At least 200 delegates are expected to attend the Buy Zimbabwe conference that begins in Harare today.
The two-day conference that ends tomorrow will be held under the theme, The Footprints and the Rising Sun.
High-profile speakers, including Mines and Mining Development minister Obert Mpofu, Industry and Commerce minister Welshman Ncube, ICT minister Nelson Chamisa and Tourism and Hospitality minister Walter Mzembi, are expected to attend the event.
Industry will be represented by KM Financial Services executive Kenias Mafukidze, Buy Zimbabwe chairperson Grace Muradzikwa, Chamber of Mines president Winston Chitando and Standards Association of Zimbabwe director-general Eve Gadzikwa, among others.
Buy Zimbabwe media and communications executive Robert Muganda said: Its a benchmark conference to see what we have achieved over the past year.
The conference has been organised in partnership with the National Economic Consultative Forum and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce.
Keep Reading
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Muganda said the conference would feature insightful panels and cluster discussions. Creating value chains, unlocking Zimbabwes energy gridlock, maximising the UNWTO opportunities are some of the topics that will be discussed.
We are pushing forward to ensure that procurement policies support buy Zimbabwe eg the Varichem Pharmaceuticals issue where some Zimbabwean companies have stopped purchasing drugs locally, said Muganda. We want to push for the country to buy locally.
Also to be discussed will be ways to reduce Zimbabwes unsustainable import bill, milestones reached in buying Zimbabwe and how to create win-win partnerships in the Southern Africa Development Community.
The conference comes at a time when the countrys trade deficit continues to widen as imports outweigh exports.
Last year, the trade deficit widened to $5 billion from $2,62 billion in 2010 reflective of the continued absorption of imports by the country.
He said the Experiential Expo at Africa Unity Square will be open to the public for them to sample what the country has to offer.
This is an opportunity to create a relationship for the producers and the consumers, said Muganda. As part of measures to boost local production of goods, the government recently launched the Industrial Development (IDP) and National Trade (NTP) policies.
Through the IDP (2012-2016) government seeks to restore the manufacturing sectors contribution to gross domestic product from 15% to 30% by 2016. The NTP seeks to increase exports from $4,3 billion in 2011 to $7 billion in 2016.