By Kelvin Obambon
After years of hiatus, Cross River is now set to organize Trade Fair to stimulate economic activities and to attract investors to the state.
This was announced by the Commissioner for Commerce, Dr (Mrs) Abigail Duke at a press conference in Calabar on Thursday.
According to her, the Rebranded Cross River 2024 Trade Fair with the theme, “In support of Our Shared Prosperity,” is scheduled for 15 to 26 November, 2024 at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, the state capital.
Duke explained that the Fair was being organized in collaboration with the Calabar and Ikom Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, National Association of Small and Medium Enterprise (NASME) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).
She said the Governor of Cross River State had graciously approved the staging of the fair to break the silence and lull in the vital aspect of the promotion of economic activities, adding that the fair is targeted at a multi-sectoral trade promotion and networking event aimed at creating opportunities for trade, business and investment promotion in the State.
The Commissioner who doubles as the steering committee chairman, further stated that the fair would also provide markets for new products, create access to new markets, and development trends as well as build new business relationships within and outside Nigeria.
“One of the core mandates of the Ministry of Commerce is the promotion of commercial/trade policies of the state with the view to attracting investment opportunities to the State, especially now that the State is evolving a Public-Private Partnership model for her development.
“One of the avenues we can strategically advance the economic frontiers of Cross River State is through the organization of a yearly Trade Fair; and it is in this regard that, the 2024 Cross Trade Fair is being planned.
“The Theme of this year’s Fair as stated earlier “In Support of Our Shared Prosperity”, is a complementary activity to the yearly Calabar Christmas Festival to assuage the yearnings of most participants who crave for variety of activities covering leisure, business, and tourism escapades. It is envisaged however that, as soon as the Trade Fair ends, very close to the take-off of the Christmas festivities most exhibitors should see reasons to stay back for the festival.
“The central focus of the Trade Fair is to promote the industrial, commercial, agricultural, raw materials, and minerals potentials of the state to attract investment opportunities based on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. However, the traditional buying and selling of goods/services will not be left out.
“The target participants will include the 18 LGAs of the state, private companies within and outside the state, foreign embassies/consulates, and state governments within the south-south, south-east and other zones of the country,” she explained.
The Commissioner also used the opportunity to seek the support of the media and called for the total buy-in on the 2024 Cross River Trade Fair project, stating “We need to work together to showcase the best offerings of Cross River State to the rest of the world.”