The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has introduced the Africa Hall initiative to host African businessmen and women as part of the programs for the upcoming 2019 Lagos International Trade Fair.
Chairman, Trade Promotion Board, LCCI, Gabriel Idahosa, said the objective of the Africa hall initiative was to bring exhibitors from African countries together in order to showcase their goods, services, arts, and crafts.
“We believe Africans must grow trade and investment among themselves. The LITF platform is a great opportunity to do this; therefore in pursuit of this objective, we will have the Africa special day at the fair” he said.
On foreign participation, Idahosa said LCCI had received expressions of interest from over 25 countries to participate in the 2019 LITF, adding that member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) like Benin Republic, Cameroon, Ghana, among others, had expressed interest. He also said that the foreign exchange earnings received this year had surpassed the record of the previous year.
The trade fair has over 15 partners and sponsors including The United Bank for Africa (UBA) as the headline partner and its official banking partner; Airtel Nigeria, which is the official telecommunications partner, Max.ng, the official on-demand motorbike hailing service partner of the fair, and the African export-import bank (Afexim bank) which is the pan African partner among others.
Idahosa disclosed that by the 2nd of October, the media and customer care centres would be available in order to fully plan and prepare for the event.
Emphasising the major highlights of the fair, Idahosa, who doubles as the vice president of the LCCI, stated that the 2019 trade fair would be different but better than the previous years as its many sponsors and partners have taken it up to play innovative roles and as well encourage all the participants with various incentives.
Toyin Seriki, head SME segment for Airtel, said besides providing fast and reliable internet connection at the fair, the telco would also give due attention to the micro, small and medium scale enterprises, especially as participants of the fair through the introduction of affordable internet plans to run their businesses.
UBA’s Group Head, consumer, and retail banking, Tony Anele, also said the bank would provide a discount of 20 percent on all its products and services for all the participants at the fair while helping participant MSMEs with business advisory services.
Anele said “as the official funds manager for the trade fair, a branch will be available at the fair which will provide all the products and services the bank has to offer as well as simplifying payments with different currencies.”
The 2019 Lagos International Trade Fair will commence from Friday the 1st of November to Sunday the 10th of November at the Tafawa Balewa Square Lagos in. It has has exhibition space of about 40,000 square meters and 2,000 expected exhibitors out of which 200 are foreigners from about 16 countries.
Gbemi Faminu, Lagos
