8th agrofood/plastprintpack: Over 11 foreign  countries to participate in trade fair

L-R: Assistant Director, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC),  Yusuf Sanni; Team Lead, Corporate Services, Leadway Assurance, Aishat Bello-Garuba; Chief Executive Officer, Modion Communications, Odion Aleobua; Project Manager, Fairtrade Messe GmbH & Co. KG, Freyja Detjen; Commercial First Secretary & Head of Economic and Commercial Office, Embassy of The Arab Republic of Egypt, Amr Altantawy and Representative of the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ogo Adesanya, during the Stakeholders Meet-up and Press Conference for the 8th edition of agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria, on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, in Lagos

Stanley Ihedigbo

Organiser of the agrofood/plastprintpack trade fair, German trade show specialists, the Fairtrade Messe GmbH and Co.,  said  that the 8th editions would have over 11 foreign countries to participate , and more local businesses at the yearly exhibition.

The Senior  Project Manager,  of the organiser,  Ms. Freyja Detjen, at a press conference to herald the trade fair  scheduled to hold at the Landmark Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos State  from  28 to 30 March 2023, said foreign countries are increasingly announcing their readiness to be part of the fair this year, noting that  Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Korea,  Taiwan, Turkey, Tunisia and Spain have confirmed their interests to be at the fair, among others who are still making enquiries.

She explained that  global technology leaders from 11 countries showcase adapted technologies and solutions for the Nigerian and West African market in the fields of agriculture, food and beverage processing, ingredients, plastics, printing and packaging.

“One of the traditional highlights at agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria being the German Pavilion, this year 21,  German exhibitors will be present. The German Pavilion is presented by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and supported by the German Trade Fair Association AUMA and the German Engineering Federation VDMA.

She further explained that facts & figures on the Nigerian agrofood & plastprintpack market are,  €346 million, Nigeria in 2021 for the first time became the largest investor in food and packaging technology in Africa, ahead of Egypt (€341 million) and South Africa (€293 million). The  sharp increase, Nigeria’s food production has grown by 39.6% in recent years, from €26bn in 2016 to €36.3bn in 2020 and is expected to rise by 48% between 2021 and 2024, from €42.3bn to €62.6bn. (Euromonitor International)

“With €165m in 2021 (+48% compared to 2020), Nigeria is the second largest investor in plastics technology in Africa, just behind Egypt (€202m) and well ahead of South Africa (€144m). Nigeria’s plastics technology imports increased by an average of 25% annually between 2016 and 2021. At €64m in 2021, Nigeria ranks second in sub-Saharan Africa for imports of printing and paper technology, behind South Africa, but well ahead of other sub-Saharan countries.  With €151 million in 2021, Nigeria is one of the three largest investors in packaging technology in Africa, in line with South Africa with €152 million and behind Egypt with € 195 million.

“The enormous population growth from 206 million in 2022 to 411 million in 2050 demands high sustainable investments in Nigerias agrofood & plastprintpack industry,” She said.

The Senior Project Manager added that  top level 3-day conference will yet again run alongside the exhibition.

“Key topics will cover beverage production & ingredients, supply chain evaluation, finance and others. C-level speakers representing market-leading companies and institutions such as Diageo, First City Monument Bank, Access Bank, Sterling Bank, Bühler Group, Psaltry International, Simply Green, JR Africa, Niji Group, Conversations Africa, Farm Republic, will deliver educational and entertaining sessions of the highest quality, promising immediate benefits for the audience in their day-to-day business.

“As with the previous events, a 3-day Packaging Masterclass will take place parallel to the exhibition. It is organised by the African Packaging Organisation (APO), a member of the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). The target is to teach how companies can leverage food processing and packaging for retail trade through an Executive Certificate Course in Packaging Materials and Food Packaging Technology, he said.

In his remarks,  Ahmed Alex Omah, President of APO said,  ” We are delighted to partner with fairtrade to deepen participants knowledge in packaging materials and food packaging technology. During the three-day programme, experts will lead discussions on topics such as sustainable packaging innovations, the need for standardised production and processing methods, access to finance and much more.”

In their statement,  after the great cooperation for the 2021 and 2022 event, fairtrade &  the Organization for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA),  agreed to also organize the 5th West African Cold Chain Summit & Exhibition WACCSE by OTACCWA alongside agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2023.

WACCSE is the only cold chain event in West Africa, the most valuable in-depth and comprehensive B2B networking cold chain event serving the pharmaceutical, perishable farm produce, storage, and distribution industries.

The trade fair  enjoy the strong support of the following institutions, delegation of the European Union to Nigeria & ECOWAS; AHK Nigeria Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria; APO Africa Packaging Organisation; DLG German Agricultural Society; ELAN Equipment & Leasing Association of Nigeria; FMARD Federal Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action; German Consulate General Lagos; IOPN Institute of Packaging Nigeria; Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture; NABC National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control; NABG Nigeria Agribusiness Group; NAFDAC National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control; NIFST Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology; OTACCWA Organization for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa; VDMA German Engineering Federation.