INTRODUCTION
The African Legacy International, a strategic partner to several international trade and investment organizations successfully hosted the 2ND Emerging Business Destination Summit on 24th and 25th October 2018 at the International Conference Center, Abuja, Nigeria. The event succeeded in bringing a good number of International entrepreneurs and their indigenous business counterparts to foster a common understanding on trade and investments and equally evolve means of strengthening and expanding the frontiers of their business empire. Promote consistent interface to deepened Nigerian economic foreign relationship and diplomacy with other Nations. The Organizers, African Legacy International planned the event as one amongst several of her corporate functions to address challenges militating against the economic development of Africa and immensely contribute to the development of the country through trade facilitation and investment.
The event was declared open by the President of African Legacy International Engr. Innocent Ogu, in a lineup of VIPs and Diplomats like His Excellency, Amb. Dr. Haitham Abu Said, Secretary General, European Department for Security and Information and Middle East Commissioner for International Human Rights Commission; Dr. Mohamed Kouta, Minister of Federation of European Nobles United Italy for Arab Countries as well as an Executive Member/Deputy Director to Lebanon of the International Human Rights Commission; Dr. Joseph Vincenti, a renowned lawyer and businessman from Malta, Mrs. Chioma Ajunwa, Olympic Gold Medalist and Commissioner of the Nigerian Police Force, Mr. Raph, a successful businessman from the UK, Emeka Ike, Nollywood Legend, Chief Ezekiel Irmiya, Board Chairman, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, and many other dignitaries were present at the event.
The Expo and the business of the day commenced with goodwill messages from notable VIPs and corporate organizations supporting the lofty idea and effort of the organizers of the event to host the 2nd Emerging Business Destination Summit in Nigeria despite current security challenges which has created unfriendly business environment thereby making businesses to operate their lowest, with low returns on investment. We are of the view that this boosts the morale of indigenous entrepreneurs and enable them to maximize their business potentials in the years ahead.
Engr. Innocent welcomed stakeholders to the event and stated clearly that Africa Legacy Int’l pioneer this event, with the intent to highlight and proffer solution to the perennial issues of Africa and ensure a paradigm shift in the policy frameworks of Government to achieve a steady economic progression in wealth creation,improved industrial activities and citizens empowerment.
The event is to further open amazing doors of business opportunities in Nigeria to facilitate stronger business ties between foreign entrepreneurs and Nigerian business firms that are very desirous of reliable suppliers of high-quality products and access the needful without necessarily traveling outside their immediate business environment to Oversea countries. Ours will serve as an enabled business platform forum to meet the needs of Nigerian traders and businessmen/women in their quest to expand the frontiers of their businesses and consolidate on their business fortune. Presently, the event has the capacity to create the much-required opportunities that will open several windows of commercial ventures for foreign entrepreneurs and investors to tap into the rich natural potentials of the Nigerian business community.
He reiterated the fact that the Nigerian economy has steadily grown out of recession and achieving some levels of improvement, with the hope of glowing tributes of a well-minimized corruption level. Showing signs of great economic potentials.
He charged that this rare opportunity for Nigeria and other developing economies should be seized for their national economic growth and development. It is now left for the Nigerian business community to dissect and comparatively embrace these investment opportunities which is cost effective.
We, therefore, enjoin participants to avail themselves of the opportunity to interact, network and create business relationships with the foreign investors and entrepreneurs.
THE EXHIBITION:
The exhibition session of the event witnessed multiple display of diverse products from various industrial nations side by side with local products of various shapes and dimensions ranging from locally made seaway manual water dispenser, ginger tea, turmeric tea, Ankara attire, ceramic tiles all of export values and capable of generating foreign earnings.
The Nigerian business community flooded the venue of the event to have a glimpse of the products and services. The quality of the goods is reasonable and able to meet the demands of our projected target market share.
The event achieved the following:
Established economic relationship in trade and investment.
Addressed the perennial issues of Africa and encouraged investors to invest in Africa heritages
Create a stronger business relationship between Nigeran business community and their foreign counterparts.
The event attracted high profile attendees both from the public and private sectors.
Display of varieties of goods and services for public assessment.
Goods displayed were recent innovations from science and Technology research and development.
Dinner segment and interactive sessions for each day of the event provided fun for participants.
FUTURE PROJECTS
The president of African Legacy International stated that the Emerging Business Destination Summit is going to be a yearly event that will help in solving the many economic issues that the continent is facing. Other future projects of the organization are listed below:
Queen of African Legacy
African Legacy Football Club
African Legacy Magazine
African Legacy International calls upon her foreign collaborators and partners as well as public and private bodies to help actualize these projects for the good of the continent and the world at large.
CONCLUSION
The 2nd Emerging Business Destination Summit was successfully hosted in Abuja, Nigeria. African Legacy International, the organizers work assiduously despite challenges to ensure the event was conducted as scheduled.
The attendees to the event were overwhelmed with the various speeches from our speakers, exhibition and variety of products and adjudged the event successful and worthwhile.
The event will remain a memorial in the annals of our corporate functions, as we make a lasting impression on the minds of attendees, partners and admirers across the globe that Nigeria and indeed Africa have come of age in the pursuits of development values.
Engr. Innocent Ogu – President