By Nik Ogbulie
As you are reading this piece, a good number of the participants of the just ended CANEX WKND, like this writer, have returned to their homes. leaving just a few on their way or assisting in some logistics elsewhere. The only consolation for leaving CANEX WKND for home is the thought of returning to IATF2027, next year!!
Those that came in from our wider neighourood like Nairobi and Kumasi are touching down at their various airports or about to, about now. We all saw the country of everybody’s dream Nigeria, set up a master piece of a CANEX WKND, and felt the ecstasy.
By the time the last activity was over yesterday night, I watched with enthusiasm how many participants went cold, expressing a feeling of disdain. They wished it could have been an endless period that recreates the African moments; as if four hot days never started.
But that really depicts the feeling when a moment seems really satisfying, when it shows.
Only one egregious moment, that is some one year away, seems to assuage the feelings of the participants to a great scale; IATF2027.
The full and side hugs by the participants when the curtains wend down in-between sumptious food, were the resounding expressions of fulfilment of the CANEX WKND, which was murmured into many ears, while “see you next year” stood as bold expression by people like Ken Muganda, whose melodious voice calms every anxious moment .
Some of us who could be referred to as ‘ancestors’ or legends of the now great-African lexicon called IATFF, since 2018. How else could one wish himself the best outing in a year as an African?
I know many would damn the consequences if they are put to the test not to look back while leaving Nigeria, as in Sodom and Gomhorha; of course , How else can the over 17, 000 attendees describe their feelings to a perceivedly endless insight into a budden architecture that propagates a roaring creative economy for Africa and the new world.
Before now, Nigerians have been grimacing the fact that they don’t have a hallowed conference centre that could swallow as many as 17,000 people, even as more spaces yawned across the six floors of the esoteric theatre that celebrated the pride of Africa, some 5i0 years ago.
The beauty of the huge edifice looks even revived with the smiles of many participants across Africa and the Caribbeans. While many greet the dream of the Bankers Committee for the rebuilding, they regret the pains of the past Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, whose desire for renovations and interventions across decaying public infrastructures swayed the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) to bring The National Theatre, now WOLE SOYINKA CENTRE (WSC) into life again.
There were a lot to posit that the various visitors at the CANEX WKND were in love with what they saw. They also seem to be suggesting that Lagos 2027 would be a very great outing based on the entire gamut of enthusiasm within the Nigerian Government, private sector and the mix grill of her corporate institutions largely made up of investors with huge investible capital. These collections of business interests have some 250 million consumers most of whom operate in Lagos which houĺses the largest transport connection and biggest urban and informal economy believed to have very high connection with exhibition trade perceptions known to retail outlets.worth several billions of Dollars and bigger than the economies of five front-line South African states.
What Moneyreport has discovered within the CANEX WKND window is the fact that IATF2027 may eventually take as much as 60, 000 participants based on the fact that only CANEX attracted about 17,000. However, apart from CANEX, tools and machinery, oil and gas, foods and beverages, electricity and services have huge chunk of physical attractions. Participants size would be encouraged to grow further based on the “issues-free” moments which are inversely related to the tense politics and insecurity situation in Nigeria. Indications are rife from Moneyreport interviews that Nigeria seems to have a less active issues of insecurity, and the massive security apparatus mobilised made nonsense of such ugly intentions.
CANEX WKND has disaprove the much orchestrated insecurity issues as ‘cul de sac and blind ally’
To many participants from outside Nigeria, the event looked like an economic roundtable, with an admixture of the ways and means of producing consumables that align with natural raw materials that can be found within, and align with the demands of the continent
The indications must be clear here that IATF2027 is not clearly one year away, but less that six months according to the preparation matrix involved. Participants feel Nigeria is ready, but the sentiments are high with participation, and this will largely impose much pressure on capacity.
Participation from the youth population will dominate IATF 2027, the same way it dominated CANEXWKND.
The presence of Wole Soyinka , Obasanjo, and other elders has indications of abundant seriousness, and their presentations at various levels gave a lot of credence to the policy and demands of Intra-African trade as currently being projected.
Because the history of the venue is very favourable to Nigeria, it is also important to believe that many feel that IATF2027 has all the indications of a strong outing and a probable input that can make the most lasting impression on the entire African Economic Integration program, as driven by existing African trade policies.
Already, many investors are ready for Nigeria again, and it could be an opportunity for better manufacturing inclusion or huge passage of the creative sector into the bigger GDP league .
The fact many have come to understand is that, those productive sectors that need the huge deployment of energy will remain the power house of the African economy, as they use the youth energy which is about 45% of existing population.
Our analysis shows that North Africa had the lowest rate of participation at the CANEX WKND, followed by Southern Africa. The reason is not far-fetched. They are more interested in heavy industrial preservation. But they can give us Fintech.
While wishing the organizers viva, Moneyreport feels that African journalists and communications people always rock when it comes to IATF. Working contineously for four days and gulping the best meals money can buy could be the secret.
After WorldBank/Imf Spring and Annual Meetings, the IATF has been ranked third in the pecking order, and this is why the
Sponsored-African-journalists have agreed in a tremendous unison that they will do more work next time.
With a strategic communications and events group, Afreximbank’s associate consulting arm will always work in Lagos, the way they had done from Cairo, Durban, Cairo again, and Algiers.
