Pan African Trade Fair Opens

The much talked about first Pan African Trade Fair and Investment conference has begun in a grand style at the Accra International Conference Centre. 

The Togolese Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency, Tete Jean Piere Gbikpi-Benissah, who opened the event on Monday, said the fair had created an avenue for exhibitors across the continent of Africa and beyond to showcase their rich culture, products and potentials.

He said the 1st Pan African Trade Fair and Investment Conference was the forerunner in Africa's response for appropriate networking and building of the right business partnership as key to securing unity and development.

While commending the organizers of the event, Gbikpi-Benissah said Ghana is tagged the gateway of Africa and “if she is located in West Africa, then it is the sub-region that is the true gateway.  

“This gateway is one through which we encourage and accept partnerships with investors both in Africa and the rest of the world,” he added.

He assured the exhibitors of great moments at the fair as “they would benefit from the opportunities offered at the fair.”

In an address, the Executive Director of the fair, Lydia Yahaya, noted that Africa has so much to offer the world in terms of opportunities for trade and other business interactions, adding, “Africa still holds the key to most of the issues of World Trade through its untapped resources.”

Ms. Yahaya pointed out that the organizing company of the fair, Leigo Company Limited, sees the fair and its future as the surest way to effectively join Africa with the rest of the world to send a confident message across that “Africa is ready to do business with the world.”

At the conference, Abu Fall who is the Services Manager of AGOA, spoke on the topic, “Partnering African Businesses (creating a bilateral trade agreement within African countries and discovering available opportunities).

He stated that Africa has a lot to offer to the rest of the world, indicating that “the only way to do this is through trade fair like this.”

The fair, which would be held daily at the Accra International Conference Centre, would end on November 21, 2009.

The Marketing Manager of the fair, Monica Kyere-Duodo said, “There is more space to accommodate more exhibitors, participants of the conference and most importantly, the general public.

“People from various countries are trooping the venue to get new products and contacts.”

By Felix Dela Klutse