BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA
Bujumbura, Burundi's commercial hub, is gearing up for the East African regional Expo targeting small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The 23rd edition of the trade fair, held annually, is expected to attract more than 1,000 from the seven East African Community (EAC) states.
The ten day exhibition will run from 5th to 15th December, 2023 at the Cercle Hyppique Grounds in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Popularly known as the Jua Kali/Nguvu Kazi exhibition, this year's event is themed 'Connecting East African SMEs to enhance intra-EAC trade'.
According to the Arusha-based EAC secretariat, preparations for the 2023 fair are in top gear.
The main objective of the Trade Fair is to contribute towards the realisation of the region’s development goals and aspirations.
This, the organ added, will be actualized by lending support "to this budding sector of the economy, which needs public patronage and government support to make it sustainable."
The Trade Fairs further create considerable impact on the image of the sector " which is today seen as the panacea to the daunting question of unemployment and poverty alleviation in the region."
The 23rd edition will also feature a daily symposium aimed at enhancing awareness on and the capacity of the SMEs.
The symposia will address matters such as opportunities for SMEs in the region and under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
Also to feature in the gatherings are the importance of business associations in the partner states, Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and requirements for formalising business in EAC.
Other topics to be discussed at the symposia include acquiring the Standards Mark in EAC and benefits of Value Addition.
Also listed is Adaptation to Appropriate Technology for MSMEs in the region and environmental conservation and food security in the EAC.
The first EAC regional SMEs Expo was held in Arusha, the Community headquarters in November 1999 during the historic signing of the EAC Treaty.
Subsequent to the success of the Arusha exhibition, the EAC Heads of State directed that the Exhibition be held annually on rotational basis among the Partner States so as to enhance and revamp the socio-economic integration of the people of East Africa.
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