The Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Zimbabwe (SMEAZ) is set to resume its Local Legends Awards. This year’s edition of the event is billed to be held in Harare on 21 November 2021.
The return of the event was announced by SMEAZ Chief Executive Officer, Farai Mutambanengwe yesterday in correspondence to the association’s members.
“We are pleased to advise you of the resumption of our Local Legends Awards, a ceremony rewarding SMEs that excel in growing their businesses. Unlike conventional awards ceremonies, the Local Legends Awards are merit-based, and winners are SMEs who have actually tangibly worked on improving various aspects of their businesses,” Mutambanengwe said.
The nomination process will include self-nominations, nominations by other members, as well as nominations by the association’s member consultants that work with its members.
The association’s winning nominees are expected to get awards in 15 categories which include customer service, products quality, branding, accounting and internal controls, corporate governance, community involvement, staff wellness as well as graduation or transition among others.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Community and SME Development, Sithembiso Nyoni is set to be the guest of honour. Her Deputy, the Permanent Secretary and the Director for SMEs are also expected to attend the event.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the association indicated that it was going to limit attendance to the 100 people figure stipulated by the government for such events.
“Current Covid-19 protocols restrict us to a maximum of 100 participants, so there will be a restriction in terms of attendees, who will, most likely, only be the awards nominees/winners,” Mutambanengwe said.
In 2018 SMEAZ shelved the awards event citing a challenging operating environment.
