Online Reporter Herald July 23, 2025 19 views Zim women in business off to Madagascar for SADC Industrialisation Week Zim women in business off to Madagascar for SADC Industrialisation Week Trust Freddy Herald Correspondent A group of young Zimbabwean female entrepreneurs has left for Madagascar to exhibit at the eighth edition of the SADC Industrialisation Week that is scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 1 at the Novotel Convention and Spa in Antananarivo. The lndustrialisation Week will run under the theme “Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC.” It will bring together key stakeholders, including Member States, private sector leaders, policymakers, and researchers, to facilitate knowledge sharing, collaboration, and accelerated regional economic growth. Speaking before their departure at Robert Mugabe International Airport this afternoon, the entrepreneurs from Concord Young Women in Business, a local empowerment lobby group, expressed optimism about gaining new insights to share with their peers back home. “We are excited that we will be attending the SADC Industrialisation Week as it will give is a chance to interact with investors from various SADC countries,” said Ms Nomsah Mbende (26). She also commended the Second Republic for creating a conducive environment that enables everyone to participate at regional level. “So on behalf of the organisation, I thank President Mnangagwa for making sure that there is gender equality, which is giving us room to collaborate with other SADC countries.” For Ms Sibonakaliso Sibanda (22), participation aligns with the country’s mantra, ‘Zimbabwe is open for business.’ “Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy to none. And today, out of all the organisations, we have been invited to meet and interact with other women and industry drivers from across SADC.” The SADC Industrialisation Week is the largest public-private platform and consultative body for industrialisation in the region. The week-long event will feature seminars, meetings, workshops, exhibitions, and site visits to manufacturing facilities. Key focus areas include mineral beneficiation, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, energy transition, circular economy, infrastructure development, women and youth entrepreneurship, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and many more. The forum aims to increase awareness among governments, private sector, academia, research institutions, and the public regarding the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (SISR) 2015-2063; as well as encourage action from stakeholders towards implementing the SISR; among other things.