Golden Jubilee Fair to be extended

Accra, Feb 28, GNA - The ongoing international Trade Fair dubbed; the Golden Jubilee fair, which is officially scheduled to end on March 8 is to be extended for three more days.

Consequently, the Fair will now close on 11th March 2007. Ms Esther Ofori, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana International Trade Fair Company (GITF) made this known to the press after she conducted Most Rev Dr Asante Antwi, Member of the Council of State and Chairman of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Board of Directors around pavilion A where made in Ghana goods are on display.

Ms Ofori said the extension of the period would be at no cost to the exhibitors, saying that they would have more time to do business.

Asked whether the annual holding of the fair would not result in fatigue on the part of exhibitors, Ms Ofori said she did not envisage any such problem. She explained that the extension would rather introduce competition among exhibitors who did not always have to be at the fair, adding that, "it is not necessary to always have the same exhibitors at the fair, as far as they have established their contacts with their target market."

" The yearly organization of the fair will also yield very good revenue for GITF to enable the company used the proceeds in the refurbishment of the infrastructure to attract more exhibitors", she said. She cited Domod, an exhibitor of cooking utensils, who had over the years participated in almost every fair but has in recent times introduced the production of roofing sheets to its production line to compete among other exhibitors.

She appealed to the Banks to help prop up the small scale industries, which need support to bring their brilliant ideas into fruition and stop the overt concentration on the well-established industries.

"The Banks should rather give loans to the small scale industries in the country, rather than to giving loans to companies who had made it on their own", she advised.

Meanwhile, Most Rev Dr A sante Antwi Member of the Council of State expressed, his appreciation about the participation of small scale industries and also the exhibition of made in Ghana goods in this year's Jubilee Fair.