20 Apr 2022

A total of 10 local companies will exhibit their products at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair slated for April 26-30.

 “The Botswana Investment and Trade Center (BITC) has through its database and issuance of expression of interest identified 10 local companies to participate at the fair billed for Bulawayo,” revealed the organisation’s export development and promotion director, Mr Temo Ntapu in an interview.

  He said the companies traded in products such as soda ash, water tanks, farm implements, cell phone manufacturing, organic fertilizer and paving locks.

Mr Ntapu explained that  selection was done based on the company’s product reputation locally and its quality verification as well as its readiness to meet the export market demands.

     He said the fair, to be held under the theme: Rethink, Reimagine, Re-invent Value Chains for Economic Development, would  give the companies a platform to explore export and partnership opportunities in targeted markets.

Through leveraging networking opportunities at the fair and interacting with new potential markets, the local entrepreneurs could reimagine their business models and reconfigure supply chains to become more flexible and profit-driven, said Mr Ntapu.

The fair, he said, enabled economic players to identify new business crafts and implement change strategies in response to the ever-evolving market requisites.

Mr Ntapu said the Botswana pavilion would also strive to lure foreign direct investment in sectors such as mining, tourism and food.

On trade flows between Botswana and Zimbabwe, Mr Ntapu said they had been favourable to the former in the last three years despite supply chain disruptions brought about the advent of COVID-19.

“It is worth noting that our export basket to Zimbabwe has in the last three years registered an impressive incline from P324 million in 2019 to P423 million in 2021, while the imports on the other hand stood at  P233 million in 2019 and P339 million in 2021,” he said.

Mr Ntapu revealed that salt constituted the bulk of export revenue from Zimbabwe while building bricks, school and office stationery as well as veterinary vaccines were some of the key exports.

He said there was huge potential for the exportation of canned food products that remained untapped.

With regard to the import bill, Mr Ntapu said the bulk of it was  importation of raw sugar and dairy products as well as timber. ends