Ongwediva trade fair boosts local SMEs

With the start of the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair (OATF), small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are preparing to showcase their products and maximise their profits.

In addition to giving local SMEs an opportunity to take advantage of the OATF platform, the trade fair brings businesses from around the world together to showcase their products.

Ongwediva mayor Taarah Shalyefu explained that a key focus of hosting the OATF is to promote trade and business connections between local market entrepreneurs and foreign business figures.

The trade fair thus offers a venue for the establishment of strategic alliances between well-established corporate entities while also providing a platform for showcasing the goods and services of SMEs.



Smart partnerships

Anna Gwampolo, a street vendor who has plied her trade for the past seven years, sells a variety of products, including fruits, secondhand goods, electronics and jewellery.

She said the trade fair gives her business an opportunity to increase sales.

"When the OATF commences, we get customers to the point where we run out of products to sell, which is a good thing," she said.

She added that the trade fair allows SMEs to form smart partnerships with established corporate organisations and other traders.

Hairdresser and local restaurant owner Ndalimbwa Johannes said while some small business owners are unable to afford stalls at the trade fair, this does not prevent their businesses from benefitting from the occasion, as the town is always bustling with visitors during the trade fair.

"We do not need to have a stall inside the trade fair; there are a lot of people around town during the trade fair that come and support us," she said.