by Patience Rashai

Exhibitors booked to showcase in this year’s edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) have surged in comparison to last year, a company official has said.

Commenting on the conference’s state of preparedness, ZITF acting marketing and public relations manager, Doreen Dzamatira said that regional and international companies are slowly warming up to ZITF yet again, with Zimbabwe reaffirming its position as a trade hub, as the conference continues to attract many exhibitors over the years.

“At least 94 percent of the exhibition space made available for sale has been taken up by a total of 345 organizations, occupying a total of 47 080 square metres. This compares favorably with the booking situation at the same time last year where 260 exhibitors had booked a total of 42 307 square metres.

“Of the 345 booked exhibitors, 42 of them would be exhibiting at the showcase for the first time, with at least seven foreign countries namely Belarus, Botswana, Japan, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania set to participate in this year’s exhibitions” she added.

In order to ensure that the country is rallying in the same direction, this years’ Trade Fair will have three business days in conjunction with other economic and trading bodies in the country namely the National Economic Consultative Forum, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, ZimTrade and Confederation of Zimbabwean Industries, as they caucus towards a shared economic vision for the country.

 This year’s exhibition will run from 21 to 25 April under the theme: Augmenting Trade and Investment Towards a Shared Economic Vision.