300 foreign firms show interest in Abuja trade fair

With over two months to the 8th Abuja International Trade Fair, over 300 foreign firms have already indicated interest to participate in the fair which is also anticipating over 1,000 direct and indirect exhibitors.

Already, BusinessDay gathered in Abuja that so far, Ghana is leading with 100 firms, closely followed by Taiwan with 25 companies that have registered to participate at the trade fair.

Joe Idowu Wenegieme, director general of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ABUCCIMA), who spoke to BusinessDay on the preparation for the fair, said this year’s fair is set to outshine last year’s record in terms of participation.

Firms from China, India, South Korea and the Philippines have also indicated interest to participate at the fair with the theme, ‘Promoting the Culture of Production and Innovation in SMEs to Achieve Competitiveness and National Development’, which will hold from September 26 to October 10 at the JT Useni International Trade Fair Complex.

“Already, they have paid their initial deposits for their participation. They paid into our accounts from their commercial office in Lagos and we have received the alerts. Even this morning, we have also received the messages from India. This is excluding response from most of the West African countries that have collected forms.

“We are anticipating a very good fair this year because of the interest generated by foreign countries in the Abuja international trade fair”.

He disclosed that the Abuja international trade fair is fast attracting international attention following the decision of the organisers last year to relocate the event to its permanent site at Piwoyi, near Lugbe, along the Abuja Airport Road from the Old Parade Ground where the event had taken place since its inception in 2006.

He disclosed that last year’s fair recorded over $100 million in business turnover within the 12 days of the exhibitions, with 20 foreign firms from nine countries participating, 1000 direct and indirect exhibitors.

He added that over 500,000 people visited the exhibition stands, while 30 federal, states and local government agencies participated at the fair.

“The fair is not just a place where you buy and sell, it is a place to showcase what you have produced, expose them so that people who want to patronise you will know about your products. When you want to appoint new agents and distributors this is where you meet them”.

He hinted of the organisers’ intention to sanitise the fair in 2013 to ensure that only manufacturers are provided with space to exhibit their products.