THE 2nd Northern Business and Investment Fair came to a close over the weekend in Tamale after four days of exhibitions, interactions and networking among the participants.
The fair, which took place at the Tamale Sports Stadium, was organised by Business and Financial Times (B&FT) newspaper, with sponsorship from StarLife Assurance Company, Zenith Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).
It was held under the theme: “Attracting investments for the accelerated development of Northern Ghana.”
About 70 exhibitors made up of manufacturing companies, handicraft dealers, food and beverage providers, heavy machinery companies, dealers in clothing, construction companies and service providers such as banks and insurance companies took part in the fair.
Some state institutions, notably the Ghana Shippers Authority, Minerals Commission of Ghana, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority and Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) also took advantage of the fair to educate patrons about their activities.
While for some, the fair opened new doors to business partnerships and investments, for others it was an opportunity to reach prospective clients in the three northern regions.
However, some of the exhibitors who spoke to the Daily Graphic stressed the need for the organisers to intensify the awareness drive to get more people to patronise subsequent fairs.
“This event is very significant and so the organisers need to explore more effective ways of increasing participation both on the part of exhibitors and the general public,” the General Manager of Duraqua Company Limited, a construction and landscaping firm, Mr Bako Patrick stated.
The Events and Communications Manager of the B&FT, Mr Frederick Augustt, told the Daily Graphic that the event was “generally successful.”
He said even though B&FT was satisfied with the run of events, there was still more room for improvement and mentioned that more exhibitors would be brought on board in subsequent events.
To attract more people to the exhibition grounds, Mr Augustt said B&FT was considering holding a mega launching event next year, which would witness performances from top artistes.
He also said religious and traditional leaders would be brought on board to help spread information to the grassroots about the event.
The annual northern business fair, which commenced last year, creates a platform for players in the industry to showcase their services and products to potential customers and clients from the northern sector which covers the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions.
It is, particularly, of immense benefit to companies operating in the north or those who have plans to do so as it enables them to reach their target audience and explore other opportunities.
This year's fair was an expanded and improved version over that of the first edition as district assemblies were given the opportunity to showcase the numerous investment opportunities available in their respective areas.
There were also training workshops for operators of SMEs in financial management, product designing and customer prospecting.
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