Daniel Itai – The Zimbabwe Daily
Ndola, Zambia – The Zambian government has postponed the 2020 Zambia International Trade Fair which was scheduled to take place in Ndola from the 1st to the 7th of July due to COVID-19.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Christopher Yaluma stated that the decision was arrived at after consultations with the relevant stakeholders.
“The world is currently facing unprecedented public health emergencies arising from the COVID-19 and has adversely affected the global economy and our way of life in our communities.
In order to mitigate the adverse impact of this unprecedented global health pandemic, most governments in countries affected have resorted to imposing partial or complete lockdown measures whose immediate economic effects include reduced business performance.
The lockdown measures imposed to control the spread and pace of COVID-19 pandemic has caused instantaneous stress on the Zambian economy and most sectors are affected in a varied way. Notably, the tourism, mining, manufacturing, construction as well as the wholesale and retail trade sectors are expected to record sluggish growth relative to the previous year owing to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
In view of the above-mentioned, the government through the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry regrets to inform all partners, exhibitors, sponsors and both foreign and local visitors of the postponement of 2020 Zambia International Trade Fair, which was scheduled to take place from the 1st to the 7th of July under the theme, Promoting Value-Addition for Sustainable Growth in the city of Ndola on the Copperbelt Province.
The decision was reached after consultations with the relevant stakeholders and taking into consideration that the outbreak of COVID- 19 pandemic has led to a rise in concerns from potential participating companies who have been negatively affected by the sudden slow-down of economic activities,” said the Minster.
