The country’s premier mining, engineering and transport expo, Mine Entra, kicks off in Bulawayo today with organisers saying they are ready to host the three day exhibition.
The mining event will run from will run from 22 to 24 July, under the theme, “Unearthing Opportunities“.
Addressing journalists, Zimbabwe International Trade Fair company board chairman Bekithemba Nkomo, said they are now geared for the event.
160 direct exhibitors have reserved space so far. Last minute bookings continue to come in and we expect a marginal increase in the final figures, said Nkomo.
Foreign exhibitors will be coming from China, Germany and South Africa.
“Mine Entra 2015 is a landmark event as the exhibition celebrates 20 years of existence. Over these past two decades, the exhibition has grown and evolved into a one-stop shop for marketing intelligence, image building, networking and business development for the represented industries.
“Part of this growth has seen Mine Entra develop into a series of networking events within an event. Running concurrently with the exhibition is the Annual Mine Entra Conference which is now considered the country’s definitive industry conferences shorting progress, examining trends and promoting opportunities across the mining, engineering and transport industries,” said Nkomo.
The highlight of the exhibition is the Mine Entra Conference which will be addressed by the host minister Walter Chidhakwa and Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa.
“The conference will address topical issues such as fiscal incentives necessary to support mining linkages and overall growth of the mining sector, empowerment models that support community development and a discussion on the mining policy and enablers to development of the industry,” said Nkomo.
The Joint Suppliers and Producers Conference to be held on Thursday will provide a discussion forum to the mines as well as downstream and upstream industries in the mining value chain.
The Zimbabwe Miner’s Federation will host the annual Small-scale and Artisanal Miners Conference on Friday.
“This year’s conference will focus on issues affecting the special interest group, including improved mining methods, environmental responsibility, and acquiring financing,” Nkomo said.
Despite operating below capacity, the mining industry has remained a key driver to the country’s economic revival, contributing 15% of nominal GDP, more than 50% of total exports and approximately 13% of fiscal revenue.
