By STANLEY NWANOSIKE

Companies from Rwanda, China and many others across the states are currently participating in the ongoing 35th Enugu International Trade Fair.

Chief Odeiga Jideonwo, President of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mining and Agriculture (ECCIMA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Enugu that the number of participants/exhibitors kept increasing.

The fair, which began on Friday, is themed: “Promoting made in Nigeria products for global competitiveness.”

Jideonwo said that due to the influx of more companies and corporate entities coming to showcase their goods, services and ideas, “it is difficult to give the total number of participating companies/corporate entities at the fair”.

He said that the event had offered great opportunities for industrialists, investors, buyers and sellers within and outside the country to interact, exchange business ideas, and share experiences for investment promotion and general economic growth.

According to him, ECCIMA is determined to sustain the effort and continue to improve the standards of made-in-Nigeria products, to give them the needed visibility.

On the theme of the fair, Jideonwo said that it was time for the public and private sectors to meaningfully engage each other in removing bureaucratic bottlenecks and over regulations by government agencies.

He said such would support growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

He noted that no economy could grow when its SMEs were not performing, adding that growth of SMEs had positive relation with GDP growth.

The president said that every emphasis in Nigeria should be on creating very supportive environment for SMEs which remained the bedrock of Nigerian economic growth.

“We are calling on the Federal Government and its agencies created to support the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to closely work together with the Organised Private Sector.

“This will help to fill the gap relating to provision of collaterals and other related issues hindering the accessibility of credit by this sector, to unleash the development of this critical sector of the economy,” he said. (NAN)

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