The Lagos State Government has begun the first Indigenous Leather Business to Business (B2B) Summit and Expo, a three-day event that aims to reposition the leather industry by emphasizing value creation as a method of raising awareness and attracting and keeping customers.
Speaking at the Expo on Monday at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium in Alausa-Ikeja with the theme “Repositioning the Nigeria Leather Industry for Global Competitiveness,” the Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, and Cooperatives, Dr. (Mrs.) Lola Akande, made this announcement.
The Commissioner stated that the theme of the event, which was organized in collaboration with the Lagos State Shoe Makers Association and the National Steering Committee on Implementation of Leather Policy, was cogent and pertinent. She was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Adetutu Oluremi Ososanya.
According to the T.H.E.M.E.S Development Agenda, which aims to transform and position the State for the 21st century economy, this thoughtful theme is directly relevant to the administration of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.
“As a responsive and responsible government, this administration has offered assistance in the form of market access, financing, and the building of a Leather Hub to entrepreneurs in this industry and business owners in other industries to lessen obstacles impeding market access and production,” she continued.
Further, Akande argued that the completion of the Leather Hub would result in the improvement of products for participants in the leather value chain as well as the creation of direct and indirect jobs for numerous young people.
Let me reassure you that the Lagos State Government will continue to be a partner in progress and will always support an environment that is favorable for businesses to flourish in the industry in particular and the State in general, she said.
Akande applauded NILEST’s and other stakeholders’ efforts in putting together the admirable initiative that will assist business owners in the sector in realizing the full economic potential of the leather sector.
The Commissioner said, “This will result in more employment opportunities, an increase in the State’s IGR, and wealth creation for stakeholders.”
A workshop of this kind provides an opportunity for industry players to interact, cross-fertilize ideas, and exchange information that will contribute to the growth of the sector, according to Prof. Muhammad K. Yakubu, Director-General of NILEST and Chairman of the National Steering Committee on the Implementation of Leather Policy, who also spoke at the event.
The National Leather and Leather Products Policy Implementation Plan shouldn’t be one of those things that gets placed on the back burner to accumulate dust, he declared. In order to hasten the implementation of the policy, I thus implore you to pay close attention to this Leather Business to Business Summit and Expo.
The summit’s main topics will be collaboration, key infrastructures, and inventive research and development in Nigeria’s leather sector. The standardization, promotion, and purchase of Nigerian leather goods will also be a major focus of the summit, as will the industry’s sustainable finance model and other pertinent topics, the speaker continued.
The Lagos State Government was praised for its ardent support of the leather industry by a representative of the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mrs. Stella Igwilo, who asserted that the event may propel the sector to new heights.
She added that Nigeria has high-quality leather products that, with proper processing and improved finishing, can compete favorably with those made elsewhere.
The expo and business summit, according to Mr. Yesiru Bello, president of the Lagos State Shoemakers Association, would raise members’ awareness of potential investors and export opportunities for leather goods and accessories, including vehicle and home upholstery, in Lagos State. He urged people to “avoid dollars and spend naira to raise the state’s IGR and the income of our members.”
On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, the Expo and Business Summit will come to a conclusion.