Exhibitors upbeat about ECOWAS fair

Some exhibitors at the Seventh ECOWAS Trade Fair being held at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre say they will use the fair mainly to build networks for the future expansion of their businesses.
The exhibitors, who expressed optimism about business prospects at the fair, noted that expanding their businesses was key to enhancing their operations.

They made their remarks in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic.

Madam Naana Anku of NAKUS Fashion said the fair offered a great opportunity for local businesses to gauge their strength against businesses from the sub-region.

“Even though I have built some networks in the past, I would continue to build more networks so that after the fair, I can maintain my business,” she said.

The seventh ECOWAS Fair being hosted by Ghana began on Thursday. This is the second time Ghana is hosting the fair, having hosted the event in 1999.

This year’s fair is on the theme: “Regional Integration Through Trade”. The fair, which began on October 31, will end on November 11, 2013.

Goods ranging from household items to clothings are on display at the event which is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the ECOWAS Commission.

Two days into the fair, Madam Anku said things were not bad and expected business to peak in the coming days.

Another exhibitor, Ms Abigail Twumasi, said she was expecting more customers for her roofing sheets and aluminium cooking wares.

In addition to that, “I would want to build more contacts from my fellow exhibitors and visitors”.

She dismissed the assertion that the prices of goods sold at the fair and in town were not different, adding that, “here we are selling at factory price”.

A Beninios exhibitor, who deals in locally-made cooking stoves, Ms Danielle Ahaounvoele, said the items she sold were aimed at preserving the environment.

The stoves, she said, were built to use liquefied petroleum gas with the motive to prevent people from cutting down trees for charcoal.

“These products are environmentally friendly. Everybody is concerned about the falling of trees,” she said.

She looks forward to local partnerships to enable her to expand her business.

A herbalist from Burkina Faso, Norbert H.N. Lantefo, said Africans should believe in local herbs because they were efficacious.

She said although there were some herbalists in Ghana, he came to complement their efforts, saying, “I have assorted herbs here for the treatment of various conditions.”

He expressed the hope that giving herbalists the opportunity to showcase their products at such an international fair would build confidence in their use.

“People should have trust in us because we would not do anything to harm them. The local herbs are good, let’s continue to use them,” he said.

By Emmanuel Bonney/Daily Graphic/Ghana