Foreign companies from across West Africa have indicated interest in participating at this year’s Gateway International Trade Fair billed to take place between April 19 and April 29.
Also, stakeholders in the food, beverages, health, agriculture and other manufacturing sectors, banks, as well as players in small and medium scales businesses have also indicated their interest in booking pavilions and spaces at the Trade Fair Complex.
According to the organisers, companies like Leadway Assurance, Lafarge, International Breweries, Apples and Pears, Rite foods, Industrial Platform, Remo (Arise), GB foods, Bank of Industry (BOI), Gateway Mortgage Bank, Providus Bank, First Bank, Sterling Bank, Lotus Bank and several regulatory agencies, such as NAFDAC are expected at the exhibition.
The theme for this year’s event is “Achieving Economic Prosperity Through Business Connection, Trade and Investment.”
The Ogun State Government had assured of adequate security of lives and property during the event, while other logistics have been put in place to make the trade fair a world-class event.
President of the Ogun State Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA), Engr. Mike Akingbade, while speaking on preparations so far, said his organisation has been working in tandem with the state government to ensure a hitch-free exercise.
He promised that the new innovations being introduced this year are geared towards ensuring that more participants attend the showpiece.
Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Industry, Oluyemisi Somorin-Dawodu, had earlier said that this year’s trade fair would be more than just the exhibition of products, adding that other economic and trade-related activities have been lined up to make the experience more worthwhile for participants.
According to her, new innovations such as a raffle draw with the grand prize of a two-bedroom bungalow and an entertainment village are expected to add glamour to the event.

Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun has won the 2023 Governor of the Year Award by the Sun Newspapers and 2023 Silverbird Man of the Year Award

The Awards were communicated in separate letters to the governor by the two media establishments.

The Sun, in a letter signed by its Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief, Onuoha Ukeh, dated November 20, said the award was in recognition of Governor Abiodun’s strides in Ogun State, turning the state into an industrial giant, while also improving its revenue base.

The letter said: “The management and staff of The Sun Publishing Limited, publishers of Daily Sun, Saturday Sun, Sunday Sun and Sporting Sun, brings you warm greetings. We felicitate with you on your achievements in office.

“We write to notify that the Board of Editors of The Sun Publishing Limited, after a rigorous selection process, has picked you as the winner of The Sun Governor of the Year Award 2023.

“The Award will be formally presented to you at an elaborate ceremony on February 17, 2024 at the Sun Awards in Lagos.

Prince Abiodun emerged 2023 Silverbird Man of the Year Award from four nominees after a rigorous voting process.

The management of Silverbird Group, in a statement, dated December 11, signed Jacob Akinyemi-Johnson, Chief Creative Officer/Chairman Editorial Board said Governor Abiodun, since his assumption of office has contributed immensely to the advancement of the Nigerian society through his many laudable projects, hence his nomination.

“We feel deeply honoured to write and felicitate with you for being nominated by the Editorial Board of the Silverbird Group owners of Silverbird Television and the Rhythm FM Network as one of the four distinguished individuals for the prestigious ‘2023 SILVERBIRD MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD’

“You were nominated because of the immense contributions you have made towards the advancement of the Nigerian society through laudable projects and schemes that you have embarked on and have subsequently impacted positively on the lives of Nigerians.

“Your exemplary disposition has also not gone unnoticed.The winner will be chosen by Nigerians who will vote by sms, WhatsApp, and online”. It further stated. The Silverbird Television Award has been fixed for Sunday, Match 4, 2024.

It would be recalled that Prince Abiodun won the Forbes Best of Africa award in industrial revolution in 2023. He won the LEADERSHIP Governor of the Year Award 2022.

The governor was also conferred with the Vanguard’s Governor of the Year Award 2021, along with four others as well as Daily Independent Newspapers’ Governor of the Year, also in 2021. He won the Governor of the Year Award at the Nigerian Agricultural Awards 2020. He has also been honoured by the Federal Government with the Industrial Revolution Award, amongst others.

…holds business roundtable in Agbara, Ogun State

The Federal Government has assured investors in the country of the determination of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to ensure adequate power supply across the country especially in industrial clusters.

Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, gave the assurance during the Agbara Business Roundtable held in Agbara, Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State on Thursday, saying the country holds tremendous opportunities for not only investors but also the people.

