Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) says the Halal trade exhibition scheduled to hold on the 14th to 16th of September, 2021 in Abuja would boost Nigeria’s export market to the Middle East.
In a the statement, the organisers asked Nigerian exporters to take advantage of the opportunity to export quality products to the Middle East while also building new businesses.
The president, ACCI, Dr. Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, at a virtual press conference to announce the expo, said the exhibition will attract over $150 billion investment into the Nigerian economy.
According to him, the investment would target Nigeria’s cosmetic, pharmaceutical and tourism sectors, adding that the expo would also serve as a launch pad to attract new businesses for Nigeria and Africa at large.
In his words; “Globally, the Halal business is worth over $4 trillion, with Nigeria currently doing about $50 billion worth of trade in the Halal industry. The Halal business also covers all assets of commerce, banking, production where Nigerian companies can take advantage of to forge new businesses.”
Dr. Abubakar said ACCI has been working on the expo for the past four months as plans make the expo a success.
“We are already in touch with so many organisations in Taiwan, Malaysia, Jordan Morrocco and Algeria. Going forward, we are going to be having this expo on a yearly basis and would be championed as part of our activities,” he added.
The event which is jointly organised by the Abuja Trade Centre (ATC) has also attracted interest from different countries in Africa and the Middle East.
For his part, the Executive Director, Abuja Trade Centre (ATC), Jude Chime, who called on Nigerian businesses to leverage on the opportunities the platform provides, said the $50 billion trade by Nigerian companies are majorly in the beverage and food industry.
“We will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand the frontiers of trade in the Halal industry. We are targeting the tourism, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry. The MoU would go a long way in increasing the level of acceptability of Nigerian products as the country is going to benefit a lot investment wise,” he noted.
Chime said the expo would also give Nigerian exporters the opportunity to break into the Middle East markets through the Halal certification.
The first Deputy President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dele Oye, said the Halal expo is about promoting trade and investments taking cognisance of religion to reach a wider market.
He urged members of the business community to take advantage of the opportunity while also restating NACCIMA’s commitment to supporting the expo.
The current Chairman, Halal Certification Authority, Dr. Ibrahim Oreagba, said Halal fair is about promoting products that are permissible and wholesome for food safety and quality.
“We are excited about this fair because it will be promoting Halal certified products and it is important we understand the concept of Halal which means permissible. It simply means you are participating in Allah’s activities of eating what is clean to promote good health,” he said.
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