Zenith Exhibitions and MIE GROUPS, are partnering to organise the inaugural edition of Connecting Trade Worldwide (CTW) Nigeria 2021 which will be co-located with the industry-leading Equipment and Manufacturing West Africa Exhibition (EMWA).
Both organisations have a huge portfolio in promoting trade and helping businesses connect.
While Zenith Exhibitions is an experienced exhibition and trade event organizer run by a vibrant team in Nigeria, MIE GROUPS is the organiser of the successful CTW Portfolio in African and the Middle East and the Global Trade Week (GTW), the first unique B2B Virtual Platform focusing on Re-connecting the Global Supply Chain in key markets.
The organisations made this known at a virtual press conference on EMWA and CTW NIGERIA 2021, to announce the Premier B2B Hybrid Event for Global Trade. The FREE to attend three-day event that will be held from Tuesday, 27th April to 29th April 2021 at Landmark Centre, Lagos, Nigeria.
This will be a first of its kind hybrid b2b event in Nigeria.
Joseph Oru, Managing Director, Zenith Exhibitions, said the exhibition will attract investment, building bridges between local and international manufacturers and providing real commercial business opportunities, as it is structured to deliver large-scale B2B trade.
“As an organization we shall continue to provide a platform to broaden the horizon and
scope of trade opportunities for our exhibitors, partners and visitors alike, to drive the Nigerian Industry forward in 2021”.
“The 2021 Exhibition & Conference with the theme; “Growth and Advancement of the Industrial Sector to unlock Nigeria’s Potential” will attract local and international companies in this unique hybrid format,” Oru said.
Also, in line with the recent kick-off of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) the organisations believe that Nigeria has opened its trading doors, also because its government is pursuing positive trade initiatives domestically and internationally.
“We hope EMWA & CTW NIGERIA 2021 collectively will build a platform to meet these objectives at our upcoming event,” said Zahoor Ahmed, Vice President; Strategy and Partnerships, MIE Groups.
He explained that with a rich 50-year-old relationship between the two nations, the Nigerian government has continued to support China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the strategic masterplan to connect Asia with Africa and Europe economically and financially, and that they strongly feel that EMWA and CTW NIGERIA 2021 are just another piece in the win-win jigsaw for developing global trade relations.
“We operate in a Global Economic Community and we were very pleased to witness Chinese State Councillor & Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama sign an MOU on the establishment of intergovernmental committee in Abuja at the beginning on the year, which demonstrated the commitment and importance of the global relations between the 2 nations,” Ahmed adds.
Highlighting the opportunities, Ahmed noted that Nigeria is Africa’s second-largest importer of Chinese goods and China’s largest project contracting market in Africa with projects including rail and road links and power stations.
According to him, the bi-lateral trade between the two nations is around US$19.3 billion in 2019, and Nigeria exports about US$2 billion to China in the form of mineral oils and fuels, oil seeds, plastics, rubber, animal products, shipping vessels, and fruits.
“So, with all these opportunities that we can see developing further in 2021 and beyond, our partnership with EMWA in launching CTW Nigeria was critical to kick of 2021 in a positive light,” Ahmed stated.
The exhibition is expected to host over 50 physical exhibitors, over 100 virtual manufacturers and producers, more than 2,000 products, as well as 3,000+ physical and virtually, from different industry sectors including manufacturing, automotive, consumer goods manufacturing, electrical and electronics, energy food and beverage, and infrastructure and Facilities.
Also speaking at virtual press conference, Najeeb Abdussalam, CEO, Trust Synergy Infrastructure Limited and Director of Kano Urban Transport, said events like the coming exhibition will help the governments involved to take steps towards facilitating the African free trade agreement.
According to him, there are lots of infrastructure that will come up to facilitate the agreement, so, bringing people together like this will help other participating countries to see what others are doing and key into it.
The Senior Special Adviser on Development and Investment to Ondo State governor, and the CEO of Ondo State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA), Boye Oyewumi, described the event as timely.
He added that exhibition should be encouraged as he admitted how impressed he was with the organisers and the countries that will be participating. “Exhibitions are critical to success,” Oyewumi said.
Zenith Exhibitions team also launched a ‘safe4business’ manual that carries 10 mandatory rules in other to attend in person. This is in line with all the safety guidelines by the state government to flatten the curve of the deadly virus spreading through the world.