Whilst Ghana's expanding crude oil production has buoyed the economy, it remains one of the largest exporters of gold in the world with gold accounting for more than 90% of mining sector revenue. Cocoa also remains an important commodity to the country's economy, despite the increasing exports of oil, gold and bauxite. 

But it's not just Ghana’s resources that are driving economic growth. The Government has launched various programmes and initiatives aimed at increasing its industrial capacity and output, so as to diversify the economy and prevent an over-reliance on the commodity markets. These are designed to strengthen the investment environment for manufacturing and to increase manufactured exports.

As a forum for trading, business networking, learning and product sourcing, the West African Industrial Trade Exhibition (WAITEX) will be taking place in Ghana from 21-23 April 2020 at the Dome in the Trade Fair Grounds in Accra. WAITEX has been designed to support companies and individuals involved in the mining, light and heavy industrial, automation, packaging, and occupational health and safety sectors, by creating an environment where business partnerships can develop and trade exchanges can take place.

WAITEX is supported by the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC), Ghana Institute of Engineering (GHiE) and the Occupation Safety & Health Association (OSH Association).

“WAITEX will become a key driver in supporting the Governments “One district, one factory policy” says George Pearson, Regional Director at Afrocet Montgomery. “The show is an ideal trade platform that will bring buyers and sellers together, both with the view of growing business and strategically supporting Ghana’s aspiration of developing factories and industries which will in turn move the country towards greater industrialization.”

“Exhibitors have the opportunity to expand their footprint in Africa, to source local distributors and new customers, and to build their brand awareness in Ghana,” added Pearson. “To see this amount of prospective customers individually, exhibitors would need to spend months in the area.”

The local economy will also benefit from WAITEX 2020 as every exhibition requires local services support, additional travel and accommodation requirements, and the local purchasing of various goods.

Visitors to the exhibition will meet leading local and international companies showcasing the latest technologies, machinery, products and services. They will also be able to speak to technical experts on the stands and benefit from seeing live demonstrations of machinery in action.

Charlene Hefer, mining and industrial portfolio director at Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery, joint organisers of the exhibition with Afrocet Montgomery, says that ‘top of mind’ for most organisations is the need to increase output and profitability through improved efficiency and the reduction of operational costs.

“With the arrival of Industry 4.0 and the move towards automation and digitisation, technology is progressing more rapidly than ever before, and it’s vital for companies to keep up-to-date with these trends,” Hefer explained. “Visitors to the show will find products and solutions to address these priorities and will also have the opportunity to talk to technical experts. WAITEX will provide a unique opportunity in the region for visitors to stay up to date with the latest industry trends and innovations.”

“Management also needs to ensure the uncompromised health, safety and wellbeing of employees in the workplace, for economic reasons, as well as to promote good company values,” continued Hefer, “which is why we have included an occupational safety and health segment to the show.”

A full programme of free-to-attend seminars presented by industry experts on a range of pertinent topics will also add significant value to the visitor experience.

“Together with Afrocet Montgomery, who specialises in running high-end exhibitions and events in West Africa, we bring extensive experience in organising trade exhibitions across these industry sectors with a broad portfolio of shows in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. We believe this partnership will be of benefit to all stakeholders involved,” concludes Hefer.