UGANDAN President Yoweri Museveni will officially open this
year’s 60th Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) here on April 26.
The trade fair, being held under the theme, “Propagating
Industrial Growth through Trade and Investment,” runs from April 23 to 27.
Speaking by telephone from Harare yesterday, ZITF company
board chairperson Ms Ruth Ncube said: “I confirm that the President of Uganda,
His Excellency Yoweri Museveni, will officially open this year’s ZITF on
Friday, 26 April.”
She said Germany and Belarus have confirmed their
participation at this year’s trade fair, increasing the number of foreign
nations to 14 so far.
Addressing a Press conference at the Zimbabwe International
Exhibition Centre last week, Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu
indicated that over 90 percent of the available exhibition space at this year’s
ZITF had been taken up.
Countries that have already confirmed participation include
Botswana, Ethiopia, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South
Africa, United Arab Emirates, United States of America and Zambia.
The United States of America is returning to ZITF after a
three-year absence, a development which Minister Ndlovu is on record as saying
is an indicator of Washington’s commitment to re-engage with Zimbabwe.
Under the new political order led by President Mnangagwa,
the country has been on a re-engagement drive with the international community
with a view to attracting the much-needed foreign direct investment from across
the globe.
Some of the major highlights of this year’s trade fair
include the ZITF International Business Conference to be held on the 24th of
April, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI)/ ZITF original equipment
manufacturers forum on April 25, while public days will be April 26 and 27.
“For the first time in history of the trade fair, all the
available exhibitor space has been sold out and we have made special
arrangements to accommodate more exhibitors. We are still accepting bookings,”
said Mrs Ncube.
As of last week, there were 16 direct international
exhibitors who had booked space at this year’s trade showcase compared to 17
that had booked during the comparable period last year.
Displays from international exhibitors are expected from
sectors such as agriculture equipment, food and beverages, cosmetics, education
services, ICT, automation equipment, energy products, transportation, building
and constructions as well as clothing and textile. Chronicle
0 comments:
Post a Comment