At the 9th Zambezi Bream Festival and Cultural Expo, the central message was clear: unity over division.

Speakers at the official opening of the event held at the Zambezi waterfront tourism park highlighted that regional cultural diversity must be used strategically to open new doors for trade, cooperation, and community development.

Katima Mulilo Urban Councillor Kennedy Simasiku said businesses and communities cannot access wider markets while working in isolation.

"For you to access markets in Zambia, or the EU, or South Africa, or Mozambique, or China, someone has to do that for you and has to assist you. For you to achieve your set goals as a business or as a government entity, someone has to assist you and has to make sure that the things that you wish to achieve come to fruition."

Speaking on behalf of the SACU Secretariat, Dr Tiroyaone Sirang said SACU's participation is aimed at highlighting the importance of trade facilitation and customs cooperation.

"So now recently we embarked on a customs modernisation programme, which basically seeks to ensure that our customs and borders are, one, connected via IT; two, they reduce risk management; and then we have what we call the accredited authorised economic operators."

Sirang added that effective trade facilitation should create a conducive trading environment while helping to reduce illicit trade.

Meanwhile, Katima Mulilo Mayor Kabende Kabende stressed that modernisation should not come at the expense of cultural heritage.

"As we modernise and develop our town, we must never lose sight of the values, traditions and cultural practices that define us. Development must not erase our identity. It must strengthen it."

122 exhibitors are showcasing their products and services at the Expo, which ends on Sunday.