By Dipo Olowookere
An agreement has been reached between United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to make the former the headline partner of the 2019 Lagos International Trade Fair, which enters its 33th edition this year.
A statement from the bank stated that the deal is to allow UBA work together with LCCI to provide a veritable platform that is intended to grow both domestic and international trade. It further presents participants and visitors with opportunities to seal medium and top business deals.
As part of the partnership and in line with UBA’s unflinching support to the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the bank is giving a 20 percent discount to its small business customers who register to attend the fair slated to hold between November 1 and 10, 2019.
UBA’s Group Head, Marketing, Mrs Dupe Olusola, while commenting on the development, noted that the bank, with its extensive spread across Africa and other major economies of the world, was always on the lookout for partnership opportunities that will benefit the business environment and the economies where it operates.
Mrs Olusola noted that the bank was delighted as this year’s Lagos International Trade Fair was coming after a very successful organisation of UBAmarketplace by the bank in Abuja, where over 120 SMEs from 20 African countries exhibited their products, attracting over 50,000 footfalls.
She said, “UBA, the Pan African financial institution, has branches in 20 African countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States of America and France and has always been involved in activities that aim to strengthen business connections and networks across key economies.
“Thus, we have decided to partner with LCCI to promote this year’s fair which is in its 33rd edition because the Lagos International Trade Fair has become a genuine avenue for both domestic and international trade through business to business meetings, product launches, enlightenment opportunities for government agencies’ programmes, and international trade partnership deals across borders,” she explained.
She added that the partnership will also offer the bank the opportunities to showcase its array of products to its teeming and new customers, adding that the bank will set up stands at various points to serve its customers and attend to various concerns.
Director General of LCCI, Mr Muda Yusuf, who praised the collaboration between both institutions, noted that it is a partnership that is expected to yield great benefits, owing to the fact that the LITF hosts an average of 2,000 exhibitors annually, with over 200 foreign exhibitors from 16 countries.
He also added that arrangements have been put in place to make this year’s fair even bigger and better than the previous editions, adding that already, existing and potential exhibitors have been responding positively to register and participate at the Fair.
“We at LCCI believe that this is part of the bold initiatives of the bank with a corporate culture founded upon strong organizational values and performance-driven operating standards,” Mr Yusuf said.
He stressed that the Chamber would maintain the brand promise of the Fair, with the theme ‘Connecting businesses, Creating value’, adding that this will be sustained this year in all its marketing campaigns.
Adedapo Adesanya