The Director General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Sola Obadimu, has assured foreign investors of safety and security of their investments.
According to the DG, Nigeria is a safe haven for both foreign and local investments.
He called on foreign investors to tap into the abundant opportunities and invest in local industries and open manufacturing outlets in the country.
Obadimu gave the assurance at the flag-off of a 3-day International Exhibition tagged Beauty West Africa held in Lagos on Tuesday.
The exhibition, according to its organiser, Jamie Hill, has over 200 exhibitors from across the world including China, Pakistan, Egypt, Gambia and other 200 countries of the world.
Hill, who is Managing Director of B and B Events said, “The significant takeaway from this year’s exhibition is that it is the largest edition we have ever had till date. It places significance on the importance of the Nigerian and the West African markets. The beauty market here in Nigeria has reached 5.28USD.
“That played a huge part in the entrepreneurial space of the country. It is very important to highlight that we have government representatives from all over the world. We have official representation from China, Pakistan and Egypt and over 200 exhibitors from around the world.
“So,we invite everybody to tap into what the exhibitors have to offer. The exhibition is basically a business platform where international partnerships are fostered. The whole of West Africa is here in Nigeria to do business with the world. We want to grow the made in Nigeria brand in Nigeria, raise SMEs and bring international brands to manufacture here in Nigeria to grow the GDP.”
Speaking on the significance of the exhibition, Obadimu described the exhibition as a good development for the country.
He said, “The exhibition shows the world that we can still hold a world class exhibition anyway across the country successfully. It also signifies that Nigeria still remains a strong market. There is an indication that Nigeria is a strong market with a lot of demand for her products and services.
“What I would like more is to see some of these companies investing in local industries and opening more manufacturing outlets to complement government efforts on employment creation. This is a good story for us. It shows we are a great country. We can host international exhibitions.
“Many of the exhibitors are visiting for the first time. Some of them have been doing businesses across the West Africa sub-region. If we can get them to run this kind of event a few more times, the confidence would come.
“This exhibition is an opportunity for many of the exhibitors who have not visited Nigeria or West Africa to see that Nigeria is a safe place that is ready to host the world.
“With all the facilities that are available, Nigeria is an exhibition managers’ delight. This is a well organised event. It shows that the world is free to come to Nigeria to organise such events because Nigeria is a strong market with over 200 million people.
“They can start small. From coming to exhibit their products, they can setup shops, warehouses or distribution points and from there anything can happen, maybe establish a small manufacturing facility.
“So whether it is by service or production, people will be engaged. Even if it’s a small store, you are still going to engage people. We welcome all foreigners who are interested in Nigerian market. They are encouraged to come and do business in Nigeria.”
The exhibition manager, Ken Baber said Nigerian markets are growing with so many potential for West Africa and the world.
He said, “We are encouraging Nigerians. We have exhibitors from across the world under one roof here in Nigeria. This shows that Nigeria is the heart of exhibitions. The market is growing and there is so much potential in West Africa particularly Nigeria.
“We have exhibitors from all over the world, from many countries in Africa and they have come here to do business. They have chosen Nigeria. The reason is that they know that the market is growing and it would give confidence and encouragement to do business.
“Like the DG of NACCIMA has said, a lot of companies are visiting Nigeria for the first time, opening their eyes to opportunities that are in Nigeria.
“There are over 200 companies and over 5000 exhibitors. We will have a full show next year. The market is growing. The potential is growing. There are opportunities here in Nigeria. All you need to do is to open your eyes and believe in it. The world is here in Nigeria. We will achieve amazing things if we do things together.
“We have companies from all over the world for three days to showcase their products and services. We have importers and distributors, wholesalers and retailers. They have to open their eyes to see that this is a growing market.
“Nigeria is the place to be. This is the home. When we ask our exhibitors where they would like to host the exhibition. They all chose Nigeria. They all agreed to come here and this gives the confidence that there are opportunities here in the country. It is an opportunity for all West Africa, not only Nigeria.
“This is a wake up call to Nigerian companies. Please open your eyes and let’s start up something. An exhibition like this gives nothing but confidence to investors. Its all about empowerment and opportunities.”
First Vice President, Benin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Agbofoun Leonard, bares her mind on the exhibition. She said, “We are here in Nigeria to learn how things are done. We are here to learn how to organise exhibitions. We have been organising exhibitions in our country but not in this magnitude. So we are here to have first-hand experience of how it is done so that when we get back to our country, there will be an improvement in our exhibitions.
“We are happy with what we have seen. When we were coming to Nigeria, we informed our president but he was skeptical about our safety. But we are one and the same mother.
“We told our president to allow us visit Nigeria and since we arrived at the border, Nigerians are friendly people. We have called our president that we are in safe hands and that we will arrive safely.”
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