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Prosper Ndlovu, Business Editor
ABOUT 30 Zimbabwean companies are expected to showcase their products at the Malawi Solo Exhibition scheduled for next week in Lilongwe.

The ‘solo expo’ will be held under strict Covid-19 prevention measures between 12 to 14 July under the theme: “Promoting Trade Partnerships”, organisers said.

The country’s trade promotion and development agency, ZimTrade, will lead the business delegation as part of the country’s efforts to drive economic transformation through increased export earnings.

The intervention buttresses the Second Republic’s thrust for robust economic development, which has seen a shift from traditional to economic diplomacy, which is expected to improve foreign currency and investment inflows.

Under the National Development Strategy 1, a five-year blue-print launched last year, economic diplomacy is crucial to improving the country’s image, improving relations with the international community, as well as boosting investment.

The Government is already seized with interventions meant to strengthen engagements with fellow African leaders, which is expected to improve bilateral trade ties.

“The event will improve engagements between companies in the two countries where local companies will meet buyers of products and services, as well as suppliers of raw materials,” ZimTrade chief executive officer, Mr Allan Majuru, said.

“Participating companies will be drawn from fast-moving consumer goods, agricultural inputs and implements, household and office furniture, and building and construction sectors.

“So, the attention will be on Zimbabwe, which improves the quality of engagements between local exporters and buyers in the markets.”

According to ZimTrade, about 30 Zimbabwean companies are expected to take part in the first ever export promotion event to Lilongwe, which is being coordinated in conjunction with the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre and the Zimbabwean Embassy in Malawi.

While cordial political relations exist between Lilongwe and Harare, Mr Majuru has said there is room to translate this into economic gains by increasing trade and economic cooperation.

According to the Trade Map, total trade between Zimbabwe and Malawi fell from US$126 million in 2015 to US$51 million in 2019 and the Balance of Trade has been in favour of Malawi.

Zimbabwe’s main exports to Malawi in 2019 included corrugated paper and paperboard; coke and semi-coke of coal; cement; iron and steel structures; packing containers of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or webs of cellulose fibres; rough wood; agrochemicals; seeds, maize and fish.

Zimbabwe’s imports from Malawi include dried leguminous vegetables; soya-bean oil cake and other solid residues; unmanufactured tobacco; soya beans; groundnuts, maize, fibre board, manufactured tobacco, and plastic household articles.

“Malawi is a net importer and has been for over a decade, hence Zimbabwean companies have a unique opportunity to increase supplies to the country,” said Mr Majuru.

“Some of the opportunities were identified through a market survey conducted by ZimTrade in Malawi in 2019.

“The biggest opportunities were in the areas of agriculture inputs and implements, household and office furniture, building and construction, and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods.”

To unlock these opportunities, Mr Majuru advised Zimbabwean exporters to leverage on Preferential Bilateral Trade Agreement that has been in place in 1995.

“Exporters need to register through Zimra to benefit from this Preferential Bilateral Trade Agreement, which allows for duty free trading on non-sensitive and non-exclusive products,” he said.

In October last year President Mnangagwa met his Malawian counterpart, President Lazarus Chikwera where discussions focused on how the two countries can harness their natural resources to improve the lives of their citizens through production and productivity.

The engagement afforded the two leaders and their Governments to refocus their cooperation in the areas of trade, agriculture, mining and social services.