There were mixed reactions to the second national science and technology fair jointly organisation by the National Science and Technology Commission (NSTC) and the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) that ended on Saturday.
The fair, under the theme: ‘Science and Technology: a Catalyst for Industrialisation’ was opened Thursday by the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Eunice Kazembe.
The fair was organised as one way of promoting science and technology as a basic requirement to sustainable growth.
Some exhibitors expressed satisfaction and claimed they have struck some deals while others argued the fair was poorly patronised.
NSTC chief information officer Catherine Chaweza told Business News on Friday this year’s fair did not attract more exhibitors as compared to last year.
“We had more exhibitors last year and patronage was better than now. However, the quality of exhibitions improved greatly this time around, even what the participating schools exhibited this year was more superior than last year’s,†she said.
A consultant for Technobrain, Harsh Khopkar, observed that patronage was low, but said they received a lot of enquiries on their products.
He said their participation to this year’s fair was to pass on the message of how important information and communications technology (ICT) is as a foundation for economic development.
