PEPZ to lauch online database for SMEs
Big business will be able to increase local content in their supply chains with the help of a new database being developed by the Private Enterprise Programme-Zambia (PEPZ) in partnership with the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) and the Zambia Chamber of Mines.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can gain access to new markets and demonstrate their capabilities to larger customers under the initiative.
Once the database is live at www.zamb2b.com, registered corporations, known as anchor firms, will be able to search the site for potential suppliers, while SMEs can look for opportunities that match their capabilities. The organisation seeks to encourage local suppliers to be more robust and competitive in their delivery of products and services to the larger firms. The database is part of PEPZ’s strategy to nurture and encourage inclusive growth through entrepreneurship.
“Information is vital for an efficient market and this new database will bridge that gap by giving entrepreneurs wider access to customers who can often seem difficult to connect with. Equally it gives corporates access to an untapped pool of reliable skills and resources within the country,” said PEPZ Business Linkages Manager Andrew Kambobe.
The website is expected to be officially launched in mid-October during the ZAM Manufacturing Week., with more than 50 SMEs being targeted for initial inclusion, although that number is expected to grow during the life of the project.
PEPZ, through its Business Linkages component, presented details of the database during the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) SME workshop at the just-ended Copperbelt Mining Trade, Expo and Conference in Kitwe.
The suppliers will undergo a business diagnostic exercise that will appraise their capability to supply to the respective sectors. More than 100 SMEs have been identified for this purpose in association with anchor companies such as Shoprite, Zambeef, Sun International and mines including Chibuluma Mines PLC, Konkola Copper Mines, Mopani Copper Mines PLC and Kalumbila Minerals PLC.