Hwange Agricultural Show rebrands

THE Hwange Agricultural Show has rebranded to Matabeleland North Annual Agricultural Show as the exhibition targets to grow bigger.

Over the years, the province’s prime trade exhibition has been running as a district showcase thereby limiting the number and size of exhibitors.

Chairperson of the Whange Show Society which runs the annual exhibition Mr Herbert Sansole said rebranding was buoyed by the country devolution policy which brings hope to business in the province.

He said this year’s exhibition will be held between 7 and 10 August at the Hwange showgrounds.

“We have rebranded the show to Matabeleland North Annual Agricultural Show because we don’t want to continue appearing as if we are a district show.

“We are focusing on the province and we want as much as possible to draw exhibitors from across the country.

“As we may know the country adopted a devolution stance and we want to ride on this and grow with the businesses,” said Mr Sansole.

He said the show society would activate all the seven districts in the province to feed into the provincial exhibition, with much emphasis on the tourism and mining sectors which are the province’s economic backbone.

Over the years, players in the tourism sector and Government departments have snubbed the exhibition despite them featuring at bigger events such as the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and Harare Agricultural Show.

Last year’s edition drew more than 50 exhibitors which was an increase from 42 in 2017 and 32 the previous year.

It was held under the theme “Leveraging the New Economic Order” amid calls for the economic actors in Matabeleland North Province to be fully prepared for the proposed devolution of power by doubling their efforts in enhancing production across all sectors including agriculture.

Players in all sectors of the economy were challenged to boost production in order to produce more exports for the country in line with the national vision.

Hwange town where the show is held is within the Victoria Falls Special Economic Zone (SEZ) green belt, which stretches from Kazungula on the border with Botswana and Zambia, covering Lupane and Binga up to Kariba along the Zambezi River.

The Victoria Falls SEZ thrust is tourism.

Organisers of the showcase have started preparing for the exhibition and expect a bigger and better event this year owing to renewed business hope brought about by the new dispensation.

— @ncubeleon