The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) has challenged the industry to step up its competitiveness to take advantage of orders that are obtained from participating in the international trade fair.
MCCCI president Matthews Chikankheni was speaking at the start of the 25th Malawi International Trade Fair (Mitf) which is being held under the theme, ‘Mitf @ 25: Presenting Opportunities for Industrial Growth’.
He noted that lack of competitiveness of the local industry has been the major challenge for the country to take advantage of opportunities that arise from international trade fairs.
“While every country practises some form of protection policies, the policies work if at the same time the industry is taking steps to improve its competitiveness. Protection cannot, however, last forever. As such, I urge fellow captains of industry to tale serious steps toward improving the competitiveness of our various businesses in order to take advantage of the orders that are obtained from participating in the international trade fair,” he said.
Among the greatest virtues from opening up to the world through the international trade fairs, Chikankheni cited the sophistication in the lives of people.
“From relatively crude standards of living, a number of imports have opened the doors of millions of Malawians to totally new lifestyles. With respect to exports, the market potential has only been limited by the ability of Malawi’s enterprises to produce the right quantity and quality of commodities. In other ways, the international trade fair offered tremendous opportunities to local production units to increase their scale,” he said.
The fair runs for 10 days, from 24 May to 2 June 2013. Included within the fair programme are business to business meetings which will be arranged through matchmaking and business workshops geared towards providing important business information.
Mitf, an annual trade promotion event that brings together exhibitors from Africa, Asia and Europe, was launched in 1988.
