The West Africa Automotive Show (WAAS), ended on Friday at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on a successful note, as it attracted visitors and stakeholders from the sub region and other parts of the world who confirmed they were satisfied with their participation.
The maiden event which commenced November 6 had a wide range of exhibitors from the automotive maintenance and repair sector. The line-up included car parts manufacturers, assemblers, and distributors, as well as commercial garages, retailers, mechanics, fleet operators and logistics companies from Nigeria and abroad.
Commenting on the exhibition, Jamie Hill, Managing Director of BtoB Events, organisers of the event, said it was put together in Nigeria because they actually believed in the Nigerian market and the opportunity it presents.
Describing Nigeria as a market that needs to be represented by a platform such as an exhibition, Hill said, “It is an opportunity to bring the stakeholders under one roof to interface and move their businesses forward”.
According to Hill, the exhibition is in line with the Federal Government’s plans to make sure that a large percentage of cars on the Nigerian roads are made in Nigeria.
On what they intend to achieve with the exhibition, Hill said “It is a perfect opportunity and it represents the local automotive industry. We want to create global recognition to the Nigerian auto parts sector be they spare parts or auto assembly because we hope a lot more manufacturers are coming up in Nigeria”.
Disclosing that WAAS’s marketing strategy is to target ECOWAS countries first, Hill however, observed that Nigeria is the powerhouse of the exhibition project.
He said the government is very proactive in their plans to increase the number of cars on Nigerian roads to be made in Nigeria, adding that WAAS would align with the plans of the government and the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) so that they can work together.
Describing the Nigerian market, Hill said “There is a significant value for the auto parts market in Nigeria. There is a lot of value placed in this market from the rest of the world”.