Exhibitors Shun Kaduna Trade Fair As 47th Edition Kicks Off

Exhibitors have failed to attend the 47th edition of Kaduna International Trade Fair which opened yesterday along Kaduna-Zaria Expressway amidst economic hardship.

Our correspondent who covered the opening ceremony of the fair reports that apart from Dangote Group and a few other corporate, small, medium and large scale businesses that attended the annual fair, 90% exhibitors did not show up as pavilions were empty.

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani was represented at the event by the commissioner for business, innovation and technology, Mrs  Patience  Fakai, at the one week long trade exhibition with the theme ‘From Reforms to Results: Economic Transformation Through Sustained Local Content Development’

In his address, Governor Uba Sani described the fair as a flagship platform that has long symbolised enterprise, resilience, and opportunity for Kaduna and Nigeria.

Sani invited local and international exhibitors to experience a state that was fast becoming a preferred destination for business, innovation, and industrial growth.

He stressed that reforms alone were not enough as those reforms must translate into real jobs, revived industries, scaled innovations, and shared prosperity.

Sani outlined how Kaduna government had embraced difficult but necessary reforms, building a business‑friendly environment through regulatory and institutional changes that cut the cost of doing business.

The governor called on participants to move beyond talk to real collaborations and to turn reforms into tangible results.

Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nura  Abba  Rimi, noted that the Nigeria trade policy 2023‑2027 was now moving from design to execution.