• The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair drew and gathered about 600 international and local exhibitors.

• NUST was present at the fair to exhibit one of its innovations.

• The fair gave business owners and residents in Bulawayo a boost.

The 63rd edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) which began on Tuesday at its customary location in Bulawayo attracted and gathered international and local exhibitors, as it ran through Saturday. Many residents in Bulawayo and business owners were excited at the end of the five-day showcase which brought good business.

According to ZITF officials, the annual event held under the theme “Transformative Innovation, Global Competitiveness” gathered 600 exhibitors with set up stalls including foreign embassies and various universities showcasing their innovations.

The National University of Science and Technology was one of the exhibitors from the educational sector. Its Communications and Marketing Director, Thabani Mpofu said “As NUST, we are exhibiting here to market our products and also to market some innovations that have been produced by our students and academics”. The  “Crop Doctor Solutions” is one of the innovations the NUST exhibited at the fair.

The innovation is a mobile application that has already been piloted that helps to diagnose diseases from crops by merely scanning the leaves of any particular crop and then disclosing the disease affecting the crop.

The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair is one of the biggest intra-regional trade fairs South of the Sahara. The multi-sector, multi-national expo, which takes place every year and offers exposure to both trade and general visitors, serves as a practical commerce hub for the area.

At the event, there were also various exhibitors from different sectors of the economy such as mining, farming, finance, and the hospitality industry. The fair started with three business forums which took place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before it opened up to the public on the final two days, Friday and Saturday.

Additionally, residents and business owners in the city benefited greatly from the fair’s presence in Bulawayo. Ambrose Sibindi, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association Chairperson said ZITF brought a huge deal of business to the city as some businesses closed late during the week.

The Chairperson said “Hotels were fully booked. Transporters were kept very busy, and vendors also made brisk business, even those in the business of wood carving near City Hall. shops were closing very late trying to capitalize on the situation. Sibindi added that compared to last year, business was better, and hopes it will keep getting better in order to promote economic growth.

The hospitality industry’s stakeholders also expressed their satisfaction with achieving the desired level of traffic. Sibusisiwe Zhou, the Sales and Marketing Manager of the recently opened Sterling Hotel, reported that the initial days of operation were challenging. However, she claimed that during the final three days of the trade show, they were able to obtain their fair share.