The Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, Hon. (Mrs) Abigail Duke Orok, has disclosed that the rebranded Cross River Trade Fair will be held in November this year.
Dr Orok, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee, disclosed this on Thursday at a press conference held at the NUJ press centre in Calabar.
According to her, the Cross River Trade Fair is scheduled to be held on 15th – 26th November, at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar.
Below is the full press statement by the Commerce Commissioner on the rebranded Cross River Trade Fair:
PROTOCOL
1. Good afternoon, Gentlemen of the Press. It is with great delight that I extend the warmest regards from His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, the Executive Governor of Cross River State on this auspicious occasion of the official flag-off of a series of media engagements as a prelude to the hosting of the rebranded Cross River Trade Fair which is scheduled for 15th to 26th November 2024 at the U.J. Esuene Sports Stadium, Calabar.
2. His Excellency the Governor of Cross River State has graciously approved the staging of the fair to break the silence and lull in this vital aspect of the promotion of economic activities in the state
3. This Press Conference is therefore deliberately focused on highlighting the activities of the Cross River 2024 Trade Fair with the theme “In support of Our Shared Prosperity”. The Fair is targeted as a multi-sectoral trade promotion and networking event aimed at creating opportunities for trade, business and investment promotion in the State.
4. Again, the fair will also provide markets for new products, create access to new markets, and development trends as well as build new business relationships within and outside Nigeria
5. One of the core mandates of the Ministry of Commerce is the promotion of Commercial/Trade policies of the state with the view to attracting investment opportunities to the State, especially now that the State is evolving a Public-Private partnership model for her development.
6. One of the avenues we can strategically advance the economic frontiers of Cross River State is through the organisation of a yearly Trade Fair, and it is in this regard that, the 2024 Cross Trade Fair is being planned.
7. The Theme of this year’s Fair, as stated earlier, “In Support of Our Shared Prosperity”, is a complementary activity to the yearly Calabar Christmas Festival to assuage the yearnings of most participants who crave a variety of activities covering Leisure, Business, and Tourism Escapades. It is envisaged however that, as soon as the Trade Fair ends, very close to the take-off, of the Christmas Festivities most exhibitors should see reasons to stay back for the festival
8. The focus of the Trade Fair
The central focus of the Trade Fair is to promote the industrial, commercial, agricultural, raw materials, and minerals potentials of the state to attract investment opportunities based on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. However, the traditional buying and selling of goods/services will not be left out.
9. Target Participants
The target participants will include the IBL.G. Ax of the State, Private Companies within and outside the State, Foreign embassies/consulates, and state Governments within the South-South, South-East and other Zones of the Country.
10. Collaboration
The Trade Fair is being organised in collaboration with the Calabar and Ikom Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, National Association of Small and Medium Enterprise (NASME), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria etc, who are expected and are willing to attract a large and quality participation from their members.
11. Inauguration of the Central Planning Committee
The Central Planning Committee (CPC) was inaugurated on the 22 of August, 2024; with membership drawn from the Government Bureaucracy, Organised Private Sector, and Technocrats with cognate experience in the organisation of Trade Fairs. The CPC has commenced activities, one of which was the meeting with His Excellency the People’s Deputy Governor, Right Honourable Peter Odey, in his office yesterday, 10th September 2024, to keep him abreast of the level of preparation for the fair.
12 The following sub-committees have been set up with their Terms of References (TOR) to assist in the planning and implementation of the Trade Fair. The Committees include:
i. Contact and Mobilisation Committee
ii. Venue Committee
iii. Media/Publicity Committee
iv. Exhibition Committee
v. Security Committee
vi. Entertainment Committee and
vii. The Secretariat
The work of the various committees is progressing steadily.
13. Marketing of the Fair
The marketing programme of the fair has been drawn up and we expect it to be on air after the press conference.
14. Role of the Media/Press
My dear Friends in the pen profession, my mission here today is to seek your support and total buy-in on the 2024 Cross River Trade Fair project. We in the Main Organising Committee cannot do it alone. We need to work together to showcase the best offerings of Cross River State to the rest of the world.
I sincerely thank you all for coming.
Frank Ulom, Converseer
