9 foreign exhibitors at Mine Entra
ALL is set for the 26th edition of Mine Entra 2023, which kicks off tomorrow at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo with President Mnangagwa expected to officially open it.
This year’s three-day mining, engineering, and transport expo, is running under the theme “Accelerating Economic Transformation Through Mineral Beneficiation.”
Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) chief executive officer Dr Nicholas Ndebele said the majority of the exhibitors arrived over the past three days, and are now working on their stand designs.
He said the exhibition centre will be open all night to allow exhibitors to finalise their displays.
“This year’s tradeshow promises to be a game-changer for the industry focusing on showcasing cutting-edge mining technologies and innovations. Additionally, the revamped concurrent event line-up offers a myriad of business networking opportunities for various stakeholders,” said Dr Ndebele.
“Mining industry players will be jetting in today and tomorrow for the inaugural Lithium and Battery Minerals Conference and the Mining Industry Suppliers Forum taking place on Wednesday.”
Hosted by the Zimbabwe School of Mines, the inaugural Lithium and Battery Minerals Conference will interrogate development, opportunities, and imperatives relating to the sector.
Dr Ndebele said the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines will also be hosting the Mining Industry Suppliers Forum which provides an engagement platform to the mines as well as downstream and upstream industries in the mining value chain on current opportunities and constraints in manufacturing, local content, and procurement.
Thursday marks the official opening of the Mine Entra Conference by President Mnangagwa.
High-profile speakers including the Minister of Mines and Mining Development Zhemu Soda are expected to make their presentations.
Dr Ndebele said the President will also present awards to the winning displays during the event.
He said to date 169 direct exhibitors have confirmed their participation, while 7 929 square metres of exhibition space had been occupied as of Friday last week.
“The number includes nine foreign exhibitors from China, South Africa and Tanzania. In terms of local participation, 60 percent of the confirmed exhibitors are coming from Harare while 31 percent will come from Bulawayo and the remainder from other cities,” said Dr Ndebele
“As part of the organizers’ quest to proactively facilitate compliance with the proposed local content thrust and beneficiation agenda, approximately 36 percent of the participating exhibitors will be local manufacturers of mining spares and mineral processing equipment.”
Dr Ndebele said some of the products that will be on display include detection and lifting equipment, chemicals and explosives, compressors, protective clothing and equipment, seals, bearings and gears, drones, as well as medical aid, insurance and security services.
“On the international front, we are expecting representation from Australia, Botswana, China, Palestine and South Africa who will be on the ground searching for bilateral opportunities in terms of knowledge sharing, investment and value chain development,” he said. —chronicle
