AFTER a three-year absence due to COVID-19, the Copperbelt Agriculture, Mining, Industrial, Networking Expo (CAMINEX) is on and opened its doors to the public yesterday.
The theme for this year’s Kitwe Expo is: “Copperbelt: Re-ignite.
Rebuild. Renew,” which according to organisers provides a valuable platform where manufacturers, suppliers, buyers and end-users of various products and services can network and create mutual linkages.
“We are pleased to announce that the expo for the year 2023 will be held from May 30 to June 1, at the Show-grounds in Kitwe, Zambia,” Copperbelt, Agriculture, Mining and Commercial Show Society (CAMCSS) chairperson London Mwafuliwa says.
He says more than 90 exhibitors are participating in this year’s expo out of which more than 50 per cent are local enterprises.
Organisations and exhibitors look set looking at the display of their products and services.
Mr Mwafuliwa says the CAMINEX will also cater for all citizens including the women and youths on the Copperbelt.
He says some women who have excelled in farming and mining will be in attendance to share their stories.
“We are pleased to be back after three years of not holding the CAMINEX. We are here to provide a platform for business to thrive so we have the exhibitors and other people with irrelevant information. We are set to host the expo,” Mr Mwafuliwa says.
He wants residents to attend the expo and learn from the presentations and seminars that will be held.
Mr Mwafuliwa says the show society will continue improving the event now that the country has contained the outbreak of COVID-19 which restricted public gatherings.
He observes that the global COVID-19 pandemic and with it the challenges on movement and gatherings made it difficult to hold the expo in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
“We have in 2023 made a decision to engage all the stakeholders which include the Government, sponsors, exhibitors, partners, organisers and visitors to move on and put the last three years behind us,” Mr Mwafuliwa says.
He further observes that the last three years have been devastating to “all in terms of health and the general business environment.”
“Time to move on has come and CAMINEX 2023 intends to bring together the various stakeholders in the industry for the purpose of moving in,” Mr Mwafuliwa says.
The expo also provides an opportunity for information and knowledge sharing among various experts and captains of industry.
This is being done on a one-to-one basis with the various exhibitors and also through seminars hosted at the show where industrial experts and scholars share presentations on trending topics and developments on the sidelines of the show.
The expo has among its critical partners, the Government of the Republic of Zambia, the mining industry in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Others are the financial and insurance industry, the private sector State-owned companies and various regulatory bodies to mention a few.
In addition, various Government ministries and agencies that are represented at the expo at senior levels include: the Ministries of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, Mines and Minerals Development, Commerce, Trade, and Industry as well as that of Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
The 2019 ‘s show was held under the theme, “Innovative Partnership for Empowerment and Growth” and last year’s theme was, “Repositioning for Environmentally Sustainable Economic Growth”.
Participating firms and organisations ranging from industrial to agriculture showcased their product innovations during the show as usual.
The Zambia Correction Service and the Zambia National Service are as usual leading in agriculture and manufacturing organisations during this year’s show.
Both Government institutions displayed products from raw and processed agriculture products, wood products and apparel designing to mention but a few.
Farm, mining and construction implements are not left out as they display innovations, products and services.
The expectations from the Government and other
stakeholders are high with Copperbelt Province Permanent Secretary, Augustine Kasongo saying the business community should not let the expo slip “through”.
Mr Kasongo says Copperbelt residents and the business community should take advantage of the business linkages that will be made available during this year’s expo which was last held three years ago.
He says information on the business opportunities in the mining and energy sectors among others will be given which the public should learn from.
He says CAMINEX has not been held for the last few years due to the Corona-virus pandemic hence the need for the public to seize this opportunity.
Mr Kasongo says residents should turn out in large numbers as various business exhibitors will be at hand to show-case their products and services.
“We are calling on Copperbelt residents to turn out in numbers and take advantage of the business opportunities that will be made available during the 2023 CAMINEX. The show society has not held the exhibition for the last three years due to the COVID-19 outbreak that the country was hit with,” he says.
Mr Kasongo says business entities should learn from other companies on how to improve their products and services using different forms of technology.
He says businesses can put themselves on the market by emulating some practices that are being done by other entities or in different countries.
Mr Kasongo has declared that organisers were ready to host the event.
It is hoped that the business community, traders, farmers and residents across the Copperbelt and beyond will make use of the expo to grow their participation in the economy.