Exhibitors at the on-going 16th Ghana International Trade Fair were inundated over the weekend as hundreds of visitors thronged the site following complaints about low patronage.
Some exhibitors, who spoke to the CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE, said sales were low.
�We are happy that in the last two days more people are coming to see what we have here,� said James Akapo from Togo, who is participating in the Ghana International Trade Fair for the first time.
�I am looking forward to more business opportunities before the fair ends.�
The exhibitors claimed they paid huge amounts of money to the organizers and called on the Ghana Trade fair Company to put the necessary measures in place to woo the public to help increase their profits.
A sales representative of ASADTEK Roofing, Jacqlyne Abban, who took part in last year�s fair said, �Every year patronage is slow for at least the first three days but this year it has been slower and very boring.�
�I hope sales would increase this week, the month has just ended and workers are still being paid, people are not buying at all and they usually say is there is no money in the system.�
The lady, whose company is displaying roofing sheets and cooking utensils, said �though I have made some sales, I expect more than this.�
Isabella Akrashie, who is selling made in Ghana Moringa products at the site, noted that she made adequate preparations to meet international standards.
�The customers are attracted by the attractive packaging and they keep asking me if this product is made in Ghana.�
Pointing to the empty boxes at her stand, she said �there are a lot of Moringa products on the market but this is properly packaged and it is a good product. I have sold 20 boxes with 20m pieces of 140 grams Moringa product ranging from Moringa slim tea, Moringa gari Blend, Moringa leaf powder, among others.
Desmond Kwame, a teacher, said he visited the site to undertake window shopping.
�I just came here to look at the items on display and also to know the prices,� said the man who complained about the entrance fee of GH�2 on ordinary days and GH�5 on weekends and holidays.
Nana Kwame Ofori-Amanfo, acting Deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, noted that the companies should not use fairs to sell their products but network and make business contacts.
Exhibitors, he said, are not expected to carry all their products to the exhibition grounds to sell.
Mr. Ofori-Amanfo was of the view that companies should put samples on display so as to enhance business deals.
The fair, which has 900 exhibitors including 600 local and 300 foreign businesses, is expected to attract one million visitors.
In an interview, Frank Ntiamoah, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Trade Fair Company, could not disclose the exact number of visitors that had visited the fair but said a system was tracking the number of visitors.
He said a lot of progarmmmes had been lined up to attract more visitors.
Over the weekend, he said, 20 Ghanaian artists partook in the Azonto festival and a DSTV show attracted more people. Today Samini, an afropop musician, would be performing with his friends and would release his latest album.
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