The Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) says trade fairs were not only for improvement on trade but also investment opportunities.
The Director General (DG), Mr Usman Saulawa , said on Sunday, in Kaduna that companies were still registering for the ongoing 43rd Kaduna International Trade Fair.
“We have companies from Chad and Morocco who are already here, in fact, those of Chad came in groups and because of that we are going into a sort of meeting with them and business communities in Kaduna.
“The meeting, which would be held tomorrow, would discuss how to improve trade relationships like exports from Chad to Nigeria.
“The Nigerian ambassador in Chad was here at the opening ceremony to tell us the opportunities that are in Chad so that our members can benefit; they had a discussion with the Kano business community, they are having the same thing with Kaduna.
He said some of them, including foreign participants, were still trooping in for the event.
“Some of the delegation from Morocco are around, some are leaving and coming back again by tomorrow, we also have delegations from Egypt, Pakistan and India.
He noted that the essence of trade fairs was not only improvement on trade but also investment opportunities.
“There are some that have the intentions of investing here in Kaduna, and that is why even the Kaduna investment promotion agency (KADIPA) is having a stand at the trade fair.
“Those that want to get investment policies for foreign and even local investment will go to the KADIPA stand and get the necessary information.
“A number of research institutes are also here with their findings, people should come and see; there are quite a number of new things.
He expressed the hope that at the end of the fair, most of the transactions would be consummated and investments would still flourish into the state and the country in general.
“Once you set up or coordinate our food processing business, to interact with them means that the export potentials of Kaduna State and Nigeria would indeed be expanded.
“This is what we are trying to do in this year’s seminar that talks about restructuring and re-strategising Nigeria’s economy for competitiveness.
“We want to start with the West African sub-region, expand to Africa and then beyond, so, once we start in a small way, it will be improving quality of our products beyond the African continent to other shores in the world.
“It is good for us. Traditionally, in the past, February has been our trade fair month, we have come back to the original. Last year, we had to shift it about three times, we want to take our stand on February.
“Gov. El-Rufai has also assured the chamber all the necessary support and cooperation to ensure that the fair was hitch free, he said.
He called on the public to participate and see what is obtainable and a quiet number of new things that had not been featuring in the trade fair, but were now participating in this year’s fair.
The 43rd Kaduna International Trade Fair began Feb. 25, and would end on March 6.
Only the Federal Capital Territory Abuja and the host, Kaduna state, have their pavilions opened for now, though more states are expected to come
