International Arts and Crafts Expo attendees hail from 16 states and 29 countries

The 16th International Arts and Crafts Expo (INAC) has begun in Abuja with visitors from no fewer than 29 nations and states.

Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), which organised INAC, Chief Olusegun Runsewe, revealed this on Thursday during the opening ceremony.

“Networking Nigerian Craft to the World” serves as the subject of the expo.

Runsewe claimed that the platform was specifically made to bridge cultural gaps and promote Nigerian arts and crafts around the world.

“As you can tell by the number of governments and nations present, INAC is a venue we consciously created to promote our arts and crafts to the globe.

29 nations, 16 states, and 21 non-governmental organisations have already arrived for the opening. Everyone can use this to network, work together, and profit from the platform, regardless of their nationality.

“In my opinion, the sector holds the key to bringing Nigerians and the rest of the globe together; we must keep Nigeria at the centre of all we do.

“The international communities are the biggest informants to the world, and this platform tells the world that there is peace in Nigeria and that it is a place for investment,” Runsewe added.

He claims that the expo is expanding and getting better because it has assisted more than 50 Nigerians in leaving the nation.

Through relationships made on the platform, he claimed, nations kept requesting Nigerians to participate in various business transactions.

“This is growing every year for us.

Similar opportunities abound. “A cultural company that played last year was invited to perform in New Delhi by the Indian embassy.

The director general claimed that there will be plenty of entertainment at the exhibition because well-known performers had been lined up to dazzle attendees.

He advised the audience that free skill-acquisition programmes were also running and urged those who were interested to take advantage of the chance.

Masudur Rahman, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Nigeria, also gave a speech in which he described Nigeria as the cultural hub of Africa due to its immense potential for tourism and culture.

Since we began our mission here in 2016, it has been a great chance for Bangladesh to work with you.

It’s time to celebrate global unity via Nigerian culture, he declared.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, some of the nations that were represented included Iran, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Syria, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, China, Cuba, Indonesia, Columbia, Korea, Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Mexico, Bangladesh, and Iraq.

States like Taraba, Lagos, Enugu, Borno, Katsina, Anambra, Rivers, Adamawa, Abia, Kaduna, Ogun, and Yobe had exhibition booths set up as well. (NAN)