The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has postponed the Lagos International Trade Fair to December 4-13 from the earlier scheduled date of November 6-15.
In a statement sent to BusinessDay on Thursday, the chamber said the fair, which will feature both physical (in-person) and virtual (online) platforms, has been postponed owing to the economic disruptions brought about by COVID-19 pandemic and the recent EndSARS protests across the nation.
It said that the opening ceremony will now take place at 10am on Friday, December 4, at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Onikan, Lagos. On the other hand, the closing ceremony is slated for Sunday, December 13, at the same venue by 3pm. The trade fair, as usual, will run for a total of 10 days at TBS.
Muda Yusuf, director-general of the LCCI, said the chamber’s resolve to hold the 2020 edition of the fair is in line with the need for quick restoration of normalcy in the economic and commercial activities in Lagos State and support for the ongoing ‘Protect Lagos’ campaign, which is geared towards rebuilding the state.
“In addition to the general interest fair, the annual international business expo will also feature special days for corporate organisations to showcase their inventions, innovations, and sustainability initiatives simultaneously with the fair. The focus, this year, is to facilitate trade and chart a way forward for the economy to exit the impending recession.”
Yusuf noted that the exhibition will facilitate networking among the players and visitors.
“The Fair is expected to attract a huge traffic of visitors seeking to take advantage of the networking opportunities and discounted prices. Corporate organisations including multinational corporations, indigenous conglomerates and financial institutions as well as corporate organisations from the West African Sub-region have indicated interest to participate at the exhibition,” Yusuf said.
He disclosed that relevant agencies and departments of the government will be available to exhibit and attend to other exhibitors and visitors.
Some of the agencies that have confirmed attendance to provide information and educate exhibitors and visitors are Bank of Industry (BOI), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Corporate Affairs Commission amongst others, he noted.
“So far, so good, the excitement that the fair has generated has been phenomenal and we are indeed happy about our strategic partnership with our stakeholders.”
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