Press Release
10 March 2014
fairtrade launch agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria - premiere on 28-30 April 2015 in Lagos
(Heidelberg/ Lagos) Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world (179 million inhabitants). Nigeria also stands for an abundance of natural resources such as oil, gas and agricultural land and an attractive and fast growing consumer market. The Nigerian agrofood, plastics and packaging industry attracts massive private and public investment. Against this backdrop the German trade fair specialists fairtrade launch agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria. The 1st International Trade Show on Agriculture, Food, Food Processing & Packaging Technology and Plastics & Printing Technology is scheduled for 28 to 30 April 2015 at the brand-new Landmark Convention Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
The German trade show specialists fairtrade launch agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria at the brand-new Landmark Convention Centre in Lagos on 28-30 April 2015. The Heidelberg based organisers have a wealth of experience in the agrofood and the plast print pack sector as fairtrade also organise iran agrofood in Tehran since 1994 (766 exhibitors and 32,200 visitors in 2013), plast alger (150 exhibitors from 23 countries and 2,500 visitors) and have just recently held agrofood & plastprintpack West Africa in Accra, Ghana last December featuring 81 exhibitors and 1,326 visitors.
“The idea to launch a professional platform especially for the Nigerian business community was brought up by the exhibitors and the organisers of national pavilions at our agrofood & plastprintpack West Africa 2013 in Accra last December”, says Martin März, fairtrade’s CEO. “Then we presented the project at a meeting with the economic counsellors of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden in Lagos this February and received an all-around positive feed-back. Therefore we are excited to create this new major platform for our long-term customers.”
As Austria is already committed to participate with a group of companies, the Commercial Counsellor with the Austrian Embassy in Lagos, Ms Nella Hengstler, points out: “Nigeria will be the next global manufacturing hub. The sheer size of Nigeria’s market combined with its large and young work force will attract massive investments in the manufacturing industry. Machines and production materials will continue to be imported, though. I therefore welcome and support agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015 as it is important for European suppliers to be on ground early before the real run on Nigeria starts”.
The partners of fairtrade in Nigeria are AHK Nigeria-the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria and the Nigerian-German Business Association–NGBA. André Rönne, delegate of AHK and general manager of NGBA points out: “Increasing prosperity and the rapidly increasing population numbers are the consumer-promoting factors in Nigeria, which is also reflected by investments into the construction of shopping malls and the food processing, food packaging and the plastics industry. The agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria comes at exactly the right time, and we look forward to a constructive and successful cooperation with the fairtrade team. "
According to VDMA-The German Engineering Association, Nigerian imports between 2010 and 2012 of food processing and packaging technology have increased from 198 million Euros to 275 million Euros, an increase of 39 per cent.
In the same time Nigerian imports of plastics machinery went up from 52 million Euros to 83 million Euros, a plus of 59 per cent. Imports of finished food products rose by 11 per cent from 3.7 billion US dollars in 2009 to 4.1 billion US dollars in 2010.
Experts frequently describe Nigeria as the economic powerhouse in West Africa. Being the 2nd largest economy in Africa Nigeria is expected to overtake South Africa in the near future and to become one of the world's Top 20 economies by 2050. The country ranks 13 on the list of the largest oil producing countries, well ahead of Norway, Algeria, Angola, Kazakhstan and Qatar.
“We will make the stay in Lagos comfortable for our exhibitors as we organize a shuttle-service from the airport to the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, and from there on a daily basis to and from the Landmark Convention Centre”, says Dominik Rzepka, head of PR with fairtrade.
The brand-new Landmark Convention Centre is strategically positioned on the grounds of Landmark Village, a spectacular beach front location extending over 9.4 acres on Victoria Island, the heart of the vibrant and lively Lagos business district. Lying in close proximity to the British International School, Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Oriental Hotel, The Palms Shopping Mall, Exxon Mobil HQ and Diamond Bank HQ, this location makes it easily accessible from anywhere in the city. The Landmark Village develops over 300 meters of beachfront overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and accommodating also the Hard Rock Café and the Shiro Japanese Restaurant.
The Landmark Convention Centre provides modern and flexible exhibiting and conferencing solutions with a ceiling height of 14m, power connections provided at every 6m throughout the hall through underground electrical cabling network, five spacious meeting rooms and two larger conference rooms of varying sizes from 8 to 150 attendees and catering operated by Silver Plates, a top-notch international F&B chain.
Pictures in high resolution can be requested by email.
About fairtrade:
Ever since its foundation in 1991, fairtrade ranks among the leading organisers of professional international trade fairs in the emerging markets of North and West Africa, Middle East and Western Europe. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, fairtrade’s management system is ISO 9001:2008 certified. Being a member of UFI The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, fairtrade organises events according to the UFI quality norms.
Contact for press and media:fairtrade GmbH & Co. KG
Dominik Rzepka
Public Relations
Kurfürsten-Anlage 36
D-69115 Heidelberg
Tel +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 22
Fax +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 25
/ Contact for exhibitors:
fairtrade GmbH & Co. KG
Leonie Ganser
Project Management
Kurfürsten-Anlage 36
D-69115 Heidelberg
Tel.: +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 14
Fax: +49 / 62 21 / 45 65 25