ZITF growing in leaps and bounds: CEO Ndebele

Judith Phiri, Business Reporter

SINCE taking over as the substantive Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company in July 2021, Dr Nicholas Ndebele has spearheaded the remarkable growth of the premier trade showcase, propelling it to become one of the largest intra-regional trade fairs in the Southern African region.

The annual ZITF has evolved into a pivotal platform for businesses of all sizes, both local and international.

It has created opportunities for businesses to exhibit their products and services, forge valuable connections with potential partners and clients, as well as venture into new markets.
As a result, this dynamic event has not only enriched trade prospects but has also fostered increased foreign direct investment in Zimbabwe.

Traditionally hosted at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) in Bulawayo, the ZITF continues to attract a diverse array of local, regional and international exhibitors and delegates, cementing its status as a cornerstone of economic progress and global connectivity.

Dr Ndebele joined ZITF in 2017 and before assuming the position of CEO, he served as the sales executive tasked with increasing gains in profit performance, revenue growth and market share across all the firm’s strategic business units.

He also was acting general manager following the departure of Mrs Nomathemba Ndlovu in 2019.
Speaking exclusively to Sunday News Business last Thursday, Dr Ndebele expressed his passion for the continued growth of the trade showcase.

“I am a marketer by profession, so I come from a very strong sales background, which is why I always want to put right at the centre of every business that we do, the customer, as well as the quality of service and the customer experience which has to be superior,” he said during an interview on Thursday.

“So my training is that I did marketing right up to PhD level, which has helped me to appreciate the different dynamics of running a business entity and of course appreciating the macro as well as the micro environments of the given business,” he said. Reflecting on his tenure as CEO, Dr Ndebele described his journey as both captivating and challenging, especially amid the backdrop of the Covid-19 era.

During that unprecedented period, he candidly revealed that the ZITF Company faced the daunting uncertainty of its survival in the wake of the pandemic.

 

“But again, we came up with different initiatives to make sure that we managed to ride out of the wave, which was also a consequence of the support that we enjoyed from the board and the entire team.
“It was a team effort that allowed us to ride out of the Covid-19 pandemic wave, which affected several entities, particularly those that were involved in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) space. Tourism was affected in a very big way and so was business tourism,” said Dr Ndebele.
He said it was a challenging period, however, exciting periods did follow afterwards as they started to pick themselves up.

“We have seen the numbers growing yearly. We are now on an upward trajectory in so far as exhibitor numbers are concerned and we have been consistent in that thrust. We have also seen exciting developments in the space of trying to improve the infrastructure because we are in the services space.

“The physical evidence and physical infrastructure do matter, so we have given that some bit of attention to improve customer experience and of course attracting more and more business to the ZIEC, so that has been exciting,” said the ZITF company CEO.

Dr Ndebele said as ZITF Company they have had their fair share of uncomfortable moments when the economy was transitioning.He said they have had to adjust and readjust, while they have always believed in teamwork, in the employee and customer support. “So, once you give those variables sufficient attention we have seen that you can thrive even in difficult conditions. As a country, I think we have seen the economic transformation that is currently being driven by the Second Republic.

“That is hopefully creating a good environment for businesses like ourselves to be able to grow, to attract partners, both domestic and international partners for us to foster our growth in that space,” he said.

In terms of ZITF 2024 preparations, Dr Ndebele said they were on course and they were quite excited by the numbers that they have seen this year. He said foreign participation has also seen significant growth from 21 countries participating last year to 27 this year and they were still counting.

“Our desire is always to reflect that international flavour, we want our local businesspeople to interact with foreigners to foster not only industrialisation within the country but to also move the economy up the value chain and promote trade. This is why our theme is quite apt in that it foregrounds the element of innovation as the catalyst to industrialisation and trade. So currently exhibitors are building up and putting final touches to their stands in preparation for the trade showcase,” said Dr Ndebele.

He said they will be showcasing the initial stages of their masterplan of what they hope the future ZIEC should look like. Dr Ndebele said they count on the support of various businesses to come forward and support these different initiatives as they seek to transform the ZIEC. “We think that this year’s show is going to be bigger and better.

Certainly, as we speak innovation, we will see interesting exhibits on display as people showcase product innovations in terms of their markets, promotion of different services, and businesses, also perhaps innovations in terms of their processes. What is it that is interesting that they can come and showcase that will allow them to advertise, foster synergies and promote brand awareness,” he said.

Dr Ndebele holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD), majoring in Business Leadership from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) of the University of Pretoria, South Africa.He also holds an Executive Development Programme (GIBS), an MSc in Marketing (graduating with Distinction) from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), MBA from Midlands State University, Post Graduate Diploma in PR (Nust) and a Bachelor of Business Studies Honours Degree from the University of Zimbabwe.

Dr Ndebele honed his business development skills through a long career in sales, marketing, key account management, and distribution while working at Delta Beverages (Natbrew), Old Mutual, Population Services International and Telecel Zimbabwe.