PREPARATIONS for the 27th edition of the mining, engineering and transport expo, popularly known as Mine Entra, have begun in Bulawayo with organisers expecting an increased number of exhibitors.

Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company (ZITF) chief executive officer Nicholas Ndebele told Southern Eye that the annual expo, to be held in conjunction with the Mines and Mining Development ministry and the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe, will run from July 17 to 19 at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo.

It will run under the theme, Unearthing Success: The Mining Value Chains, Innovation Industrialisation and Nexus.

A total of 136 exhibitors have registered to date, with six of the companies being foreign.

In total, 4 535m² of exhibition space has been sold, translating to 67% of available space.

Ndebele said the theme is meant to highlight how the mining industry, once considered mature and capital-intensive, is currently experiencing a significant transformation on the back of investments in exploration, mine development, mechanisation and innovation.

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“The theme is a rallying call for the sector to innovate and optimise its mining and mineral processing techniques to create strong value chains and ultimately drive resource-based industrialisation. Conversations during Mine Entra 2024 will zero in on unlocking a future of greater mining productivity, environmental responsibility and economic prosperity,” he said.

“These are expected to feed into the minerals development policy, value-addition and beneficiation strategy, the artisanal and small-scale gold mining strategy at a mining sector level, and the National Development Strategy at a broader economic level.”

Ndebele said the event brings together mining producers and their suppliers to discuss imperatives for sector development.

“Mine Entra 2024 will see the introduction of a buyers’ programme that is meant to improve business exchange. This will take the form of a structured programme which will ensure exhibitors are able to meet with the right people who can buy their products. Buyers will be carefully selected from all mines and organisations that utilise the various products that exhibitors will be showcasing,” the ZITF Company boss said.

“The programme will involve speed networking sessions every morning, which will allow one-on-one meetings with all the buyers under one roof. This platform will attract more meaningful exhibitors in the future as they will know that they will meet the key decision-makers in the purchasing process of their products.”