Enugu State government has announced plans to hold a trade fair for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the state in November this year.
Gatekeepers News reports that this is part of the state government’s efforts to support micro, small, and medium enterprises in the state.
Special Adviser to the Governor on MSMEs and Digital Economy, Arinze Chilo-Offiah announced the event during a press conference on Thursday in Enugu.
Chilo-Offiah said the trade fair was being organized by Enugu State government through Enugu SME Agency and Office of Digital Economy in collaboration with Naija Brand Chic.
The Special adviser described the event as a recognised global brand that benefits small businesses by connecting them to larger markets and bringing them together into a community.
He said, “We have created a novel brand tagged ‘Enugu 042 and Naija Brand Chic Trade Fair’. This will be an annual event, beginning with the upcoming first edition on November 2nd and 3rd, 2024. Our partner has organized similar events in major Nigerian cities and other countries. Enugu SMEs will benefit immensely from connecting to the global market and becoming members of a community.”
“We are so happy that this is happening and the governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah is excited about it and is giving us all the necessary support in line with his administration’s recognition of SMES as the lifeblood of any economy, as well as his commitment to unlocking business opportunities in the state, enabling the ease of doing business and growing the economy exponentially with private sector investment.”
Also, Founder of Naija Brand Chic, Mrs. Nelly Agbogu said they expected vendors not only from Enugu and South-East, but also from different parts of the country and abroad, adding that the fair would help business owners and vendors to grow, be more visible, and meet new customers.
She said, “We want to encourage trade. We want to help business owners and vendors grow, be more visible and connect to national and global markets. We will not stop at trade; we will also train them by bringing financial and business strategy consultants. We will bring in tech experts to train them on content creation so that they can market their products more effectively.”
