The maiden West African Industrial Trade Exhibition (WAITEX) is scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana from April 21 to 23, 2020.
WAITEX is a forum trading, business networking, learning and product sourcing designed to support companies and individuals involved in mining, light and heavy industry, automation, packaging and occupational health and safety sectors, by creating an environment where business partnerships can develop and trade exchanges can take place.
In a press release copied to Businessworldghana, over 50 exhibitors are already booked and over 80 are expected coupled with 2000 anticipated visitors.
The event is important for Ghana’s economy because it focuses on the key parts of the economic growth plans as laid out by the government. These include the manufacturing sector, mining sector and packaging sector. The manufacturing sector is one of Ghana’s key Industrial Transformation Agenda’s including the popular one district one factory (1D1F) among others and this is backed by the average annual growth exceeding 10% for the past three years in the industrial sector, it said
It explained that the packaging sector is also very important because of the challenge of poor packaging quality often making finished goods unattractive and extremely difficult to export.
With companies from around the world coming to showcase their leading technology solutions in this sector, it’s hoped it will prove a catalyst and benchmark the industry to what is possible, the release further explained.
According to the release, the mining sector has been a vital export industry for Ghana for a long time and this industry is now bouncing back after a couple of years of difficulty. This has been brought to the fore in the recent reopening of one of the country’s flagship mines of AngloGold Ashanti, with the President of Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo making the first gold pour.
With all these elements in place, the timing is right for an event to provide the networking platform for all industry stakeholders to convene annually and this is why Waitex has been launched.
“I’m delighted to be here today and we feel there’s excitement in the air for what the event can bring. I’m also very happy to be in the company of two leading local industry associations and we’re very pleased to have them on board,” the organiser, George Pearson, Regional Director for Afrocet Montgomery was cited as saying in the release.
“Given our background we are excited to partner with the Montgomery Group for what promises to be a launch pad for the industry and it’s testimony that Ghana is the go-to destination for high performing investments on the continent. We are looking forward to this being the first of many such events in Ghana,” Victoria Akosua Cobbah, Principal Investment Promotion Officer from the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre was also quoted as saying in the release.
“… We feel the opportunities in Ghana are growing and an industrial event such as Waitex is the perfect platform for this,” Dominic Oro-Antwi, President at the Ghana Indian Trade Association Chamber was further quoted as saying.
The event, in its first season seeks a massive turnout and contribution from businesses, companies, exhibitors and sponsors to take advantage of the enormous opportunities and business connections.
Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery
With a proud heritage spanning 50 years, Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery is at the forefront of its industry. It is the largest trade show organiser in Southern Africa and offers a vast portfolio of world-class shows across a broad spectrum of industries. Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery is owned by the prestigious Montgomery Group, one of the most widely respected exhibition companies in the world with trade shows, consumer shows and specialist projects in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Specialised Exhibition Montgomery is also a member of the Association of African Exhibition Organisers (AAXO).
Afrocet Montgomery
With a combined 145 years of experience, Afrocet Montgomery is a partnership that specialises in running high-end exhibitions and events in West Africa. Afrocet has always focused on events in West Africa, while Montgomery stage some of the most prestigious and award-winning exhibitions globally. The combined extensive knowledge and experience of the African market has enabled Afrocet Montgomery to develop a strong portfolio of shows and made it the largest exhibition organiser on the African Continent