Accra (Greater Accra) 8 March. '99

The second ECOWAS Trade Fair ended in Accra, On Sunday. The fair, which opened with 650 exhibitors on February 26, 1999 increased to 700 as at Sunday. This was more that the 500 exhibitors estimated by the organisers. The first ECOWAS Trade Fair held in Dakar, Senegal in 1995 attracted 444 exhibitors. About 8,000 people attended the fair with about a thousand trade delegation from the United States and other countries participating. The fair unearthed the potentials and talents of West African entrepreneurs and symbolised the spirit of regionalism, integration and Cupertino. It was the focal point of brisk business activities and created the platform for industrialists, investors, manufacturers and commercial operators in the ECOWAS Sub-Region and for the international community to transact business, exchange ideas and learn new production and marketing techniques and strategies. It was described as successful and an improvement on the first fair in Dakar . Mr Kwame Peprah, Minister of Finance performed the closing ceremony. Mr H. B. Hazel, Chairman, Regional Organising Committee of the fair said seminars, conferences, buyers and sellers meetings and fashion show organised as part of the fair activities added new dimensions and colour to it. Mr Frank Ofei, Acting Deputy Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, announced that the next ECOWAS fair will take place in Lome, Togo. Mr Meyiosso Kwame, Togolese Minister of Trade and Industry, expressed the readiness of the Togolese Government to host the next fair and commended the Government of Ghana and the ECOWAS Secretariat for the successful fair. He announced that a national exhibition will take place in Lome between November and December this year.