Published by the government of Zimbabwe
18 November 2008
Harare — A 23-member delegation of Bulawayo business people who attended the recent 23rd Jakarta International Expo in Indonesia clinched lucrative business deals worth US$6 billion.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, Children of Africa Development Initiative (COADI) general manager, Mr Charles Moyo, said the Expo was an eye-opener for locals.
"The expo was a milestone and it opened business doors that can be utilised by business people in the country. As the business community we realised that our products have a market. This will be of great benefit to the country as we will be able to trade and import some products that we need," said Mr Moyo.
He appealed to businesspeople in the country to explore the Asian market, saying it would help rebuild the economy.
Members of the delegation expressed their gratitude to the Indonesian Embassy and the Government.
"Indonesia has a big market and besides the language barriers we managed to sign a number of Memorandum of Understandings with their companies. I managed to get a franchise that gives my business a licence to sell their products in the SADC region," said Ms Sichelesile Moyo, the Director of Information and Public Relations for EATC Private College.
Another delegate, Ms Singazi Nduna, said she got a deal with an Indonesian company that would rebrand her detergents products.
"As BIOCHEM we mainly concentrate in the hospitality industry as we have realised that the detergent suppliers are failing to meet demand. We managed to clinch a deal with PT Adimulia Sarimas Industry which promised to rebrand our products and do samples for us,' she said.
COADI president, Mr Themba Sibanda, said the trip was aimed at exposing indigenous business- people to worldwide markets, so that they could get skills and improve their service delivery.
He praised the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for its support, saying it made the trip possible.
"We are grateful to our Government, which through the RBZ made it possible for us to get foreign currency. With the support from the Government, businesspeople can really contribute positively to the economy of our country," he said.
The 23rd Trade Expo Indonesia, which ran from 21 to 25 October, saw exhibitors showcasing their products and they were drawn from industrial, mining, agricultural and the craft sector.
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Think they mean Zim $6Bn!lol about US $0.50
US$6Bn? What a load of tripe. Rebranding detergents? How dumb are the reporters that work for the Herald?