Ronny Zikhali

PREPARATIONS the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), which is the second largest trade show south of the Sahara, have gather momentum amid revelations that 88 percent of exhibition space has been sold.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting on Thursday, ZITF general manager, Mr Daniel Chigaru, said the number of exhibitors to participate at the fair has risen tremendously against the backdrop of a cash crunch being faced by the country.
“The exhibition has sold well regarding the situation we are in, with 88 percent of the space being sold in Hall One, Three, Four, Five, open sites and all our leased stands.
“If need be we will also open Hall Two and Hall 2A to ensure that all those people that want to exhibit can do so and I may say we are geared for a good exhibition and expect people to leave satisfied and participate in future exhibitions,” he said.
He also said the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority has assured them of continuos electricity supply during the exhibition period.
Two months ago ZITF’s board members suggested the idea of deferring the country’s premier showcase to June in a meeting attended by the Ministry of Regional Integration and International Trade and Industry and Commerce.
However, the postponement of the event was shelved aside after Government realised some implications that might be arrived at by the country’s failure to host the event.
In February ZITF received only two percent exhibitors confirmation for this year’s fair as compared to 86 percent received last year during the same month.
“We met with the board sometime in February and they wanted us to postpone the event to around June because if you have only two percent confirmation how can you go ahead.
“But the negative image that would have been sent out about our inability to hold the exhibition because of failure to believe in ourselves would have shown us in a negative way,” said Professor Welshman Ncube, the Minister of Industry and Commerce.
“The ZITF is the first major event which is going to showcase Zimbabwe after the formation of the all inclusive government.
“We therefore want to make it (ZITF) as celebratory as possible by showing the world that we have moved from one paradigm to another,” said the Minister of Regional Integration and International Trade, Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga.
She said a number of countries have expressed their interest to be part of this historical event.
“We are going to set up a nerve centre at the ZITF through ZimTrade so as to feed information about your businesses but ensure that your prices are reasonable.
“We know that we are coming from a difficult situation where cash flow has been a problem but that is not a reason for you to over charge,” Minister Misirabwi-Mushonga while addressing service providers.
This year’s editio will run from 20 April to 24 April.