President jets in for Mine Entra President Mnangagwa chats with the Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube while Vice-President Chiwenga (partially obscured) and Minister of Mines and Mining Development Winston Chitando look on at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo yesterday

Nqobile Tshili and Sikhululekile Moyo, Chronicle Writers

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa arrived in Bulawayo yesterday to preside over the official opening of the 27th Mining, Engineering and Transport (Mine-Entra) Conference today.

He was received at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport shortly after 4PM by Vice-President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who had landed earlier, and was joined by Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, among other senior Government officials.

President Mnangagwa will deliver the keynote address, which is expected to highlight key developments in the mining industry and its impact on the broader economic transformation agenda in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS).

This year’s conference is being held under the theme: “Unearthing Success: The Mining Value Chains, Innovation, and Industrialisation Nexus.”

Mines and Mining Development Minister, Winston Chitando, said President Mnangagwa will preside over the expo today with the Chamber of Mines expected to provide a comprehensive update on the state of the mining sector.

“The Mine Entra, which runs from today (yesterday) until Friday and will be officially opened tomorrow by President Mnangagwa,” he said. “The Chamber of Mines on an annual basis will do a survey to look at the state of the industry and for the first time, the feedback is being done here at the Mine Entra.”

The expo kicked off yesterday with 250 exhibitors compared to 200 last year while international exhibitors increased from 12 to 19, drawn from countries such as China, South Africa, India, Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.

This year’s event promises to be bigger and better with new ideas and innovations being exhibited amid calls for more partnerships in driving economic growth and industrial development in Zimbabwe and beyond.

The Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre was buzzing with activity throughout yesterday as exhibitors engaged in business and shared contacts as they expressed confidence that the platform will yield huge business opportunities.

Minister Winston Chitando

Minister Chitando said the Chamber of Mines will take advantage of the participation of various stakeholders to assess the state of the sector.

He said the specialised expo presents a rare opportunity for local and international mining sector players to establish viable business connections.

“The main objective of Mine Entra is, to a larger extent, have suppliers in different parts of the world come and display equipment, their products, and services to ensure that there is competitiveness in terms of cost and quality they find in the market,” said Minister Chitando. “Much more important is for the local providers of goods and services to showcase what they have because the whole plan is that we want to promote Buy Zimbabwe where these goods and services are provided locally.”

He said the Government recognises the initiatives by the Chamber of Mines, which is promoting local entrepreneurship and is increasingly getting good numbers of products provided within Zimbabwe.

A Chronicle news crew yesterday observed that a lot of yellow machinery, engines, spares, and personal protective equipment (PPE) from both local and international players was on display with exhibitors excited by the platform.

Some of the companies were first-time exhibitors who expressed excitement at participating in this year’s event.

South Africa’s Netpun Boot, which produces personal protective equipment said it was hopeful to get new clients during the expo.

Netpun Boot Johannesburg sales director, Mr Gaven Broomfield, said its products were already found in the Zimbabwean market hence the expo is likely to consolidate their business opportunities.

“It’s my first time here at Mine Entra and it is a very well-organised event. I must say I will be back for next year’s edition, with my trading partners who represent our products in the mining sector of Zimbabwe,” said Mr Broomfield.

“We are looking forward to tomorrow and Friday, which are the busiest days, but I’m very excited and we have seen wonderful exhibitions.”

Bureau Veritas Zimbabwe and Botswana contracts manager, Mr Tendai Malunga, said the high number of exhibitors shows that there is growth in the country’s mining sector.

“It’s good to see several players that support the mining industry, not just players like us from the certification industry but from the automotive industry, banking sector, and the telecommunication companies, which are all sectors that feed into this mining value chain,” said Mr Malunga.

“We believe that Zimbabwe is producing high quality, it could be semi-products and we hope that there could be further value addition of various mineral commodities in terms of beneficiation but as of now we are doing a lot for products that come through Beira Port in terms of exports.”

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