Nigerians must support locally made goods to boost trade -Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to support locally manufactured goods to boost trade activities and prospects in the country.

He said this Friday in his keynote address at the opening of the 35th edition of Lagos International Trade Fair themed, ‘Connecting Businesses, Creating Value,’ organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

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Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba ‘Niyi Adebayo, described trade as central to ending poverty, raising peoples’ standards of living, accelerating economic growth and improving productivity.

The president disclosed that one of the major policy thrusts the federal government was deploying to drive the facilitation of trade and market access was the imminent revision of Nigeria’s trade policy.

The President of LCCI, Mrs Toki Mabogunje, in her opening remark said the chamber’s programmes, advocacy activities and capacity development were geared towards the realisation of economic aspirations.

The trade fair, she said, provided a platform to identify non-oil alternatives and highlight the significance of value addition as well as served as an avenue to boost economic and commercial activities.