The event was to launch an initiative to ensure dedicated power supply to industrial clusters across the country, starting with Agbara Industrial Estate.

Shettima said that it is embarrassing that the Agbara Cluster relies on other sources of power supply aside from the national grid, adding that the Federal Government through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) is committed to ensuring that clusters like Agbara benefit from a cheaper means of generating power in their various factories.

The Vice President, who is the Chairman of, Board of Directors, of NDPHC promised that the Agbara Industrial Estate will have a steady power supply in the next four months.

He said: “I am here to reassure the business community that we mean business. I want to give you my word and my word is my bond, if you need 200 Megawatts, 300 Megawatts, we can give it to you.

“Be rest assured, we are going to supply your power needs with no strings attached. We are giving power to Togo, I think we are giving 100 Megawatts to Togo, and some of these nations are not even paying us. Why can’t we give to businesses that will pay us? It is just simple arithmetic; it is a matter of economics.”

The Vice President charged the staff of NDPHC to double their effort by ensuring the delivery of the Agbara Industrial Cluster power program in three to four months.

Shettima spoke of the commitment of President Tinubu to make power available to the entire country.

“It is all about advocacy, it is about people believing in you and I have the confidence of my boss, such that I can talk authoritatively. He is very passionate about the Nigerian project. He is very committed to repositioning this nation,” he said.

In his remarks, the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun said that without electricity, all infrastructure provided for the use of the people of the state and the country as a whole would be in vain.

Governor Abiodun, while disclosing that his administration has established additional industrial clusters, said that without stable and reliable power, all the initiatives would be in vain.

“We believe that such initiatives like this speak to ensuring the sustainability of competitive industrialization and one must not but salute this initiative.

“We as a state have gone ahead besides this Agbara Cluster, we have five other clusters. We have one by the Interchange called Remo Cluster, we are creating a new one called the Magboro Cluster. We are creating our own Aerotropolis which is our special agro-processing zone, which will be the first of its kind in Nigeria. We also have the Ijebu-Ode cluster because we believe that it is through these clusters that we can jump-start socio-economic activity.

“These clusters, what do they seem to do, we provide the parcel of land, provide the needed infrastructure and this attracts industrial activities.

“But, without a doubt, without stable, reliable and clean power, all these initiatives will be in vain. So, to that extent, we are extremely excited,” he said.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu represented by his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat said ensuring adequate power supply in the country is complex because of the attitudes of Nigerians.

Hamzat regretted that out of about 13,000 Megawatts available, the country could only transmit 4,000 Megawatts.

“The issue of our power is complex and why it is complex is because of bad behaviour among all of us, the stakeholders, the distribution companies, generating companies.

“For me, the biggest challenge that we see in our country now is public commentary. We have a lot of people that go out there to just say things, demeaning our institutions and that is the biggest challenge.

“When the international community do surveys, they listen to your news and then you keep killing your country. The truth of the matter is that Lagos and Ogun states are safer than New York. The possibility of being shot in New York is higher than being in Lagos.

Minister of Power, Mr Bayo Adelabu on his part said the event marked a pivotal moment in the collective endeavour to fortify one of the backbones of the industrial landscape of the country.

He noted that the project stands as the first of many projects in the federal government’s light-up initiative to deliver reliable electricity to industrial and heavy user clusters across the country.

Adelabu noted that Agbara is a cluster where dreams are forged, industries thrive and where opportunities are limitless, adding that the ambitious endeavour when completed will bolster the power supply within the industrial estate by ensuring a reliable and uninterrupted flow of electricity to meet the demands of the industries.

Earlier in his welcome address, the MD/CEO, of NDPHC, Chiedu Ugbo disclosed that the event signifies the commitment of the present administration through NDPHC to ensure consistent and reliable power supply to industrial concerns.

He added that the company is the only government-owned company responsible for implementing the integrated power project of the government which aims to enhance electricity generation.

Ugbo said that the primary objective of the initiative was to ensure a consistent, reliable and cost-effective supply of electricity from power plants across the country to the extensive industrial and business clusters in Agbara and across the country.

He noted that NDPHC has successfully constructed about 8 power plants with a combined capacity of approximately 4,000 Megawatts.