By Stephen Ubanna
The United Bank for Africa, plc, UBA, a pan African global Bank , appears to have been noticed by the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry , LCCI, through its organization of its yearly Entrepreneurial trade Fair, tagged UBA marketplace Fair, which had attracted thousands of participants and hundreds of small and medium Scale Enterprises, SME, exhibitors, in the yearly event at Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The two Organisations which had established it selves in the area of organistaion of International trade fairs over the years may have agreed to partner to put their experience into practice in order to put together a’’ Fair’’ that truly would be called an International trade fair, that could compete with any of such fairs in other parts of the world., particular China and other Industrialised nations ., in Lagos, the Commercial hub of Nigeria.
As a prelude to the Fair which opens on November 1, 2019 and ends on Saturday November 10, 2019, the Chamber was said to have opened a portal , where it had announced UBA, as the Headline partner. Given the large turnout of participants and exhibitors in last year year’s edition, this year’s,fair, according to a member of the Organising Committee who spoke to The Value News would be different from the previous ones with the introduction of UBA, which has become a brand name in Africa in organizing successful entrepreneurial fairs in Nigeria in the last five years.
Note that the yearly LCCI International Trade FAIR, LITF, in the last 33 editions, hosts an average of 2,000 exhibitors annually , with over 200 foreign exhibitors both within the African continent and other parts of the world.
Muda Yusuf, Director General, LCCI, has every reason to believe that that this year’s edition of the International Trade Fair, would be different from the previous editions because of the number of exhibitors that had registered online , bookings and enquiries that are still ongoing through the UBA Prtal.
Many believe that the LCCI, may have opted to work with the UBA plc, instead of any other local financial Institution because because it has branches in 20 African countries , the United Kingdom, UK, United States, US, France and the Asian country of China, among others.
There are indications that most of the foreign exhibitors may be coming from the new economic giant, China, which is an opportunity for business deals to be struck. At present over 60 percent of Nigerian imports are made from China alone. It is not surprising why the Fair has been christened ‘ ’connecting businesses, and creating value’’.
Giving the fact that the pan African Bank has established traditional exhibitors which have made a mark in its fairs in the last five years, the Bank , according to sources is giving 20 percent discount to these SMEs and other business customers to register as a way of supporting them to participate in the LCCI fair.
Dupe Olusola, the Head of Marketing who could not hide her feelings as a result of the partnership between the LCC And UBA plc to organize the 33rd edition of the LITF, noted that the bank , with’’ its extensive spread across the African Continent and other major economies of the world is always on the’’ lookout for such partnership opportunities in the future that will benefit the business environment and the economies where it operates’’. Olused Fairs .
Olusola had stressed that the pan African bank could not hide its happiness to be the being the Headline partner in the fair. Coming from a background where the bank had been involved in organising such Fairs, described of being of international standard in all its ramifications, , she disclosed that the pan African bank had always been involved in activities that could strengthen the business connections and networks across different economies of the world.
, Giving an insider information why it accepted the LCCI invitation to become the Headline partner in this year’s fair , she opined that it is because ‘’it has become an avenue for both domestic and international trade through business to business meetings , product launches , enlightenment opportunities for government agencies, programmes and international trade partnerships deals across Borders’’.
She is optimistic that the partnership will also offer the Bank the opportunities to showcase the array of its products to its loyal Customers and potential new ones . She may have gladdened the heart officials of many Corporate Customers and other individual loyal Customers who have signified their intention to participate in the fair or Come in as visitors that may participate in the Fair that the bank will set set up stands at various points to serve the interest of its loyal Customers as well as attend to various concerns.
Already, the Bank was said to have put up all the necessary arrangements to ensure that its participation in the fair was a success. Going by the LCCI rating and why it was selected as a headline partner’’ it wasfounded o upon strong Organisational values and performance-driven standards ‘’. This may have informed why the bank do not want to be Compromised but to sustain the rating in in all its ‘’marketing Campaigns’’.
