Zimbabwe International Trade Fair highlights local entrepreneurship as a catalyst for industrialization and trade
ZIMBABWE International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company has started preparations for this year’s trade showcase, amplifying the important role being played by local entrepreneurs in industrialising the economy through innovation, creativity and being opportunistic.
This comes following the ZITF 64th edition theme: “Entrepreneurship: The Catalyst for Industrialisation and Trade” where the company said, ZITF 2024 will spotlight and celebrate the driving force behind innovation, job creation, and sustainable development in the innovation economy by local entrepreneurs.
Responding to questions from the Business Chronicle, ZITF chief executive officer Dr Nicholas Ndebele said building from last year’s success story where the tradeshow positioned innovation as the driving force, which will propel the economy forward, he said this year they are drilling down and rallying the various economic players to embrace an entrepreneurial spirit of being inventive, creative, and opportunistic.
He said the word entrepreneurship is taken beyond its most basic and obvious definition. It is expanded to include corporate intrapreneurship, small-to-medium businesses, scalable start-ups, social entrepreneurship, and innovative entrepreneurship.
“We are therefore saying that whether it is through the creation of new business ventures or the pursuit of corporate entrepreneurship within established organisations, entrepreneurs have the power to ignite industrialisation and propel our economy forward.
“Their ability to identify and pursue opportunities, face risk, and work around resource constraints are the qualities which we must all seek to emulate if we are to achieve our industrialisation and trade agenda,” said Dr Ndebele.
“ZITF 2024 will therefore deliver business opportunities and a platform for spotlighting innovative ideas, which will positively change the way we live, work, and relate with each other for the inclusive benefit of our communities, businesses, and economies.”
ZITF is Zimbabwe’s biggest business annual conference and traditionally draws thousands of local and foreign delegates thereby bringing wider business benefits.
Dr Ndebele said ZITF gives entrepreneurs a platform to demonstrate their value propositions to a relevant and diversified audience.
By bridging the gap between the organisation and its target market, he added that ZITF allows for immediate and direct sales as well as garnering unique insights into evolving customer preferences and industry trends; all of which are imperative to business growth.
“By their very nature, entrepreneurs are curious people, ZITF gives an opportunity to feed that curiosity by learning about existing products and services and conducting a competitive analysis of market offerings to identify gaps, which can be exploited,” said Dr Ndebele.
“ZITF also provides numerous networking opportunities to build strategic and sustainable trade, investment, and marketing partnerships.
“By fostering these connections, entrepreneurs can integrate their existing knowledge with new, unique discoveries to develop comprehensive solutions to societal challenges.”-chronicle
