Township economies and rural entrepreneurship summit set for Bulawayo

Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor 

THE inaugural Township Economies and Rural Entrepreneurship Summit is set to take place in Bulawayo during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) week. 

Organisers of the one-day summit, which is scheduled for Tuesday, 23 April at a local hotel, have said it will be a gathering of stakeholders interested in township and inclusive rural development to explore new growth opportunities and will run under the theme; Innovative growth and transformative solutions towards vision.

One of the organisers, Mr Nicky Moyo said the conference will attract different stakeholders from rural and urban local authorities, construction firms, local government leaders, policymakers, donors, NGOs, women’s groups, rural development practitioners, advisory firms, institutional investors, pension funds, technology firms, accounting firms, farmers and rural enterprises, national Government agencies and banks.

“Zimbabwe is embarking on a slate of ambitious reforms and attraction of investment on the cusp of the Zimbabwe Development Strategy Vision 2030. The conference will be a gathering of stakeholders interested in township and inclusive rural development to explore new growth opportunities. 

“Focus on township and rural economies is important because it has the potential to address unemployment, stimulate economic growth, foster entrepreneurship, empower communities, reduce inequality and contribute to the overall well-being and inclusive development. 

“Local governance needs to be responsive to the speed and complexity of change in township and rural communities,” said Mr Moyo.

He noted that access to sustainable and affordable housing is a major development opportunity in Zimbabwe’s township and rural economies, hence the need for such a gathering.

“Urbanisation continues to gather pace, as rural dwellers migrate to urban centres in search of better job opportunities, access to quality education and health services. However, the infrastructure of these cities has struggled to keep pace with this influx of residents and expanding rural economies, leading to increased demand for housing. 

“The national housing shortage is estimated to run into millions of units and needs are increasing in line with population growth and higher rates of urbanisation. The expansion of rural ecosystems demands innovations in the provision of housing. Social housing is a powerful vector for integrating township economies and emerging rural economies by providing decent rental housing for working families on low or moderate incomes,” said Mr Moyo.

Some of the topics that will be discussed include; developing a culture of entrepreneurs, access to finance for the informal market sector, the creative economy and development of cities, learning about corporate supplier development programmes, how to grow and develop your business to access new markets, spatial development strategies to unlock the potential of rural and township economies, technology opportunities are available to support the informal market sector, financing local green enterprises, financing women-led enterprises, township entrepreneurship and skills development.

The conference will also look at youth enterprises, incubation and development, local sports, recreation linkages with township economies, inclusive rural finance, development of rural farming and urban markets linkages, public-private partnerships to develop infrastructure or township and rural economies, commercial property development in township and rural economies and unlocking renewable energy business opportunities in township and rural economies.

Speakers set to grace the conference are the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Bulawayo Metropolitan, Judith Ncube, Minister of Women’s Affairs, SMEs and Community Development, Monica Mutsvangwa, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Skills Audit and Development, Zimbabwe, Ambassador Mabel Chitima, Group CEO, ZB Financial Holdings Limited, Mr Shepherd P Fungura and World Food Programme Representative and Country Director in Zimbabwe, Ms Francesca Erdelmann to mention but a few.