An international trade exhibition, West Africa Automotive Show (WAAS), will make a debut in Lagos in November, where it is expected to draw participants from Nigeria, the ECOWAS region and other countries.
The organisers say that an estimated 100 exhibitors are expected to converge on the Landmark Centre in Victoria Island, from November 6 to 8, 2019, to forge new business ties and showcase the latest development and products in auto spare parts and related services.
Organised by BtoB Events, which has had two successful exhibitions in Lagos over the past year, including Beauty West Africa and Food and Beverage West Africa, WAAS will provide a platform for suppliers, dealers and manufacturers to discover more about the sector.
Giving an insight into the exhibition, BtoB Events’ Managing Director, Jamie Hill, said he was looking forward to seeing the regional automotive aftermarket industry come together and interact under one roof at WAAS.
Hill disclosed that admittance would be free, hinting that more than 3,000 visitors are expected to attend the three-day event, even as he stated that about 30 per cent of the exhibitors would be from Nigeria. There will also be national pavilions for Morocco and China, smaller clusters from Thailand, Egypt, Tunisia and India, as well as participants from a few more countries.
“We have international exhibitors looking to bring high-tech equipment to Nigeria for the first time and a large number of local exhibitors are looking to expand their businesses and increase exports to surrounding countries.
“With over 60 percent of vehicles on the road being over 12 years old, there is a huge aftermarket industry. The need for high quality and affordable spare parts is, therefore, becoming increasingly important.
“There is also a real hunger to boost the local assembly of vehicles across the country with the 2013 National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP). With more assembly plants being set up, this again significantly increases the demand for spare parts. We are committed to supporting Nigeria to reach its forecast of having 70 percent of new cars sold in the country being assembled or manufactured domestically by 2050’’.
WAAS has the endorsement of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) while its founding partner is ASPAMDA (Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association).
Hill continued: “ASPAMDA represents the largest spare part market across Africa and acts as the re-export hub for sub-Saharan Africa. No other country on the continent can boast a trade hub such as ASPAMDA with over 20,000-member businesses. So Nigeria immediately positions itself as the most important for foreign exporters.”
Leonard Okoye, Secretary of the Foreign Trade and Investment Committee at ASPAMDA explained, “The association is supporting WAAS as a means of meeting other manufacturers in the competitive market. The advice for stakeholders in the auto industry is that they should continue to attend all exhibitions because learning is a continuous process.”
To support Nigerian companies at the exhibition, the WAAS organisers are drawing up a small conference seminar to throw the spotlight on local businesses. “It is great to give the local companies a platform to grow their market share, increase exports and highlight that the Nigerian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are not out of place amongst the global companies,” said Hill.