By STEPHANIE KUNDA  –
ABOUT 160 participants are expected to exhibit at this year’s Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Ndola on the Copperbelt.
ZITF Chairperson Business Strategy Ajay Vashee said participation for this year’s ZITF stands at a total of 160 participants, 149 being local while 11 are foreign exhibitors.
The fair will be held from June 27 to 3 July, this year, under the theme ‘Private Sector Key to Industrialization.’
Mr Vashee said during the exhibitors meeting in Ndola at the weekend, that the trade fair had over the years remained a premier business platform for promoting trade and investment in the country.
He said the number of participants was expected to increase as per trend as most exhibitors registered their participation in May and June.
“It is a trend that as ZITF we hold two exhibitors meetings here in Ndola every year prior to the trade fair as basis of making adequate preparations to host the event. we have taken a different approach this year by holding one meeting in Lusaka so as to cater clients from the central part of the country who always travel to attend the meetings,” he said.
Mr Vashee said the theme had come at an appropriate time and was in line with last year’s strategic plan which runs from 2017 to 2021 which had set a priority of maximizing the private sector participation at ZITF.
Mr Vashee said ZITF recognised the economic role that the private sector played in the country and was optimistic that the exhibition would have massive private sector participation at the year’s event.
ZITF General Secretary Robert Banda said the 11 foreign countries that had confirmed participation where Zimbabwe, Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, China, Pakistan, Uganda, Pakistan, United States of America, Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) and Botswana.
Mr Banda said ZITF had the responsibility to the provision of the exhibition space, booths and power outlets, ensure that President Edgar Lungu tours the manufactures hall and ensure collaboration in directing manufactures to register with Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM)
“Also this year we have two new entrants that will be exhibiting which are, the Institute of Management Studies and Tobacco Board of Zambia,” he said.