NEWS
Abia Sets Stage for 2026 Made-in-Nigeria, Made-in-Aba Product Expo, Targets Global Business Opportunities
Abia Sets Stage for 2026 Made-in-Nigeria, Made-in-Aba Product Expo, Targets Global Business Opportunities
Preparations for the highly anticipated 2026 Made-in-Nigeria, Made-in-Aba Product Expo have entered full implementation, as the Abia State Government intensifies efforts to showcase the state’s growing manufacturing, industrial and entrepreneurial ecosystem to investors and consumers across Nigeria and beyond.
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The five-day Expo is scheduled to hold from September 22 to 26, 2026, at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Umuahia, and is being organised by the Abia State Government in partnership with the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Project Office.
With the theme, “Showcasing South-East Enterprise, Driving Investment and Accelerating Made-in-Nigeria,” the Expo is designed to position Abia and the wider South-East as a major hub of indigenous production, innovation, enterprise and investment.
The Commissioner for Industry and SMEs, Mazi Michael Enyinnaya Akpara, explained that the Expo would provide a strategic platform for manufacturers, entrepreneurs, investors, buyers and other key players in the business ecosystem to connect, establish partnerships, access new markets and unlock fresh investment opportunities.
According to him, the event will feature an extensive product exhibition, an Investment and Business Forum, business-to-business meetings, MSME clinics, alongside cultural and food showcases aimed at presenting the rich productive capacity and cultural identity of the region.
The Expo is expected to attract exhibitors from Abia State, the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, making it a major national platform for indigenous businesses to display their products and connect with prospective customers, investors and strategic partners.
Akpara further disclosed that the Abia State Product Expo 2026 Planning and Implementation Committee has been inaugurated and has commenced work towards delivering a successful event.
He also announced that registration is already open to manufacturers, entrepreneurs and artisans from Abia and across the South-East, urging eligible businesses to take advantage of the opportunity to participate.
The Commissioner called on manufacturers, artisans, entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions, development partners and international buyers to make the Expo a priority, stressing that their participation would help deepen business relationships and expand the commercial reach of locally produced goods.
In a further boost to the publicity drive, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, assured the organisers that the Ministry would deploy its extensive publicity platforms to ensure that the Expo receives broad visibility.
Kanu pledged that the Ministry would aggressively publicise the event to attract participants, investors and buyers from across Nigeria and the international business community, with the ultimate goal of creating greater opportunities for businesses operating in Abia.
Beyond the exhibition itself, the 2026 Made-in-Nigeria, Made-in-Aba Product Expo is expected to strengthen the visibility and market access of local businesses while further establishing Made-in-Aba as a powerful symbol of originality, creativity, quality, craftsmanship and Nigerian enterprise.
The initiative also aligns with the broader drive to transform Abia into a competitive destination for manufacturing, investment and enterprise by creating platforms where indigenous businesses can move from local production to wider national and international markets.
Among those present at the engagement were the Special Adviser to the Governor on PPP, Chief Green Amakwe; National Coordinator, Mr. George Nwabueze; and Abia State Coordinator of the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria 
Project, Nwosu Chinyere.