Let’s learn how to feed the goose that lays eggs.

As revealed to this publication by the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), it turned away several exhibitors due to lack of space during the recently held exhibition.

The limited space to accommodate exhibitors came at a time when there was a 35% increase in the number of exhibitors to 766, up from 565 in 2023.

Of the 766 participants, 471 were direct speakers. The fair attracted 295 indirect exhibitors. Indirect exhibitors are those who exhibit under the flag of a country. Two hundred and eight of the total exhibitors were new exhibitors, showing that enthusiasm for Zimbabwe could be growing. And approximately 98% of them were foreign exhibitors.

What this shortage of space to house exhibitors reveals is one of Zimbabwe’s many chronic ills: a lack of investment by the state. Zimbabwe should not sit back when such important organizations need it. The authorities must take action.

One way to solve this problem is for the government to help the ZITF company raise the funds it needs to support its expansion program, which was announced last week. It requires no less than 300 million dollars. As cotton producer Cottco says in another report in this issue, this is not a small amount that local banks might be willing to finance. The ZITF has several key strengths that Zimbabwe can leverage.

In its own way, it is a currency generator. But considering its growing influence on a global scale, its role as Zimbabwe’s marketing arm is the most important. Therefore, it is necessary to join forces to give impetus to its expansion program. Furthermore, all possibilities of earning foreign exchange for the country must be harnessed to help Zimbabwe achieve its status as an upper-middle-income economy by 2030. Helping institutions like ZITF Company can be an important part of achieving this broad vision.

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Legal think tank Veritas already says this plan is already falling behind the 2030 target. This is because the country needs to achieve a Gross National Income (GNI) of between $4,466 and $13,845 per capita.

Zimbabwe is currently around US$1,500, which is at least three times behind the target.

Veritas explained that to achieve the necessary GNI figures, there would have to be significant growth in the main economic sectors, some of which would have to double in size.

Consequently, if the government cannot support one of the country’s most important business events, such as the ZITF, it has got its priorities wrong. Commodity prices are weighing down mining and climate change is reducing agricultural production annually. This must be the time to generate more investment flows through organizations like ZITF.

They must be supported in every way possible. They drive economic diversification, including in sectors such as tourism, which is already showing signs that it can attract greater investment. The government needs to do more to identify investment winners. It needs to think better on this front, because without trade and investment, Zimbabwe will remain in crisis.