Chronicle Editor
Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]
THE national trade development and promotion organisation, ZimTrade has devised a programme that seeks to link select small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country with local and international buyers at this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
The annual exhibition will be held under the theme “Transformative Innovation, Global Competitiveness” and runs from tomorrow to Saturday in Bulawayo.
The Government expects SMEs to play a pivotal role in transforming the economy towards an upper middle-income status by 2030.
This entails scaling up support for the sector by providing finance and working space to enable the sector to increase the production of quality goods and assist the sector to secure markets.
SMEs have become a big economic force in the country and across the globe but most of them are still struggling to secure lucrative markets.
This has seen ZimTrade lining up capacity-building programs, which are meant to improve the quality of products produced by SMEs as well as marketing strategies that help them to enter both regional and international markets.
ZimTrade is also doing inward and outward selling missions, which are meant to bring the buyer together with the seller in different international, continental, and regional markets.
In a statement, ZimTrade said, “As part of the capacity building of small businesses, we encourage SMEs to participate at national exhibitions such as ZITF, where they put to test their negotiation and marketing skills.”
“At this year’s edition of ZITF, ZimTrade has invited seven small businesses from across the country to engage buyers from Zimbabwe and beyond under its banner.”
The initiative by ZimTrade helps SMEs to participate in international exhibitions.
SME representatives in Bulawayo also encourage players in the sector to partner and create groups so that they buy exhibition stands and share the costs.
They said ZITF brings in an opportunity for SMEs to market their products to local and international buyers as well as establish networks with suppliers of raw materials.
— @SikhulekelaniM1
Online Reporter