Zambian Association of Manufacturers to showcase huge opportunities for local manufacturers in mining sector at CBM-TEC
More than 1500 expected at Kitwe event in May – “With Zambian mining companies buying up to 1.7-billion dollars’ worth of manufactured imports annually there is clearly a huge opportunity for the local industry” says Maybin Nsupila, CEO of the Zambian Association of Manufacturers. Mr Nsupila is hosting a workshop for Zambian suppliers and mining purchasing managers at the upcoming Copperbelt Mining Trade Expo & Conference (CBM-TEC) in Kitwe from 5-6 May.
The Zambian minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development, the Hon. Christopher Yaluma, and the country’s minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, the Hon. Margaret Mwanakatwe, will head up a high-level government delegation at this year’s CBM-TEC which is expecting to host more than 1500 visitors, 100 exhibitors and 200 conference delegates.
“Companies are producing very good products”
Says ZAM’s Maybin Nsupila: “We are exploring to integrate the local manufacturing industry more into the mining supply chain. So we will be trying to show, first of all, some developing success stories. Secondly, we will also show what interventions we are putting in place in the medium and long term to try and increase the volumes of locally manufactured goods that are going into the mining supply chain.”
He adds: “we do have companies that are producing very good products and we can arrange certification, but they don’t have access. And we are working towards bridging the information gap between the local manufacturers and the supply chain of the mining companies. There is also the category of companies whose products are not quite there yet and we need to do a little more to help them get there. For example, a company that is producing good products but doesn’t have the requisite quality certification from a recognised authority.”
ZAM will be launching a new web facility, Zamb2b.com, to bridge the information gap: “we will be unveiling one of the tools that we have developed to bridge the information gap at the event. So we are hoping that to the end of the meeting, we will have gotten a lot more producers and mining companies using this facility. We will be demonstrating how it works and how a company can be part of it.”
Huge potential for local manufacturers
According to the ZAM CEO research by the Chamber of Mines and the International Council of Mining and Metals last year, showed that a sample of six of mining companies were buying up to 1.7-billion dollars’ worth of manufactured imports annually. He continues: “and this is not including capital expenditure. So that is recurrent expenditure of 1.7-billion dollars. 600-million dollars’ worth was being imported directly by the mining companies and about 1-billion sourced locally but imported. And only a 100-million dollars is coming from here.”
He adds: “so it is a huge opportunity for the local producers and I think we are increasing the potential for the mining companies to contribute to much more sustainable employment creation through backward linkages. We are also thinking that obviously those backward linkages are able to help us move on with commodity based industrialisation.”
Strong industry support
Once again the event enjoys strong industry support and is also endorsed by the Zambia Chamber of Mines. The Association of Zambian Mineral Exploration Companies (AZMEC) and the Lusaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry are also supporters. Sandvik Mining is returning as platinum sponsor for the event, Barloworld Equipment and ZCCM-IH have confirmed as gold sponsors with Schlumberger Airlift signing up as a silver sponsor. Other big names on the expo floor include: Murray & Roberts, Manitou Group, Atlas Copco and Tri- Pump Engineering Ltd.
In association with the Electra Mining Africa exhibition in Johannesburg, South Africa, CBM-TEC is organised jointly by Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery and Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK.
CBM-TEC dates and location:
5-6 May: Conference and exhibition
Location: Mist Gardens, Kitwe, Zambia
Website: www.cbm-tec.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBMTEC
