The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has announced plans to boost intra-African trade with its 2022 Lagos International Trade Fair.
The move, according to the Chamber, is apt considering the low level of trade between African countries currently put at 14 per cent, according to reports.
In an exhibitors’ parley, the chairman, Trade Promotion Board, LCCI, Engr. Leye Kupoluyi, said, so far, the annual trade show has served as a gateway for new businesses into the country over the years.
He said, according to the last count, about 71 per cent of the businesses coming to Nigeria is coming through Lagos.
“We are planning to use this opportunity to boost intra African trade into Nigeria, because Nigerian still has manufacturing companies here, so we have to use the fair to get their goods across the border to earn the much needed foreign exchange. We have used our trade Fair platform as a gateway into getting into Nigerian markets,” he said.
He however stated that this year’s fair would supercede the numbers of visitors it had recorded in the past fairs.
In his words: “this year would supercede what we used to have in the past. We are expecting nothing less than 5,000 exhibitors and up to a million visitors up from over 750,000 that we used to have.”
He added that, cross border trade would also create a lot of opportunities for many Nigerians to invest across the border.
“Therefore, it is a way to expose Nigerian businesses to the world and you know if these companies are great, the Nigeria economy will will be better too,” he added.
He assured participants and exhibitors of a hitch-free trade fair, adding that, critical infrastructure have been put in place to give exhibitors and visitors the much needed to comfort to go about their activities.
In their response, exhibitors urged the chamber to provide access maps to booths to aid easy logistics and adequate planning while also called on the chamber to address issues relating to unavailability and price instability of tickets.
They also stated the need to have all their documentations ready before the fair begins later in the year while also expressing their commitment to providing only goods and services that meets the ever changing demands of Nigerians.
