By REBECCA MUSHOTA –

THE Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) will soon demolish some buildings in the show grounds that are not in line with management’s infrastructure rehabilitation project.
And the ZITF has announced that it made a surplus of K4 million and a net profit of K1.5 million from this year’s show.
ZITF chairperson Emmanuel Hachipuka said yesterday at a Press briefing that the ZITF was grappling with infrastructure challenges that were limiting its full profitable use and that to correct the situation, management would soon demolish some structures.
Mr Hachipuka said the ZITF over the years now had structures in its premises that operated the whole year and yet did not have rights to be in the grounds and that the owners had refused to conform to the management’s demands to upgrade.
Some restaurants have been running in the trade fair grounds for years and their structures have not been improved while management referred to those owners as encroachers because they did not have lease agreements.
“They are encroachers and we have persistently tried to engage them so that they can upgrade their structures but they have failed.
“So we have no choice but to engage demolition experts and those structures will be demolished soon because they are not adding value to the ZITF,” Mr Hachipuka has said.
He said to operate to its full capacity as the only Zambian trade fair, the infrastructure in the grounds should be improved to acceptable standards.
Apart from the encroachers, Mr Hachipuka said, there were some institutions that had leases on their structures within the trade fair but unfortunately were not improving their structures or turning up for the show.
Management would also evict those owners of such stands.
Mr Hachipuka said management had continued to engage Government to get funding to tar the roads in and out of the trade fair grounds as well as upgrade the stands.
The other challenge the ZITF was facing was the absence of patron (President Michael Sata) and foreign dignitaries.
Mr Hachipuka said the absence of the President for the past two years due to pressure of work had made it difficult for management to secure foreign dignitaries and more show goers who would only turn up if the President was there.
He also said the trade fair made a surplus of K4, 327, 639 and after operational costs made a net surplus of K1, 543, 440.
Mr Hachipuka said the 2014 trade fair succeeded in its cash position, improved quality of exhibits at the stands, good representation from Government officials, new and refurbished infrastructure and the launch of the first public forum and business to business meetings at the show.
He said while the number of exhibitors had improved from 464 last year to 544 this year, the patronage had reduced from 105, 372 to 90, 550.
The theme for next year’s trade fair was announced as ‘Prosperity through business reforms and linkages’.