Lagos Automotive Show Begins May 16

The organisers of the West Africa Automotive Show (WAAS) have hinted that over 30 companies from China would exhibit at next month’s trade exhibition.

They said India would host its first pavilion at the exhibition, while the inaugural WAAS Conference would bring in leading names from the automotive world to discuss the potential to develop Nigeria’s own automotive parts’ sector.

The West Africa Automotive Show takes place at the Landmark Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos, from Tuesday, May 16 to Thursday, May 18, 2023.

In a statement issued by the managing director of BtoB Events, Jamie Hill, the organisers of the exhibition, he said as exhibitor numbers and interest continue to grow, the 2023 show would be three times the size of last year’s event.

He said over 40 countries from five continents would participate in the fair.

Prominent among the exhibitors will be the delegation from China which is finally able to return to the show now that the travel restrictions have ended. Another boost comes with the Automotive Components and Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) bringing together 20 companies from India in a central pavilion showcasing motor vehicle parts and services.

Hill said, “We are extremely pleased that ACMA is hosting its first country pavilion at WAAS, and we are excited by the interest generated by the Chinese auto parts companies being able to return to Nigeria post-pandemic.

“And with the expansion of the exhibition space and the new Conference, visitors will find the show provides them with much more information about the latest developments and even more new business opportunities for the car after-sales sector.”

The conference runs over two days of the exhibition and will bring together senior representatives of large automotive companies from Nigeria and West Africa. These will include assembly plants, distributors and importers, and local and regional offices of international names such as Toyota.

Under the theme of ‘Transition to sustainable, quality automotive parts supply in West Africa,’ the conference will look at factors affecting the industry. Sessions will discuss topics such as national and international automotive policy, the Common External Tariff (CET), parts acquisition and funding, foreign exchange, and special funding for automotive assembly and components manufacturing.

The WAAS conference chairman is the former director of planning and strategy of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) Luqman Mamudu,