Jibrin Abubakar
18 March 2008
Abuja — The 5th Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS] Trade Fair ended last Saturday with Cote d' Ivoire taking the mantle to host the next edition in Abidjan in 2010, a statement from the ECOWAS secretariat in Abuja has said.
Addressing participants at the closing ceremony in Ouagadougou, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, expressed satisfaction that the goals set for the fair had, for the most part, been achieved. "I am delighted to report that this edition of the ECOWAS Trade Fair has lived up to the established billing of being one of the most effective tools for achieving our regional economic growth and integration, said Dr. Chambas who was represented by the Commission's Vice President, Mr. Jean de Dieu Somda.
He recalled the challenge posed by obstacles to effective information dissemination, and said it must be tackled in order to facilitate true intra-Community trade, consistent with the theme of the fair which was Consolidating Intra Community Trade through Information, Communication and Technology (ICT). In this regard, he expressed delight that the trade fair succeeded in organizing different workshops, seminars, meetings and conferences which looked at different aspects of ICT in trade transactions in the global and the regional economy.
The ECOWAS boss also lauded the organization of National Days which served as strategic meeting points for business relationship building, establishment of trade contacts and conclusion of business deals. According to him, this was in addition to the enlightenment and awareness creation on the potentials of different Member States. The 5th ECOWAS Trade Fair recorded the participation of 11 out of the 15 ECOWAS Member States. Four hundred and twenty-seven stalls covering a total space of more than 2,000 square metres were allocated to some 550 exhibitors.
Over 200 economic operators comprising corporate organizations and private enterprises from both the formal and informal sectors as well as six regional organizations from across West Africa also took part in the fair, which registered benefits including a 56 million francs CFA daily turn-over, the signing of 4, 700 contracts, the confirmation of 2, 600 bids and the presence of some 40, 000 visitors each day.
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