Nigerian consumers, according to exhibitors at the current West Africa Automotive Show (WAAS) in Lagos, are a very large market for businesses looking to grow.
Drawn from Africa, Asia, America and Europe, the exhibitors came into this year’s expo with current innovations in vehicle spare parts such as lubricants, batteries among others for vehicle owners and auto engineers to adopt for smooth running of their vehicles.
Speaking with journalists during the first day of the three-day event holding at the Landmark Events Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, some of the exhibitors described the Nigerian market as very huge, stating that the country’s business environment favours the automotive business due to its population and the large appetite of vehicle owners for quality spare parts.
One exhibitor, Sanjeev Arvind Khapre, the Chief Operating Officer of Reem Batteries & Power Appliances Company, claimed to have spent 10 years as the leader of the now-defunct West Africa Batteries Limited in the capital of Oyo State, Ibadan.
“Nigeria is a big market for automobile parts, and Africa is a very big market,” he said. After West Africa Batteries closed, there is currently no battery manufacturer in Nigeria, thus we want to sell our products here in the hopes of eventually establishing a manufacturing base.
The event’s organizers, Ben Dadswell, the business development manager of BtoB Events Limited, welcomed exhibitors and other attendees to the show and explained that the West Africa Automotive Show is an annual chance for the region’s automotive industry to get together, network, create new alliances, talk about best practices, and, of course, do business.
He continued, saying: “I would like to personally thank all of our sponsors, exhibitors, and show partners for their support since the beginning of WAAS.” We sincerely hope you have a great time at the show and gain a lot of fresh perspective that will help your company succeed in the future.
