Plumtree town launches business expo

PLUMTREE town last week launched a business expo, a platform set to bring in key players in the surrounding areas and explore business opportunities as a way of pushing for development.

Addressing delegates at the launch last week, Mangwe district administrative officer Mr Ones Zogara said the business expo was a follow-up from the annual mini-fair that the area hosts every year.

"This year the feeling was that it was time to move from 'mini' thinking to fully fledged business expo with a permanent multi-stakeholder whose term of office will be two years," he said.

He said that their role was to facilitate participation by local entrepreneurs in local, national, regional and international trade.

"They (districts) have the task of mobilising resources so that they could have working capital to access markets, investment promotion and the creation of network for entrepreneurs," he said.

He said that the launch was funded by different stakeholders who have helped in coming up with the idea of the fair.

Mr Zogara said that there were problems in securing a proper showground to host the expo.

"The other key challenge facing the co-ordinating committee is to come up with a show ground to host the expo in years to come. Currently the 'Show Grounds' are schools but ideally an event of this nature should have its permanent home," he said.

In an interview, Plumtree town secretary, Mr Davis Luthe, said that the launch is to create a platform for Plumtree town to upgrade its marketing strategies.

"The launch is there to create a platform that will articulate the needs of Plumtree as a hub of Bulilima and Mangwe in terms of marketing," said Mr Luthe.

He said that the council will give the business expo financial assistance and they should fully utilise it as it will bring investment opportunities to the town.

"We want to give it some financial support,  budget pre-determined activities which will promote these districts in breaking the regional market and putting Plumtree on the business limelight," he said.

He said that the business expo is a platform to prepare exhibitors for the annually held Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.

"The business expo will act as a platform to select excelling exhibitors to take part at the ZITF exhibition which will put Plumtree, Mangwe and Bulilima on the country's market," he said.