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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter

MUSIC blares as visitors stroll between colourful booths displaying a wide variety of products. The companies, from small to medium enterprises to big corporates, both foreign and local, are showing off their wares at the colourful event.

The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo kicked off yesterday and runs until Saturday amid an upsurge in the number of participants, which has forced organisers to expand exhibition space to accommodate more businesses. 

Already, Bulawayo is a hive of activity as delegates have started trooping into the city.

Local hotels and lodges have said their facilities are fully booked due to the overwhelming number of visitors, with the extra numbers expected to be accommodated in private homes and public institutions with adequate infrastructure.

The country’s prime trade and investment expo is being held under the theme, “Rethink, Reimagine, Reinvent Value Chains for Economic Development,” and a packed programme of conferences, sector specific fora and seminars has been lined up for the duration of the symposium.

A total of 14 countries being represented by 21 exhibitors are taking part. Some of the exhibitors, both local and foreign, are showcasing their products for the first time.

Ms Sikhangezokuhle Simali, co-founder and administrator of a local company, Millennium Footwear said: “ZITF is a platform for us to create synergies and attract new markets and that is precisely why we find it important to showcase our products through participating in this annual event.”

Zimbabwe Commercial Rabbit Breeders Association (ZICORBA) secretary general Mrs Siphosethu Ncube-Moyo said: “This is our first time to exhibit at the ZITF and to us it is a milestone to showcase here given that we are only one year old.

We want people to know about our association because we have a lot of rabbit farmers out there, but they are not aware of this association.”

Mrs Ncube-Moyo said through ZITF they will be able to give visibility to their organisation and raising awareness to farmers interested in venturing in commercial rabbit farming.

“Rabbit meat has been produced since time immemorial, but it wasn’t at the forefront because people were just doing it like a backyard venture not for commercial purposes.

As ZICORBA, we are saying let us transition like other industries and commercialise our industry such as having an abattoir, good breeds and feeds so that we get quality meat products,” she said.

ZITF chairman Mr Busisa Moyo said everything was in place, pointing out that as organisers they were seized with expansion plans to cater for potential spill-over of exhibitors. 

He said this also shows that business entities are eager to take part in building the country’s economy through utilising platforms such as the ZITF to grow their ventures and securing viable synergies.

“This year’s show has seen an upsurge in the uptake of the exhibition space, resulting in the setting up of supplementary exhibition space in one of the parking areas,” said Mr Moyo.

“In the short term, we will be managing the demand for exhibition space through temporary structures.”

As ZITF chairman Mr Busisa Moyo said everything was in place, pointing out that as organisers they were seized with expansion plans to cater for potential spill-over of exhibitors.

As of Monday, 428 direct exhibitors had confirmed their participation, having taken up 44 760 square metres of exhibition space.

– @mashnets.