Engineering and construction giants will converge on July 5 in Lagos for Elan Expo which will discuss the way forward for these professions and prepare them for the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The three-day expo, which is tagged ‘the Biggest Construction and Engineering Show in West Africa’, is expected to open its doors to over 5000 engineers, architects, builders, manufacturers, and importers as over 150 brands who will showcase their products in sectors such as wastewater, water treatment, ceramics and sanitary wares, as well as building construction materials and machinery.

The Chief Executive Officer, Elan Exhibition West Africa, Mr Jude Chime, noted in a press conference in Abuja that the expo, the sixth in the series, would also serve as a platform to harmonise various efforts of stakeholders in construction, engineering, and commerce, especially with the opportunities provided by the African Continental Free Trade Area, which would give them access to over 1.4 billion population.

“It provides a head-start as to how engineers can leverage on the platform or ride on the back of commerce to expand its services beyond the shores of Nigeria,” he said.

He noted that the event themed, ‘Rewarding the Unrivalled Excellence of Nigerian Engineers’ would celebrate Nigerian engineers and showcase some of their works, noting that there would be business-to-business meetings during the expo.

“Most importantly, the expo aims to promote our engineers and what they do. Our engineering ingenuity and activities must be positioned through this vehicle of commerce to reach the gateway of other nations. Beyond showcasing the products, or seeing the latest or updated equipment, this is an opportunity to network beyond borders and cross-promote ideas between and among the various engineering, commerce and construction professionals. There will be a cross-promotion of ideas amongst all the divisions of the Nigerian Society of Engineers in Nigeria, West Africa and the various international communities.”

President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Mr Tasui Sa’ad Gidari-Wudil, noted that the expo would provide support for the work done by Nigerian engineers and enable young engineers to learn from senior colleagues.

On the incessant building collapses across the country, he noted that his group was worried about the situation.

“We are worried about building collapses and engineering failures. There are many causes of building collapse, but they are mostly human factors.

“It includes things that go into the location, the design, the materials and even the weather. If you do not take weather conditions into consideration, you will likely have issues,” he further said.