My Important Takeaways From Attending SADC Industrialisation Week 2024

As a scholar of entrepreneurship, I’m always open to participating in events that showcase businesspeople at their best, and this one was combined with policy-makers committing to create an enabling environment for young entrepreneurs. Sign me up! From the panel sessions to the field visits and exhibition stands, my week spent attending the Southern African Development Community’s Industrialisation Week 2024 was both educational and inspirational.

Branding – The art of making indigenous knowledge marketable

My favourite session of the week was presented by an academic from the Harare Institute of Technology who explained that scientists and traditional herbalists across Southern Africa are teaming up to make indigenous medicine widely-acceptable. The vision is to make traditional medicine comply with respective national standards and transform it into capsules to ensure that it is an option when you visit your local pharmacist. He emphasised the scientific aspects of this process. My interpretation? This is also a rebranding exercise. The presenter’s interactive exercise proved that people were more likely to use traditional medicine based on how it was packaged and where it was recommended to them. The outcome of that exercise applies to so much more than preserving indigenous knowledge.

Networking is as easy as saying hello

With the constant sound of shuffling feet and elevator pitches to secure sales, you wouldn’t have been blamed for finding the bustle at the stands intimidating. I visited the exhibition stands of various countries, entrepreneurs, and international organisations and bought more items than I am willing to admit to in this blog post. To my surprise, I found common touchpoints at every stand. Each conversation was more enlightening than the last. Networking wasn’t complicated; it all started with a simple “hello”.

Once you are in the room, create space for yourself

Our opportunities don’t always present themselves as loud announcements and speaking slots on stages. This week I observed that simply being in the room is, in fact, an opportunity to market yourself. Each person I met introduced themselves by name and boldly stated what value they could add. Every single one. I get it; at first, walking around as a billboard announcing your talents and talking about your business can feel uncomfortable, but you’ll soon realise that people respond well when they know that you have something to offer. And you never know which moment of proudly declaring what you do will change your life in the best way possible.