By Naomi Uzor
This year’s edition of Lagos International Trade Fair will kick off-tomorrow at the trade fair complex, Badagry Expressway, Lagos. It’ll be declared open by President Goodluck Jonathan .

The Chairman, Trade Promotion Board, Alhaji Aderemi Bello, who confirmed this in a parley with pressmen on the preparatory arrangement for the fair, tagged “Promoting Business Confidence to enhance Economic Recovery”.

He said there has been overwhelming and encouraging responses from indigenous companies and that the level of interest already shown by foreign exhibitors is quite impressive, adding that over 100 companies from nine countries will be participating in this year’s fair.

“We already have firm assurances of participation from the following countries: United Kingdom, Ghana, Malaysia, Jamaica, China, Pakistan, Indonesia, European union, Taiwan Roc. Many more had made initial enquiries and we are finalizing arrangement to confirm participation” he stated.

According to him, the fair will hold in 9 exhibition halls and adjourning outdoor spaces and that they have worked in tandem with the concessionaire of the Lagos trade fair complex to carry out renovation works at the fair.

“I can say confidently that the halls will be ready for this year’s exhibition, at the moment, over 90 per cent of space in the halls have been allocated to confirmed exhibitors in ten sectors of the economy.

This year, we shall intensify and sustain our critical role as catalyst for business promotion and keep to our promise of improved and better Fair that will deliver value to all stakeholders.

Please have our assurance that we are consolidating on past gains, avoid past mistakes and introduce new innovations that will ensure that the Lagos International Trade Fair remains the “Biggest and the Best”  in the region.  ” he said.