By Tony Adibe
The Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) has said that the production and export of local goods still remained the key to strengthen Nigeria’s depreciating currency, the Naira in the foreign exchange market.
President of ECCIMA, Sir Odeiga Jideonwo, who said this during ECCIMA’s 1st Quarter press briefing and the 35th International Trade fair publicity launch on Wednesday in Enugu, emphasised that there was hardly any other magic or miracle that could strengthen the naira, except engaging in massive production of goods that could be exported for foreign earnings.
The theme of the Fair is “Promoting Made in Nigeria Products for Global Competitiveness,” Jideonwo said, stressing that the entry into the complex would be duty-free for all participants. “We are going to throw our gates open. Entrance into the fair is going to be total duty-free,” he reiterated.
Jideonwo said ECCIMA was concerned with the issue of deeping Nigeria’s democracy as “we are also aware that it is only with a thriving economy and free enterprise that our democracy would be well sustained” According to him, production is key to the economic emancipation of the country and the solution to the decline in the naira.
He said: “The current economic challenges in the country as result of the dwindling revenue form our mono foreign exchange earner, which is oil, calls for concerted efforts towards diversifying our nation’s economy. Hence, the need to promote made in Nigeria products in the global market to attract foreign interest, increase export of none oil products and then offset our foreign exchange deficit, cannot be over-emphasised.
Local production and promotion of our locally made goods is the most important song to be singing now, until we restore the glory/value of naira as well as our national economy.” He, however, appealed to the federal government to intervene and complete the building of permanent site of the international trade fair complex at the Golf estate, G.R.A, Enugu, which was commissioned by former Vice President Abubakar Atiku during the then President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
“We call on the federal government to come and complete the permanent site of the fair complex which they started. The federal government built the permanent site of Lagos international trade fair covering southwest; the federal government also built the Kaduna trade fair complex covering the entire northern region. We appeal to the federal government to also build the Enugu tradefair complex covering the eastern region,” he said.
On the 35th Enugu international trade fair which will commence from Friday April 5, to Monday April 15, 2024, the ECCIMA President said that despite the harsh economic challenges in the country, the fair would be a success when compared with the past four editions as the following indices and factors portrayed. “The fair has been strategically re-engineered in such a way that it will have meaningful and positive effects and outcome for all stakeholders, particularly for exhibitors and participants.
Part of the value addition and enhancement to this fair is the partnership deal we are striking the Enugu State Government to make available about 1000sqm Marquee Air-conditioned tent to provide space for participation of all SMEs in Enugu State. By this the ingenuity and new ideas in the state would be brought to bear for commercialization. This will increase the number of air-conditioned Marquee tent at the fair to two. One housing corporate and international exhibitors while this one provided by the state will house SMEs from Enugu State,” he said
He said that ECCIMA was optimistic that the Governor Peter Mbah-led administration do rehabilitation of internal roads within the trade fair complex for a more amenable atmosphere/environment for vehicular and human traffic. Jideonwo said that as part of ECCIMA’s efforts to boost the success of the fair, “we have been consolidating our marketing with visits to stakeholders both in public and private sector,” adding that security and regular electricity within the period of the event has been assured.
