{"id":92,"date":"2026-09-30T07:45:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T07:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/index.php\/our-events\/standardization-business-leaders-conference\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T07:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T07:45:16","slug":"standardization-business-leaders-conference","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/our-events\/standardization-business-leaders-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Standardization Business Leaders Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-saz-accent\">Welcome to the 2026 Standardization and Business Leaders\u2019 Conference and The Inaugural Standards Research Symposium .<\/h2><p class=\"saz-eyebrow wp-block-paragraph\">Background<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-saz-accent\">Building stronger industries through standardization<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zimbabwe like most African countries\u2019 economic transformation relies heavily on bold innovation, robust industrialization and resilient value chains. Governments across the continent are intensifying efforts to build competitive local industries, attract investment and empower Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). These efforts align with global shifts toward sustainable development, digital transformation and inclusive trade anchored on standardization.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, achieving these goals requires deliberate collaboration between public institutions, standards bodies, private sector leaders, MSMEs, innovators, and development partners.<\/p><details class=\"wp-block-details saz-conference-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" open><summary>Conference details<\/summary><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Standardisation and Business Leaders Conference 2026, to be held in Victoria Falls at Elephant Hills -under the theme \u201cInnovate, Collaborate and Transform: Shaping the Future Together for Easier, Safer and Better Lives.\u201d, will convene key stakeholders to reflect on current progress, share practical insights, and forge strong partnerships that address national and regional challenges\u2014including the fight against counterfeits, support for local manufacturing, strengthen value chains and creating enabling environments for MSMEs and larger corporates to thrive. This conference aims to bridge the gap amongst standardization experts, policy makers and business leaders to inspire standards based transformative solutions.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-content\/themes\/saz\/assets\/images\/imported\/website.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-saz-accent\">Objectives<\/h2><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Foster collaboration between standards bodies, industries, entrepreneurs and regulators<\/li><li>Promote innovative ecosystems, digital readiness, and sustainable business practices aligned with national development goals.<\/li><li>Strengthen collaborative approaches to combat emerging challenges such as counterfeit and substandard goods, that undermine economic growth and public safety.<\/li><li>Showcase success stories.<\/li><\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-saz-accent\">Conference Structure<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conference is a two-and-a-half-day event with the official opening ceremony by the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Honourable Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovu being the guest of honor. In addition, there will be high- level plenary and thematic sessions including a workshop on referencing of standards by policy makers. This will offer a platform to engage with policymakers, regulators and technological innovators to form value-creating partnerships whilst contributing to shaping business-enabling policies and regulatory frameworks.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-saz-accent\">Strategic Importance<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This conference directly supports the role standards play in national and continental priorities such as:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) implementation<\/li><li>Regional Integration<\/li><li>National Industrialization Policies<\/li><li>SME Development Strategies<\/li><li>Anti-Counterfeit Action Plans<\/li><li>Innovation and Digital Economy Agendas<\/li><\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-content\/themes\/saz\/assets\/images\/imported\/10368856-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-saz-accent\">Expected Delegates<\/h2><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>CEOs and Business Executives<\/li><li>Government and Regulatory Authorities<\/li><li>Standards Bodies and Technical Committees<\/li><li>Standards Users.<\/li><li>Innovators, Startups, and Entrepreneurs<\/li><li>International Organizations (ISO, IEC, ITU, WTO, etc.)<\/li><li>Academia and Researchers<\/li><li>NGOs<\/li><li>Development Partners and Donors<\/li><li>Diplomatic Community<\/li><\/ul><p class=\"saz-resource-link wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/the-inaugural-standards-research-symposium-call-for-papers-2026\/\">The Inaugural Standards Research Symposium Call for Papers, 2026<\/a><\/p><p class=\"saz-resource-link wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=z3614cDzDUS5wbtUK8AfKLKISBTlreRDpScIrZrOO65UMzVVTEJVR0dEV1I2OVBPMEo3UENCMTczSC4u&#038;origin=QRCode\">Register Now<\/a><\/p><p class=\"saz-resource-link wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saz.org.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SBLC-2026-PROGRAM-FINAL.pdf\">SBLC 2026 PROGRAM FINAL<\/a><\/p><p class=\"saz-resource-link wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saz.org.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SBLC-2026-PROGRAM-FINAL.pdf\">Download<\/a><\/p><\/details>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the 2026 Standardization and Business Leaders\u2019 Conference and The Inaugural Standards Research Symposium . Background Building stronger industries through standardization Zimbabwe like most African countries\u2019 economic transformation relies heavily on bold innovation, robust industrialization and resilient value chains. Governments across the continent are intensifying efforts to build competitive local industries, attract investment and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":45,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_saz_eyebrow":"","_saz_hide_sidebar":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-92","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/45"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/139.84.241.235\/saz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}