Katima Mulilo
The Zambezi Region is currently hosting its 3rd annual Zambezi Bream and Cultural Expo, which started on Monday under the theme “Poverty Reduction through SME Support.”
Hundreds of exhibitors, particularly SMEs in the Zambezi Region and beyond, are all using the opportunity to showcase and market their products. Government agencies and private institutions are also using the event to promote their services.
Attending the official opening of the festival on Wednesday as the keynote speaker, the Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, said the festival should be an opportunity for Zambezi residents to celebrate the abundance and quality of the Zambezi bream, as well as the diverse culture it represents.
“The different bream species and diverse cultures are indigenous to Katima Mulilo and Zambezi Region, which call for some sort of annual exhibition because that is our pride,” she said.
The festival has however not attracted as many exhibitors as last year which could be due to the drought. Exhibitors are normally from the agriculture sectior.
Although he could not confirm the numbers the outgoing Katima Mulilo Town Council CEO Charles Nawa admitted the festival has not attracted as many exhibitors as the previous two years.
Nawa said that another contributing factor might be that exhibitors from neighbouring Zambia did not turn up in numbers because it is an election week in the copper-producing country.
The festival will conclude tomorrow with entertainment and the crowning of Miss Zambezi Bream Festival and Cultural Expo.