West Africa Automotive Show records massive turnout at Nigeria’s maiden edition 

West Africa Automotive Show (WAAS), a new international trade exhibition which is ongoing at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, has pulled a large audience, attracting stakeholders from the regional and global automotive sector under one roof.

The maiden event which commenced since 6th and will end on the 8th November had a wide range of exhibitors from the automotive maintenance and repair sector. Car parts manufacturers, assemblers, and distributors, commercial garages, retailers, mechanics, fleet operators, and logistics companies of Nigeria and across the world besieged the event from the first day of the exhibition.

In the first day, about 100 exhibitors from Nigeria and from around the world had relocated to Lagos, venue of the exhibition, to forge new business ties and show off the latest developments and products in the spare parts and services sector.

It was also a fertile ground for Suppliers, dealers and manufacturers to discuss best practice for the industry and find out more about the developing local motor manufacturing industry.

Speaking at the event, Jamie Hill, managing director of BtoB Events, organisers of the event said that the event was put together in Nigeria because they actually believed in the Nigerian market and the opportunity it presents.

Describing Nigeria as a market that needs to be represented by a platform such as an exhibition, Hill said “It is an opportunity to bring the stakeholders under one roof to interface and move their businesses forward”.

According to Hill, the exhibition is in line with the federal government’s plans to make sure that a large percentage of cars on the Nigerian roads are made in Nigeria.

On what they intend to achieve with the exhibition, Hill said “It is a perfect opportunity and it represents the local automotive industry. We want to create global recognition to the Nigerian auto parts sector be they spare parts or  auto assembly because we hope a lot more manufacturers are coming up in Nigeria”.

Emphasising that WAAS marketing strategy is to target ECOWAS countries first, Hill however, observed that Nigeria is the powerhouse for the exhibition project.

He said the government is very proactive in their plans to increase the number of cars on Nigerian roads to be made in Nigeria, adding that WAAS will align themselves with the plans of the government and the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) so that they can work together.

Describing the Nigerian market, Hill said “There is a significant value for the auto parts market in Nigeria. There is a lot of value placed in this market from the rest of the world”

WAAS is organised by BtoB Events, which has already had two successful show launches in Lagos over the past year, Beauty West Africa and Food and Beverage West Africa. It also has the official endorsement of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).

Sponsors and partners of the 2019 WAAS include: Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPMDA), AMDIE (Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency), Jet Systems, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), New Auto Spare Parts Dealers Association, Nkpor, Abuja Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association (AMSPDA), New Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association, Yangobra Kano, RACDAN, ConnectNigeria.com and Automotive-Technology.com.

Others are: NATA News Automotive Care Platform, Finelib.com, Plant & Equipment and Transport Day Newspaper.