…..To mentors Enterpreneur to meet up global standards
The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has promised to promote made in Nigeria products and small businesses.
This is as the President of ACCI,Dr Al Mujtaba Abubakar said its 17th Abuja International Trade Fair, (AITF) is aimed at promoting businesses and also strengthening trade and Investment opportunities in the country.
Abubakar disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the AITF, which held at it’s headquarters in Abuja, on Tuesday.
The AITF which commenced 30th Spetember will run till 9th October 2022.
He said that the fair offers a neutral and open atmosphere for blue chip companies, trade groups/associations, and government.
He stressed that the Abuja International Trade Fair remains a standard platform for brand establishment that brings together various aspects of trade and industry,
He said “Aside promoting businesses, the 17th AITF will also strengthen trade and investment opportunities in the country, thus, offering a neutral and open stmosphere for blue chip companies, trade groups/associations, and government.
” Abuja International Trade Fair is a standard platform for brand establishment that brings together various aspects of trade and industry, foreign ambassadors decision-makers, business delegations, entrepreneurs, and innovators.
“Since inception, the Trade Fair has served Nigeria as a trusted global trade destination and a potential market for over 50,000 consumers. It has also been a global platform, which provides an avenue where business men, entrepreneurs, service providers, and many others converge. It also provides an avenue for the distribution of trade, investment, market opportunities, and ideas that would greatly help sellers, buyers, investors, and countries to promote relationships in business.
“The 17th AITF focuses on exports hence, the theme, “Creating an Export Ready Market Through SMEs Digitization”. Digitization offers a range of opportunities for SMEs to improve performance, spur innovation, enhance productivity and compete on a more even footing with larger firms, reflecting: economies of scale; lower operation and transaction costs; and reduced information asymmetries.
“Digital tools bring many significant benefits for firms as digitalization reduces transaction costs by providing better and quicker access to information, and communication between businesses, suppliers and networks.
Also speaking, the Vice President of ACCI, and Chiarman of the Trade Fair Organising Commitee, Dr Johnson Anene said the Fair is Organised to promote Nigerian made Products and train exhibitors on how to improve the quality of their products in other to compete with both national and international market.
He said, “The benefits is for every exhibitor to penetrate new Market and those coming to partake. You can see a lot of new products are being introduced in the market, we want to make sure that this products get to it’s final consumers.
“We are also using this trade fair to promote Local production and consumption of made in Nigeria products. We know also that you will not just want to buy any products because it is made in Nigeria, we care about quality, about standards, about packaging and presentation. That is why we are also training and educating the exhibitors, and the SMEs operator on how they can improve on the quality of their products.
‘So that this product will be acceptable in the Nigerian market and also be able to compete in the International market as well. So we are giving them training on quality control and packaging. We want to use this exhibition to create contacts for them, that means creating contacts, then linking them up to these contacts. We are talking about business to business connection, we are talking about networking.”
While talking on how the fair will improve the current Economy, Deputy President Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Dele Oye stressed that the Trade Fair is a catalyst for growth, adding that every entrepreneur has employed a local person to help work in the fair
He said ” The Fair is a catalyst for growth and to cure our unemployment problem. Every entrepreneur has employed a local person to help work in the fair, starting from making their stands to helping them market,. There is a huge opportunity here and a lot of money will be made. The fair is a little way of adding to the economy”.
