The General Secretary of the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana, Mr. Samuel Aggrey, has called on heads of African countries to strengthen policies that will make the continent a producing one in the wake of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Aggrey said this at the Food & Beverage West Africa trade show which was held in Lagos.
He stressed the need for leaders of African countries to harmonize the resources available within the continent within a view to producing things that are needed within the continent.
He said, “In Africa, there is nothing you can’t get but it behoves on the leadership of African countries to come together to ensure that we harmonize what we have within the continent, get more machinery to come in because we lack machinery. If it comes to raw material, we have them all and if we are able to set up the machines, factories and feed the factories with these raw materials to process what we have in Africa here, we are good to go because with what is happening in Russia and Ukraine, we will have limited supply coming from the other side of the world in the near future,” he said.
Daily Trust reports that no fewer than 200 exhibitors from over 40 countries participated in the Food and Beverage West Africa trade show as consumers were also seen transacting businesses, buying and having free tastes of a variety of food and beverage products.
Explaining the reason behind hosting the event for the fourth edition in Nigeria, the Managing Director, B to B Events Ltd. Mr. Jamie Hill, said the trade show was geared towards supporting and growing local businesses in Nigeria.
“We have over 200 exhibitors across 40 to 50 countries spanning the world and five continents. We are doing everything we can to support local businesses that was why we created an SME zone for SMEs to flex their muscles with big players across the world and hopefully, grow and begin to export their goods to further boost the nation’s economy as we move away from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
According to Hill, the exhibition offers the opportunities for consumers to make choices in their demand for products, owing to the rise in prices of food items.
“This is a fantastic opportunity, we all know that there is fuel scarcity, the price of food is rising, what better opportunity for people to come and see new supply chain, new products.” He said.
A Nigerian businessman, Chief Victor Nwawuzie, applauded the organizer for availing local manufacturers the opportunity to transact business with foreign manufacturers, saying the impact on the country’s economy cannot be underestimated.
“It is indeed a wonderful opportunity for traders to meet many manufacturers one on one, discuss more about their products, which we sell here in the Nigeria market,” he said while he called on the Nigerian government to offer support to local producers; as he lamented that the cost of production in Nigeria is on the high side.
He emphasized that if the cost of production is lower, the product will also be cheaper. (DailyTrust)
