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- Coscharis, Weststar , Mobil, ASPAMDA, Others to Showcase Products
Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, Managing Director,BKG Exhibitions Limited
As the final countdown begins for the 2023 edition of the annual Lagos International Motor Fair & Autoparts Africa Expo scheduled to hold from 6-9 June 2023 at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, over 100 exhibitors from Nigeria and other parts of the world are expected to participate in the auto industry event.
Managing Director, BKG Exhibitions Limited, Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, who is also the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the event, disclosed this, Tuesday, in Lagos during a media briefing on the preparations for, and expectations from, the 17th Lagos Motor Fair and 10th Autoparts Africa Expo .
He confirmed the participation of Coscharis Group; Weststar Associates, the authorised distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Nigeria; Mobil, ASPAMDA and many others at the show, saying Weststar, though not new at the event, would be exhibiting their automotive parts and other products at the expo for the first time.
“Despite obvious competition, we are not giving up as we’ll hold unto our event, ” Agwu said. “God has been faithful and we have a full house, bigger than what we used to have. About 120 companies in the automotive parts market are being expected. We are genuinely looking at not only exhibition but also investment in manufacturing of these products.”
The BKG boss maintained that emphasis is shifting from only exhibition but to also include B2B meetings to match investors with local stakeholders to encourage actual manufacturing of auto parts in the country.
“We are aiming at using such platform to foster business partnerships between them and the OEMs that will lead to them setting up plants in Nigeria to manufacture parts and accessories. The event is aimed at spurring the rapid springing up of companies that manufacture these components parts and use it to enhance the policy leading to the establishment of a virile automotive sector in the country.
“Nigeria is a big market that is being patronised from across West and Central Africa. We are therefore trying to step up manufacturing in the autoparts sector as our country is a goldmine for manufacturers,” he said.
While speaking on the challenges in Nigeria’s auto sector that are also affecting the organisation of the annual event, , Agwu confirmed that they are very daunting as he advised the Nigerian Government to come to the aid of the stakeholders.
“Organising the event has been very challenging. We are only trying to find a way to push it as a key event in the sector to draw necessary attention to the sector. Government should bail out the automobile companies operating in the country. It is a sector that affects virtually everything. It occupies prime position in the economy. If it is not done now, it will in the very near future affect a whole lot in the lives of the people and the economy. The challenges of hosting this event is becoming daunting but our drive in continuing is to ensure that the sector should not be allowed to die,” he said.
On the participation at this year’s event, Agwu said: “Some of the confirmed exhibitors are: Coscharis Motors, 11Plc., [formerly Mobil]-Gold Participant, Michelin Nigeria, Weststar Associates, Hubei Shuangju Industry & Trade Company Limited, XGM Corporation Limited, Quanzhou Mingyang Automobile Parts Co., Ltd.; Xingtai Changshuo Mechanical Parts Co., Ltd.; Tantivy Automotive Co., Ltd.; and Shijiazhuang City Kabang Valve Manufacturing Co., Ltd
“The Autoparts Expo segment of the event is doing well and we are looking at involving a lot of countries in West and Central Africa in this year’s edition. This we have kick-started by extending invites to players in the auto parts business in those countries to visit the fair. We are aiming at using the Nigerian autoparts markets as the hub of the sector’s business in Africa. The intention is to make them [players from other countries] to be buying from the Nigerian markets. In no distant future, it will become a big event spreading to other countries in the continent. Nigeria has the resources and capacity to play such a role and it will be a very big disservice to Nigeria and its people if another African country does this ahead of Nigeria.
”In conjunction with our foreign partners, we have reached out to many of such companies, and happily, the response has been tremendous and we are expecting a lot of them. Over 100 Original Components Manufacturers from China, India, South Korea, South Africa, Singapore, Turkey, Nigeria, etc. including major automobile distributing/manufacturing companies in Nigeria are showcasing at the event. Our intention in bringing them is to enable Nigerians and neighbouring West Africans engage in automobile, spare parts, accessories, and allied businesses to work out rewarding and lasting business relationships with the main companies engaged in manufacturing these products and services.
”There will be seminars/workshops going on simultaneously with the exhibition. From June 6-9, 2023 at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, the venue of the event; each of those days that the fair will last is loaded with activities and events that will make this edition remarkably rewarding to the exhibitors, visitors, and other stakeholders.”
