used to make sure that we learn from our previous experience. Remember there was the Aichi expo in Japan and we learned a lot from there and there was the Dubai Expo just recently.”
Majuru said they have also done the analysis of both good and bad experiences and they were going to minimize on the losses to make sure there is great participation going forward.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Bulawayo, Judith Ncube said by participating at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Zimbabwe is being given a chance to rewrite the narrative and showcase strides made in the face of insurmountable challenges.
“The expo will give us an opportunity to showcase the strides we have made and the aspirations we
hold for the future as a united and resilient people,” she said.
“In Bulawayo, we are eager to play our part in crafting this compelling story, the true Zimbabwean story, knowing that our efforts will contribute significantly to the overall success of Zimbabwe’s exhibition at the Expo 2025 Osaka.”
Ncube added that the expo is a crucial step towards positioning Zimbabwe on the international stage.
“This gathering is not just the end of the chapter, but the beginning of an extraordinary journey.
“The significance of this Conference transcends our immediate and future national development goals,” she said.
More than 160 countries are expected to exhibit at Expo 2025 while around 28 million visitors are expected to take part in the 184 days showcase. — New Ziana
Bongani Ndlovu