By Theodore Opara

MORE than 150 exhibitors from 40 countries are expected at the third edition of the West Africa Automotive Show, WAAS, slated for the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The two-day automotive parts and aftermarket trade show will be held from May 16 to 18, 2023, with more than 3,500 participants expected to grace the event.
Building on last year’s highly successful event, WAAS will include six country pavilions and will launch a new conference alongside the exhibition.

The WAAS Conference will provide visitors with even more opportunity to hear from policymakers and the industry about the automotive sector in Nigeria and West Africa, to find out what’s new, and to discuss policy and trends.

WAAS is the region’s largest showcase for hundreds of automotive brands from across the world and covers a huge diversity of products, parts, and services. It is organised by BtoB Events, which has the largest portfolio of trade exhibitions across the African continent, including the highly popular Food & Beverage West Africa and Beauty West Africa. 

Jamie Hill, Managing Director of BtoB Events, is looking forward to welcoming first-timers and the many returning exhibitors and visitors, especially with the new WAAS Conference adding to the show’s support for the automotive sector.

 “The West Africa Automotive Show has built a huge following and has already become the largest automotive aftermarket exhibition in West Africa. Visitors appreciate being among the first to see, touch, and encounter new products and technologies from across the world on site,” he says.

He added: “The WAAS Conference will add to the experience, bringing together the industry’s key leaders and government officials to discuss trends and challenges. I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Luqman Mamudu, the Director of Policy and Planning at the National Automotive Council, as conference chair.”

Mr. Mamudu, who is also the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Transtech Industrial Consulting, wants the conference programme to address a range of factors affecting the status of Nigeria’s automotive sector and that of West Africa.

He said: “I expect that the inaugural conference of WAAS and the show itself will deepen demand for new parts in Nigeria.

“Above all, the conference recommendations will inform the action of the incoming government of Nigeria in charting a new course for the automotive sector.”

WAAS is supported by its founding partner, Africa’s largest auto spare part market, the ASPMDA Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association, and is endorsed by the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).