BULAWAYO — Zimbabwe’s premier mining, engineering, and transport showcase, Mine Entra, opens this week in Bulawayo against the backdrop of increased foreign interest and a push by the Southern African nation to move beyond raw mineral exports.
The 29th edition of the annual exhibition, held from July 29 to 31 at the Zimbabwe International Conference and Exhibition Smart City (ZICES), has seen exhibition space uptake surge to 98%, according to event organiser Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company. Exhibitors have booked 8,853 square meters, exceeding last year’s total of 7,368 square meters.
The surge in turnout highlights how global and regional mining houses are vying for positioning in Zimbabwe, where mining contributes 16% to total gross domestic product. The country holds more than 60 known mineral deposits, including platinum, lithium, gold, chrome, and rare earth elements.
In a pre-show press briefing, event organizers underscored a strategic shift away from basic extraction toward local processing and downstream value addition, aligned with Zimbabwe’s broader industrialization targets.
“The future of mining depends on practical collaboration,” said Nicholas Ndebele, Chief Executive Officer of the ZITF Company. “Let us all gather in Bulawayo this week to unearth new opportunities, transform our value chains, and anchor Zimbabwe’s lasting prosperity.”
Direct exhibitor participation expanded to 276 companies from 231 last year, including 33 international exhibitors representing eight countries, among them China, the U.S., India, Turkey, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, and the Philippines. Registered business visitors nearly doubled to 6,453 from 3,355 in the prior period.
The event features a structured buyers’ program with deal-making sessions designed to connect suppliers with procurement leads across 25 major mining companies. Headlining the gathering, President Emmerson Mnangagwa is scheduled to officially open the expo as guest of honor, alongside Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, cabinet ministers, and mining executives.
