By Simbarashe Muparaganda
Bulawayo, (New Ziana) –At least 98 percent of space at the 29th edition of the Mining, Engineering and Transport (Mine Entra) Expo has been taken while more international exhibitors have been attracted than the edition last year, organisers said on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company chief executive officer Nicholas Ndebele said this during a press conference on the opening day of the three-day exhibition being held at the Zimbabwe International Conference and Exhibition Smart City (ZICES) in Bulawayo.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa will officially open the annual showcase on Friday and he will be accompanied by Vice President General (Retired) Constantino Chiwenga.
It will run from July 29-31 under the theme, “An Earth Transformed Prosper: Anchoring Economic Transformation Through Mining Value Chains,” shifting focus from raw mineral extraction to beneficiation, local value addition and industrialisation.
“In terms of exhibition performance, space uptake currently stands at 98 percent, with 8 853 square metres of space having been taken against the target of 9 000 square metres, which compares favourably to last year’s uptake of 7 368 square metres,” he said, adding that the exhibition had also registered strong growth in exhibitor participation.
“To date we have 276 direct exhibitors who have registered for the show, which compares favourably to last year’s 331 direct exhibitors, and it represents 20 percent growth. We have 33 exhibitors from 8 countries, namely Botswana, China, India, Mauritius, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, the United States of America and Zambia. This compares favourably again to last year’s tally of 20 foreign exhibitors from 4 countries,” he said.
Ndebele also said business visitor registrations had almost doubled ahead of the official opening, demonstrating the growing importance of Mine Entra as a business networking platform for the mining industry.
“A total of 6 453 business visitors have registered this year compared to last year’s 3 355 who registered and visited the show. These business visitors are made up of business executives, engineers, geologists, financiers, government representatives and other key industry players, indicating strong endorsement by the business community,” he said.
He said the exhibition, being held in strategic partnership with the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (CoMZ) and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, had evolved into more than an annual trade showcase.
Ndebele said this year the event was inspired by the deliberate government push to promote mineral beneficiation and value addition as part of efforts to maximise value from the country’s mineral resources.
“With mining accounting for 16 percent of Zimbabwe’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) and encompassing over 60 commercial minerals, including gold, platinum, lithium, chrome, coal and rare earth elements, the event focuses on building robust local linkages, adopting clean technologies and ensuring mining delivers long-term benefits to our economy and communities,” he said.
He added that they have lined up an expanded buyers’ program featuring structured business-to-business matchmaking sessions connecting equipment suppliers and service providers with procurement executives from 25 major mining houses.
Speaking on the same occasion, Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe chief executive officer Isaac Kwesu said more than 500 high-level delegates were expected to participate in conferences and symposiums running alongside the exhibition.
He added that the conferences would span the entire mining value chain, from exploration to beneficiation and value addition, while promoting local content and investment across the mining sector.
“The conferences have been designed to cover the entire mining value chain, from exploration through to beneficiation and value addition, while promoting local content and unlocking investment opportunities across Zimbabwe’s mining industry,” he said.
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