Export Development

Besides our focused export promotion activities aimed at generating sustainable exports for Zimbabwean exporters and promoting Zimbabwe as a viable and profitable Sourcing and Business Destination, ZimTrade undertakes a range of ‘Export Development’ Initiatives which are directed at building and strengthening the capacities of exporting enterprises and would-be exporters to win on the export front. To this effect ZimTrade regularly organises structured capacity building programmes and training in different regions of Zimbabwe. Our actions target different sectors and exporter groups, including Women and Youth entrepreneurs.

These capacity building initiatives are focussed on:

• Capacity building of the entrepreneurs (the exporter and potential exporters)
• Developing Export Readiness of the Enterprises to meet customers’ requirements and needs, and compliance standards & norms
• Product development to enable Zimbabwean products meet buyers’ requirements in terms of quality, packaging and labelling, Standards & Norms, and technical/scientific compliance

Our Export Development initiatives include the MARKETING AND BRANDING FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS TRAINING PROGRAMME.

The ZimTrade Marketing and Branding for International Competitiveness (MBIC) Training Programme is a capacity building and customised export training for Zimbabwean enterprises, which aims to develop and enhance export skills. The Programme was reviewed and rebranded with the assistance of the International Trade Centre (ITC), under the EU-funded Trade and Private Sector Development Programme (TPSDP).

The training is targeted at existing, potential and emerging exporters. Course content covers the following modules, among others:

• Optimizing Value Creation and Retention (the use of brands, certification marks as well as other differentiators for value adding)
• Foundations in Export Marketing (Negotiation Skills and Selling Skills)
• Identifying Market Opportunities
• Marketing Strategy and Planning
• International Marketing Mix (Includes Customer Value Proposition)
• Export Documentation

The MBIC Training Programme is generic and targeted at the community of exporters at large. Plans are to modify modules to suit segmented or selected exporters as well as particular industry and/or sectors. Participants are recruited directly by ZimTrade.