PARTICIPANTS from over 20 countries at the just ended second edition of the West Africa Automotive Show (WAAS), held at the Landmark Event Centre, between May 17 and 19, lauded the automotive show, which they said afforded them the rare opportunity to access the biggest economy in the West Africa region of Africa.
The exhibitors, who came from India, United Kingdom, Ireland, Thailand, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the UAE, Poland, the United State of America, Turkey among others, expressed enthusiasm to return for the next edition.
Automotive parts at the three-day show were displayed by exhibiting firms like GT Exhausts, Zamel, DPH South Africa, Reem Batteries and Power Appliances Co., Hunter Engineering Company, ADD USA, Samer Al Gaddah International general trading, Indonesia Trade promotion centre, as well as local firm, Racfey Investment Limited.
Other firms at the show are Lubrex, R&G Automotive, AXCL Gulf FZC, Auto Truck, ATQ, ASPAMDA, EBN, Garage Mobility, ITPC Lagos, Jiji Nigeria, Transport Day, Moto Ngen, Oceanic Sg, Mecho Auto Tech among others.
One of the exhibitors, a Business Developer of Poland-based Zamel, Mateusz Koprianiuk, which specialises in autogas, Mateusz Koprianiuk, said his company provides complete solutions for autogas installers and distributors.
According to him, Zamel has the technical know-how to deliver a complete kit for autogas and also make spare parts available.
Koprianiuk noted that Nigeria has a rich deposit of natural gas, which makes the market very lucrative for foreign investors, adding that the company is open to Nigerians, who are ready to take up distributorship of its services and products.
International Hunter Engineering Company Regional Manager, Ranjeet Kumar Mahato, representing a USA-based global leader in automotive service equipment, said that the Nigerian economy is attractive to outsiders because of the population and the potential therein.
He said that the company, which is currently in over 105 nations, offers state-of-the-art wheel alignment systems, wheel balancers, changers, inspection lane equipment, and lift racks with excellent after-sales support.
He added that the company would love to see many Nigerians becoming its distributors, which will aid the influx of products in the country.
Speaking on the show, the Managing Director, BtoB Events, Jamie Hill, said the second edition of the automotive show, is the first edition in post-COVID-19 pandemic era.
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“Our last edition was back in 2019 and the focus of this exhibition is to bring new technologies from the automotive sector from around Nigeria and across the world together with local partners, assembly plants, and anybody within the automotive industry here to improve the safety and efficiency of the vehicles on Nigerian roads. And with that this obviously improves safety for the nation.
“We are very proud to welcome over 70 exhibitors from over five different continents. You will see we have exhibitors here from Asia, Europe, America, Africa and the Middle East and they are all here because they have a vested interest in the Nigerian market.
“They see a huge business opportunity, a huge opportunity for growth and they have invested a lot of time and money to come here and set their business up here in Nigeria,” he said.
He added: “This edition would always be difficult because we are dealing with many different problems. As you all know the world had COVID-19 pandemic to contend with and as you know a lot of the automotive parts for the industry here are Chinese based.” “WAAS is an event dedicated to the West African automotive industry. It will showcase the range of vehicle parts and accessories needed to keep cars, trucks, buses, motorbikes and commercial vehicles on Nigeria and West Africa’s roads. The event will bring together suppliers, dealers, and manufacturers with all those involved in automotive maintenance, repair and vehicle enhancement.”
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