The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe will lead a group of South African companies to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) which will be taking place in Bulawayo from 24 - 28 April 2012. The companies that will be exhibiting at the fair have received financial assistance from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) Scheme.
The objective of the EMIA scheme is to develop export markets for South African value added products and services and to recruit new foreign direct investment into the country. EMIA provides financial assistance to exporters through various offerings, including participation in National Pavilions at international trade shows, Investment and Trade Initiatives (ITIs) and Trade Missions, to actively promote South African value added products and services in export markets.
Deputy Minister Thabethe says the ZITF with its strong international orientation, will offer regional and international business contacts to the South African exhibitors.
‘They will also get an opportunity to market their products and services, increase their market knowledge of Zimbabwe, increase exports of South African manufactured goods and services, obtain trade leads, and generate export orders. Also, by establishing their presence in Zimbabwe, South African companies will be able to access other markets in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region like Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola,” said Thabethe.
She added that it was important for South Africa to continue pursuing economic collaboration and partnerships with Zimbabwe when crafting the way forward for sustainable economic development and the development of investment in the SADC region.
The annual ZITF is one of the largest intra-regional and multi-sectoral trade fair south of the Sahara. It offers exposure to both trade visitors and the general public. In 2011 the fair attracted 729 exhibitors 139 of whom were foreign exhibitors from Botswana, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Kenya, Germany, Malawi, Turkey, Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia, Iran and Namibia.146,646 visitors passed through the Bulawayo International Exhibition Centre’s turnstiles to attend the exhibition. The recovery of the Zimbabwean economy since the advent of dollarisation three years ago has seen demand for exhibition space from international exhibitors growing considerably.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe
Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell:079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
