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Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter

OF the 200 direct exhibitors so far registered for this year’s Mine Entra, only 29 percent are from Bulawayo, according to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company.

Bulawayo hosts the specialised exhibition this week starting Wednesday up to Friday under the theme: “Resourcing the Future: Exploring and Leveraging Mining Potential”.

“In terms of local participation, 64 percent of the confirmed exhibitors are coming from Harare while 29 percent will come from Bulawayo and the remainder from other cities,” ZITF Company acting general manager, Mr Nicholas Ndebele, said. 

“To date, 200 exhibitors have confirmed their participation in this year’s show, occupying over 5 600 square metres of exhibition space. This represents an estimated 80 percent of the space made available for sale.

“Of these direct exhibitors, five are foreign exhibitors coming from the People’s Republic of China, Kenya, South Africa, South Korea and Zambia.”

Mr Ndebele said this year’s Mine-Entra will feature an interesting and varied product mix appealing to large and small-scale mining operations.

“Some of the products on display include detection and lifting equipment, chemicals and explosives, compressors, protective clothing and equipment, seals, bearings and gears, drones, as well as medical aid, insurance and security services,” he said.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando is expected to officially open the exhibition on Thursday. 

Mr Ndebele said the focus of the show will be on facilitating discussions on harnessing the country’s mining potential, identifying and kick-starting the catalytic actions necessary for progress on sustainable exploration, mining, processing, and management of mineral resources for the benefit of all Zimbabweans. 

“As organisers, our expectation is that this year’s show will be characterised by three days of high-level engagement, profitable networking and on-site deal-flow.

“To this end, the Mine Entra event will feature different knowledge-sharing platforms that seek to add further impetus to the national drive to make mining a catalyst for inclusive economic growth, now and into the future,” he said.

Key highlights of the event include the Women in Mining Conference and Young Professionals Forum to be held on the first day of the show. The two conferences will highlight the available opportunities for women and youth throughout the mining value chain thereby enabling each group to achieve their full potential and contribute positively to Zimbabwe’s sustainable economic development.

The main Mine Entra Conference, taking place on Thursday, will spotlight Government’s policy initiatives for crafting an enabling environment for mining sector growth. 

Transport and Infrastructural Development, Industry and Commerce, Energy and Power Development as well as Finance and Economic Development Ministers are also expected to attend the event. 

Other networking platforms, which will take place during the show, include the Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation Conference.

The conference targets small-scale miners to engage with their policy makers, suppliers and service providers to discuss specific challenges and opportunities within their sector. — @okazunga