The Oyo State Government ,south west Nigeria, says it has concluded arrangements to host an international trade fair to showcase the potentials of the people of the state.
The state government announced that it would soon inaugurate members of the State Export Promotion Council as well as the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Council.
The commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, made the disclosure while performing the sod turning/foundation laying ceremony of the office annex of the Ibadan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The flag-off of the N250million project was witnessed by former leaders of the chamber, council members and affiliate chambers of commerce, among others.
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Olaleye said the state had embarked on series of subtle initiatives to ensure businesses thrive, with particular reference to the light-up project that had improved night life across the state and the creation of the Amotekun Corps, which he said is improving security of lives and property in the state.
He stated: “We are working with the Oyo State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture to organise an international trade fair that had not held in so many years now. We are working with them on it. The whole essence is to showcase what our people here are doing because we saw that a lot of things are really going on, we want to use the trade fair as a platform to launch our people to the outside world.”
The Commissioner disclosed that preparation was in top gear, details of which would be made available in due course and that hopefully, the trade fair would hold before the end of the year.
“As you can see, the effectiveness of our Amotekun for example in terms of conducive environment for businesses to thrive, Oyo state can guarantee that. It is not by accident that Ibadan is mentioned as the second fastest growing in Africa, there must be reasons for people to be coming into the state.”
Speaking on the essence of the project, the President, Ibadan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bamidele Samson, said the new project would afford the members better opportunity to interact, interrelate and network for better result of the business groups, disclosing that the purpose of the chamber is that people who are not free to come to a business man’s home, would be freer to come to his office, shop or business centre.
“The purpose of this chamber of commerce is to invite everyone that has business, no matter how small or big the industry, to come here and get information so that they can work together, network to benefit all and sundry in Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria and nowadays, across the globe,” Samson noted.
Hauwa Abu
