2012 international expo opens

Exhibitors attending this year’s international trade fair in Kigali are looking forward to acquiring new knowledge, skills and market from the annual event. The trade fair, which officially opens today at the Expo Grounds in Gikondo, has attracted over 400 exhibitors from different countries. Some participants were by yesterday still putting final touches on their stands. Some of the products exhibited are industrial and electrical goods and appliances, trade and services, engineering products, agricultural products, machinery, foods and beverages.Others are chemical and cosmetics, farm implements, timber and furniture, textiles and garments, gift articles and crafts, ICT, Cultural and tourism articles and others.Ajmaal Khan, from Pakistan, who is showcasing household materials, said it was his first time to come to Rwanda. “According to what I have seen it’s one of the biggest trade fairs I have ever attended, people are many and I have realised they are willing to purchase and I am expecting to get profits,” he told The New Times.Besides East African countries, exhibitors have come from as far as Europe, Australia, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Taiwan.Ghulam Abbas A. Ali, Managing Director, Metro Plastic Industries, a Tanzanian company, pointed out that he was keen on exploiting the regional market.Local exhibitors include government ministries, parastatals and private businesses.“You cannot learn how to promote your business and get new innovative ideas unless you move and interact with different people who have experience in the market. “This trade fair is an opportunity for local traders to exchange ideas with other exhibitors on how to improve on our products,” Dianne Umuhoza, from Rubavu in Western Province, said.

National

2012 international expo opens