Business Reporter
The SADC Industrialization Week (SIW) will include a new event the Investment Conference to be held on 29 July 2024, and to be officiated by Hon. Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Gen. (Rtd) Dr C. G. D. N. Chiwenga.
Speaking at the luncheon meeting with Ambassadors for awareness on the SADC Industrialisation Week, Investment Conference and Exhibition, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nqobizitha M. Ndhlovu, said the Investment Conference will be the main highlight of SIW as multilateral financing institutions will be invited.
“The Investment Conference is really the highlight because we hope to bring in multilateral financing institutions, so that we can expose some of these investment opportunities and hopefully drawing from that we will be able to see them coming through. And our ultimate objective is to see a SADC region that is growing in terms of manufacturing, growing in terms of its ability to export to other regions as well as outside the continent,” said the Minister.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries’ (CZI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sekai Kuvarika said the private sector is looking forward to the Investment Conference which is new to SIW.
“One of the items is that there is some innovation, this SIW, through the addition of a special day which is the Investment Conference. It is the first time we are having that as part of the SIW. So, spotlighting investment promotions through SIW is one of the great initiatives that the private sector is really looking forward to,” said Kuvarika.
The SIW will precede the Senior officials, Council of Ministers meetings and summit which will take place from 9-18 August 2024 at the New Parliament Building. The SIW will be under the theme, ‘Promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for Sustainable economic growth and development towards an industrialised SADC’.
Furthermore, the Minister emphasised that SIW, which is SADC’s baby, will help industrialise and develop the region’s economies.
“I want to emphasis that the SIW itself is our baby as SADC, as the Governments of the regional bloc, we saw it imperative and befitting that we continue to discuss how we can industrialise the region, how we grow our economies so that we create employment, improve the standards of living of our people.
“So it is an opportunity were the Secretariat updates Member States on the progress we are making in the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap. I really hope that as Member States we are going to utilize the opportunity to thoroughly introspect and see if we are in the right track towards achieving the targets that our Heads of State set for us,” added Minister Ndhlovu.
The Investment Conference will serve as a crucial meeting point for stakeholders to explore mutual interests, forge partnerships and drive economic progress on both national and corporate level.
