Brad Smith is the Exhibition Manager for Food and Beverage West Africa. In this interview with GLORIA NWAFOR, he spoke about how the three-day food and beverage exhibition, beginning today at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, is expected to welcome companies looking to access the market and provide products to local buyers at reasonable and subsided prices.

What does Nigeria stand to gain from the food and beverage exhibition?
The global food and beverage industry is a unique, once-a-year opportunity to source 1000s of exciting products that have never been seen in West Africa.

We forge new business relationships with global manufacturers and network with fellow professionals within the industry. The food and beverage sector is estimated to grow yearly by 12.75 per cent, and due to the level of population in Nigeria alone, it is a sector that requires products to be imported and that is why our exhibitors are excited and keen to access the market.

How many participants, including countries are you expecting?
The exhibition will feature over 300 exhibitors, showcasing their products from all over the world. We have over 50+ countries present at the show this year, bringing the global food and beverage industry to Lagos. All of our exhibitors are looking to find partners for the West African market, especially importers, who can import goods from all over the world. We are also welcoming distributors, supermarket retailers and Hotel, Restaurant, Café, and Catering (HORECA) industry buyers from across West Africa.

Do you plan to take the exhibition across other West African countries?
This year will see the fifth edition of Food and Beverage (F&B) West Africa, which following the unprecedented success of the 2023 edition, has grown to become Africa’s biggest F&B trade show. We currently have no plans to take the show elsewhere, as we focus on bringing visitors and exhibitors from other ECOWAS states to Nigeria.

How have you sustained this template to amplify global food and beverage ecosystem?
We have a fantastic team here at BtoB, which is growing yearly. All members of the team, from sales to marketing and operations deliver their roles to such a high level, which is enabling the show to consistently deliver success for our exhibitors and visitors, ensuring it is a must-participate event each year.

There are challenges putting these together yearly, and how have you been able to surmount them?
The main challenge we have is not having enough space to accommodate the demand of exhibitors.
We deliver a successful event for all involved, the exhibition sells out in advance yearly and the demand is growing. Even with moments of difficulty within the market, the demand and interest are always there.

What has been the Federal Government’s involvement or is it solely private sector participation?
The exhibition contains both levels of participation. We have private companies exhibiting individually at the show from all over the world and we also welcome our government-backed pavilions each year, including the likes of – Turkey, Dubai, India, the USA, Indonesia and Tunisia, with more to come each year.

How does the exhibition tackle Nigeria’s current food challenges?
With the level of produce required for the population not being present, this must be sourced elsewhere, and that is where our exhibitors come in. As the majority of them are the manufacturers, it allows the local importers to source products directly, at better prices, which then gets passed onto the consumer. This, along with our prominent category of exhibitor – FMCG, also means goods can be imported easier in bulk, which provides better pricing all around. We strive to continue welcoming companies looking to access the market and provide products to the local buyers at reasonable prices, to ensure these challenges are subsided.