The Sunday News
Noble Ncube, Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company reinvented this year’s edition of the trade fair by embracing technology as most of the exhibitors focused on showcasing products that were technologically driven.
This year’s theme was Innovate, Integrate, Industrialise. ZITF general manager Mrs Nomathemba Ndlovu said the three key areas were identified to maintain the exhibition’s status as a must attend international exhibition.
“As a listening and learning organisation, every year we are continuously adapting the show. This year we aimed at encouraging various economic players in the country and the African continent as a whole to shift from reliance on natural resources to increased investment in manufacturing processes to resuscitate and revitalise industries as well as to create sustainable value-chains. We want stakeholders to utilise the available technology for business communication,” she said.
Mrs Ndlovu noted that this year’s exhibition focused on enhancing engagement through the use of technology as they had improved the functionality of the mobile app to enable better communication among users both on and off the exhibition floor.
The SMEs ministry showcased their products manufactured from the two technology centres in Bulawayo and Harare.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs Evelyn Ndlovu said they were working together with higher learning institutions like National University of Science and Technology (Nust) and Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) to help boost with technologically advanced machines and ideas. Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA) chairman, Dr Nigel Chanakira in his presentation during the International Business Conference on Wednesday, said if the country was to be innovative, it had to attract foreign markets.
“We need to be innovative for us to attract foreign investors. The world all over is developing faster than we think.
We should not remain behind and take part in this technologically frenzy world,” said Dr Chanakira.
Technology is fast changing how consumers and producers relate. It now enables consumers to pay for products or services through cashless systems. Consumers can now purchase online.
Technology has also made it possible for reduction of human labour replacing them with machinery.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Deputy Minister Dr Godfrey Gandawa said there was a need to think in other terms as technology was taking over.
“There is need to invest in Research and Development. At the moment we are not doing enough. We need the youths because the future is them. The industry should come and invest or fund in their respective areas of expertise. We have to intensively look for programmes that will work with technology in the future,” said Dr Gandawa.
