The Ghana International Trade Fair Centre is undergoing a massive refurbishment funded by the Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund (EDAIF) ahead of the upcoming 7th Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Trade Fair that would be hosted in Accra.

The seventh edition of the ECOWAS Trade Fair is scheduled to take place from the 13th October to 11th November, 2013 with the theme: "Regional Integration through Trade".

The Trade Fair Centre will host economic operators from the 15 member countries in the sub-region who will showcase their products and services which will be of interest to their economies.

The fair seeks to promote economic integration and trade among citizens in member states, especially industrialists, investors, manufacturers, commercial operators and buyers as well as governmental and non-governmental agencies.

The ECOWAS Trade Fair has now become a biennial event. Senegal hosted the first edition in 1995; Ghana in 1999, Togo in 2003, Nigeria in 2005, Burkina Faso in 2008 and Togo in 2011.

The National Organising Committee and the Executing Agency has assured the Economic Operators and the public of their readiness to host the fair especially in relation to the exhibition halls and other facilities such as adequate security, reliable electricity and good water supply during the fair.

The regional fair, was instituted to boost intra-community trade which presently hovers between 11 and 15 percent and thereby contributing to the improved implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS).

ISD