Bulawayo (New Ziana) -The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company has introduced a specialised expo dubbed the Infrastructure and Built Exhibition (AfriConfex).
The expo, which specifically targets buyers and sellers within the built environment value chain, is expected to take place at the ZITF grounds on 20 and 21 October this year.
The ZITF company runs other annual specialised expos such as Mine Entra, Scholastica as well as the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
ZITF board chairperson, Busisa Moyo, said the event would be the country’s biggest gathering of buyers and sellers within the entire built environment value chain, creating a single platform for knowledge sharing across the different sectors, sub-sectors and segments of production.
“The event comes at an opportune time given the Zimbabwean government’s infrastructural development plan to achieve a middle-class economy by 2030, and the fast-approaching end of the First Ten Year Implementation Plan (FTYIP) of Africa’s Agenda 2063 (2013 – 2023),” he said.
“Investment in large-scale infrastructure projects has been and continues to be one of the cornerstones of Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy (NDS1), which outlines our roadmap to achieve economic growth and stability.”
Mpyo said the private sector and the government’s drive to improve the country’s infrastructure to sustain growth in the manufacturing sector and expand municipal utilities would continue to contribute to the growth in construction spending.
“Taking the above into consideration, it became apparent to us that the industry and market are primed for a stand-alone event outside Mine Entra (where building and construction had previously been showcased),” he explained.
The inaugural AfriConfex, Moyo said, would therefore provide a key platform for the sharing of local and regional experiences, technical knowledge exchange and a discussion of cross-cutting challenges, opportunities, and learnings with a view of drawing up actionable resolutions to achieve industry and economic growth.
He said the event was being organised in partnership with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, and would run under the theme, “Solid Foundation. Stronger Future. – Exploring Linkages in the Infrastructure Value Chain.”
“The theme rallies the industry and its stakeholders to engage in solution-oriented discourse and implement catalytic actions aimed at the success and growth of the sector. The 2-day event, featuring exciting exhibition displays and a robust industry-driven conferencing programme will provide the platform for distinctive opportunities for business expansion, networking, and learning,” he said.
“Additionally, as indigenous contractors gear up to venture into regional and international markets, AfriConfex will provide dynamic, hands-on moments to stay ahead of trends, opportunities, and risks such as technology trends, international labour markets, and new legal backgrounds and regulations.”
Moyo added, “AfriConfex is expected to grow into an annual, pan-African calendar event for the industry and will explore various overarching themes including infrastructure development, planning and policy, financing of infrastructure projects, smart transport technologies, cities of the future (smart cities), new construction and architecture technology and solutions as well as safety planning and solutions.”
– New Ziana
