Friday, March 29, 2024

Bob Sichinga challenges Zambia International Trade Fair ‘pull up their socks’

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Commerce Trade and Industry Minister Bob Sichinga
Commerce Trade and Industry Minister Bob
Sichinga

COMMERCE Trade and Industry Minister Robert Sichinga has challenged the board of directors and judges of the Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) to ‘pull up their socks’ if the annual event has to remain relevant in boosting the country’s economy.

Mr Sichinga said at the ZITF judge’s luncheon yesterday, that he was not impressed with certain aspects of this year’s trade fair that did not encourage value addition.

He said the ZITF should encourage value addition to the country’s resources by promoting manufacturing.

Mr Sichinga said after touring the stands, he had observed that many exhibitors did not show how they were adding value to the economy by building on the country’s resources.

He said both the directors and judges had a duty to encourage exhibitors to work on value addition which resulted in job creation.

“I hope the judges are not judging based on the theory they have been presented but I hope you are judging on what the companies are doing to bring value addition.

“Don’t talk about what you see but talk about what we should see happening in this country to improve the economy,” Mr Sichinga said.

He said it was the desire of the Government to see a transformed industrial sector and conferences did not do that but action by the captains of industry like the directors and judges of the trade fair.

Investment opportunities in Zambia, Mr Sichinga said, were limitless and Government with the help of institutions like ZITF should find ways of gaining from those opportunities.

Earlier during the tour of the exhibitors’ stands, Mr Sichinga said he was concerned with the high number of imported products being exhibited at the fair as compared to the locally produced goods.

He said some products however, were impressive especially those locally made by youths.

Mr Sichinga urged the ZITF board to work on improving the fair infrastructure and tar the roads.

ZITF chairperson Emmanuel Hachipuka said his board had worked on a proposal to uplift the infrastructure at the fair.

“We cannot continue to sustain the infrastructure here which is too old but we are working on something and soon after the Ministry of Commerce and Cabinet approves, I shall tell you what it is but it is worth millions of Dollars,” Mr Hachipuka said.

9 COMMENTS

  1. ZITF is kind of lost, they don’t seem to have ideas on how to reshape the ZITF to reflect the 21 century innovation driven global economy. The role of ZITF should be to ensure that companies exhibit innovation, but ZITF don’t seem to the competences to design an appropriate concept.

  2. A trade fair (trade show, trade exhibition or expo) is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities. In contrast to consumer fairs, only some trade fairs are open to the public, while others can only be attended by company representatives (members of the trade, e.g. professionals) and members of the press, therefore trade shows are classified as either “Public” or “Trade Only”. A few fairs are hybrids of the two; one example is the Frankfurt Book Fair, which is trade-only for its first three days and open to the general public on its final two days.

  3. Yes, spot on Mr. Bob Sichinga. I agree with you that we need to come up with products that incorporate locally available natural resources or products that are ultimately of Zambian origin. Since it is evident that some of our youths are innovative and that they have demonstarated those abilities, why not establish a fund to support their aspiration(s)? Out of curiosity, which are the products that caught the attention of Mr. Sichinga? One Zambia One Nation.

  4. How can we increase availability of trade products when the Ministry of Trade and Industry is either unwilling or incompetent to formulate and implement sustainable development policy?
    This cheap talk has become annual event without any progress and serve solely to remind us of the politicians arrogant incompetence.

  5. BOB SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BY NOW THAT THE TRADE FAIR IS A SECTIONAL VIEW OF WHAT OBTAINING ON THE GROUND BASED ON HIS GOVT POLICIES.

  6. COUNCILS SHOULD BUILD EXHIBITION CENTRES TO MAKE ZITF WAKE UP WHILE COUNCILS MAKE REVENUE FROM EXHIBITION CENTRES. EXHIBITION CENTRES OPERATE THROUGH OUT THE YEAR. EG IN AN INSTANCE EXHIBITION THE EXHIBITION (SUBJECT ) WILL BE ABOUT PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THAT EXHIBITION INNOVATIONS WILL BE ON KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, DININGS AND LIVING ROOMS AND VARIOUS CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES EXHIBITING INNOVATIONS IN CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES. IN ANOTHE INSTANCE IF EXHIBITION THE SUBJECT WOULD JUST BE ABOUT PACKAGING AND INNOVATIONS IN PACKAGING. ETC, ETC. PLEASE, LEARN FROM EXCEL CENTRE, AND ALEXANDRA PALACE IN LONDON TO MENTION BUT A FEW.

    • I FORGOT- IN THE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT EXHIBITIONS THERE CAN ALSO BE EXHIBITIONS IN/ABOUT CONSTRUCTION POWER TOOL AND MACHINERY. COUNTRIES TO INVITE WITH SERIOUSLY REAL INNOVATIVE IDEAS ARE GERMANY, USA, JAPAN- THESE ARE A MUST FOR SERIOUS EXHIBITION CENTRES.

  7. Bob never ceases to amaze me…talk about the pot calling the kettle black. The man thinks he is still in opposition and still writing articles….what an empty tin he is.

  8. The Trade Fair images we saw are a site for sore eyes. What are you going to do in order to improve those conditions? That vision can not attract investors or people selling and showcasing their latest products. Companies with considerable marketing investments will not want to be associated with those images. Promoting a Trade Fair for Zambia means of economic development. The question is how are you going to make this work in terms of boosting the economy Bob Sichinga?

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