From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe I Sunday, June 16, 2024
ABA, Abia, Nigeria – Aba made products have formally started finding their way into foreign markets in Africa and beyond, in response to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement ratified by Nigeria and 52 other nations in the continent.
Already, some manufacturers of shoes, bags and belts (leather products) and garments have made inroads, visiting countries like, Central Africa Republic (CAR), Congo DR, Gabon, and Rwanda, among others, to testrun the acceptability and sale of their products, a result they said, came out positive, paving way for formal setting up of showrooms for display of Aba made goods.
According to the leader of Aba Shoes, Bags and Other Leather Products Manufacturers Association, Ken Anyanwu, the urge to expose more of their products to the outside world made him and his colleagues to embark on trade visits to some African countries, whose traders have been coming to buy from them here in Nigeria.
Anyanwu, said preparations were in an advanced stage by his group to open showrooms in some countries beginning with Kigali, Rwanda, next month.
“If we get sponsorship from government and private sector operators, we’ll be taking our products to Kigali, Rwanda, where we are trying to open a showroom for Aba made products.
“The people are eager to have made in Aba products. I’ve been there before.”
On the benefits to be derived from setting up branches in other African countries, Anyanwu said, “we’ll get new customers, earn foreign exchange that will help boost revenue through having many distribution channels which is vital in production.
“Going to Kigali, Rwanda, will help us open new distribution channels,” he asserted.
