More than 150 exhibitors are set to participate in the Food and Beverage West Africa exhibition

Local food and beverage industry businesses will have an important opportunity to meet international F&B companies at a new exhibition in Lagos.

More than 150 exhibitors are participating in the Food and Beverage West Africa (FAB) show which opens its doors from June 18th to 20th at the Landmark Centre on Victoria Island. Over a third of exhibitors are from Nigeria however, more than 20 countries will be represented, with Benin, Morocco, South Africa and Kenya among the participating African countries.

Dedicated country pavilions will be found for exhibitors from Egypt, Denmark, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. In addition, exhibitors are expected from the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and the UAE), Europe (Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and the UK) and New Zealand, China, and the Phil

ippines.

The show organiser, BtoB Events, is keen to promote the role of local small and medium sized enterprises in the food and beverage industry, Keen to emphasise this, they have organised a dedicated zone at the hub of the FAB exhibition specifically for Nigeria’s SMEs. BtoB Events Managing Director Jamie Hill explains: “We regard Food & Beverage West Africa as the premier exhibition dedicated to West Africa’s food and beverage industry. The exhibition will bring a host of guests and exhibitors from around the world together under one roof, to celebrate and explore future opportunities within the F&B industry. Guests can discuss opportunities face to face and start to build those all-important business relationships for future success.”

The exhibition will host a specific SME Zone, enabling local SMEs to benefit from this annual platform and showcase what they have to offer alongside the local and international power houses across the sector. “By offering local SME’s the opportunity to participate we hope to facilitate their growth in the market and work towards the long-term goal of increasing local production and exports from Nigeria across the region,” explains Mr Hill. BtoB Events hopes the show will encourage greater recognition about the growing independence of the market with the show creating new business opportunities to support businesses and ultimately help reduce imports.
“Whilst Nigeria is currently doing a great job in reducing its dependence on food importation, Food & Beverage West Africa will provide a unique opportunity for local producers to source the latest technology across the food production sector from ingredients to machinery,” says Mr Hill. “Many international companies are looking to move into the market for the first time to initially find partners, and then in the longer term look at establishing a manufacturing presence in the near future. We want FA to provide that platform so that food and drink businesses in Nigeria and West Africa can benefit from the exchange of ideas and trade.”

Just Food, the region’s leading provider of quality, global food equipment brands, is a Gold Sponsor of FAB. JustFood’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tunde Ogunrinde, explains why his company is participating: “We have business in Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast & Senegal and will be in 16 West Africa countries within next 5 years; FAB allows us to gauge/propel market entry location by attendance levels from international markets somewhat.”

Another of the show’s partners is AgroNigeria, “a crucial stakeholder in the agricultural sector.” Its Executive Director, Mrs Idongesit Mbaram, comments: “AgroNigeria is supporting FAB because the event seeks to promote and project local and international brands. The ultimate objective here is to stimulate and sustain an economic revitalization in Nigeria leveraging the agricultural sector.The world is now a global village where companies and corporations compete and improve on themselves. With an international presence at FAB West Africa, local businesses will feel the importance of the event and also have the opportunity to examine innovations being made at international levels. Most importantly, connecting with key global trends is vital.”
Asked why international visitors should invest in West Africa and Nigeria, Mrs Mbaram says: “To quote the President of the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Rajiv Raj Shah, ‘African agriculture is at a defining moment.’ It has been highlighted by so many other scholars and international stakeholders that Nigeria is at the middle of it all, not only because of the availability of the market but also the availability of the resources and the willingness of its people to do business. This is more than enough reason for any investor to be bullish about Nigeria.”

The online community FoodPreneurs Hub is another of the show’s partners. Its spokeswoman Olushola Oladejo says they are participating because: “FAB West Africa is giving food entrepreneurs like us, a great opportunity to showcase our businesses to the world at the same time partner with international businesses.
“International representation is important and of great value because It means we can partner and connect with international markets and grow our businesses across the shores of this country.”

While the show is fast approaching capacity, BtoB Events is still inviting applications from exhibitors who can find out more about the show on the FAB website, https://www.fab-westafrica.com/or contact Mr Hill on Jamie.Hill@btob-events.com.

Anyone connected with the food and beverage industry, be that retailers, restaurateurs, bar owners, distributors, import/export businesses or regulatory can attend the show free of charge. Due to the anticipated level of interest, the show organisers are encouraging visitors to pre-register online for free at https://www.fab-westafrica.com/pre-registertoday-online/

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