All is now set for the commencement of the 2019 Abuja International Trade Fair. The trade fair will begin on Saturday September 21 and end on Sunday September 29. The trade fair in its 13th edition, is expected to play host to 45 foreign companies that will be exhibiting and promoting their goods and services.
The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ACCI, had in a press conference, said the presence of the companies would strengthen businesses, trade and investment opportunities in Nigeria. Tonia Shoyele, director general, ACCI, said the foreign firms expected at the fair included companies from India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Voire, Cameroon, among others.
She said over the years, the chamber had a minimum of 30 foreign countries participating, but the number had increased in this 13th edition because many embassies had declared interest to participate. She said the multi-sectoral trade event had grown exceedingly in scope and strength as one of the biggest trade platforms for international and domestic exhibitors to promote new product lines, access new markets, build business relationships and grasp developing trend.
The fair will also feature a roundtable discussion on “Remodeling SMEs Financing: Options and Solutions’’. Describing Nigeria as an 80 percent Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, based country, Shoyele said it was on this background that the chamber decided to have a 100 percent focus on SMEs.
“Basically our mandate is to promote their businesses and handhold them till they get to the upper level. There will be a roundtable which the CBN, Bank of Industry and others that are SMEs based will participate to form policies and strategies to promote the SMEs,” she said.
Shoyele said the chamber had also put in place measures to provide adequate security personnel which include the Nigerian Police, Army, Anti-Bomb Squad, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, among others.