The United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) have joined forces to create value for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at the 2019 Lagos International Trade Fair in November 2019.
UBA’s Group Head, Consumer Retail Business, Jude Anele, explained that all SMEs participating in the upcoming trade fair would benefit immensely and get their businesses transformed.
He said, “We have put in place several innovation to provide a veritable platform to catalyse businesses to new highs. UBA would provide uninterrupted banking services during the event and provide advisory services to the SMEs that are fundamental to achieving their business goals.”
He enjoined participating SMEs to maximise the opportunities that would be presented to them at the fair.
Anele said: “Worthy of mention is that merchants and entrepreneurs from other African countries and abroad would be able to conduct their transactions seamlessly without currency exchange hassles, using the extensive reach of UBA as a pan African bank with presence in key commercial capitals in the world.
“We have realised that critical to the success of SMEs in Africa is not necessarily access to finance, but their understanding of business and accounting mechanisms, process and procedures critical to their growth and existence especially on e-commerce, tax management, and bookkeeping and access to funding, and these are issues which we are trying to address.”
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Addressing likely issues surrounding payment at the event, Anele said UBA had been able to identify means of easing payment in the course of the 2-week event. He explained that the lender had successfully put in place solutions that would see the ease of payment, especially with African companies from outside Nigeria.
“UBA will be deploying state-of-art Point of Terminals (POS) configured towards ensuring merchants receive immediate values in currencies of their choice,” he added.
UBA’s collaboration with LCCI: UBA has reached an agreement with the organisers of the fair, LCCI to give 20% discount to its small and medium business customers who register to showcase their products and services at the fair.
Speaking on the partnership with UBA, the Chairman, Trade Promotion Board, LCCI, Gabriel Idahosa said, “The LCCI and UBA have partnered to give exciting services to visitors and exhibitors at the fair. UBA is a foremost Pan African financial institution operating in 20 African countries, the United Kingdom and the USA and France, thus offering unique services to the delight of visitors and exhibitors during the fair.”
According to Idahosa, 40,000 square metres of exhibition spaces are available with over 2,000 exhibitors from 16 African countries and 200 foreign exhibitors expected in Lagos.
Samson Oyedeyi
