Water Africa heads for Nigeria in November: construction has successfully joined the Water Africa expo/seminar series. Lagos is the venue this year.

LAGOS STATE IS home to what its governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, believes to be the fastest growing metropolis in the world. Little wonder then that the upcoming Building & Construction Nigeria Exhibition and Seminar 2007 will have the Lagos Megacity Project at its heart when it opens on 14 November at the Eko Suites & Hotel, Victoria Island.

The event, which was launched very successfully last year by UK company ACE Event Management, will run alongside Water Africa Nigeria 2007. ACE has held an annual Water Africa exhibition in various African countries since 1993. More than 70 national and international companies are already lined up for the combined event.

With Nigeria's very rapid population explosion--it currently has the world's ninth largest population and by 2050 could be fourth--expansion of infrastructure, housing and water and sewerage services are not just desirable but inevitable, making Nigeria a real hotspot of developmental construction activity.

In the 2007 budget, for instance, the Federal Government authorised spending on the following major projects:

* N11bn for the dredging of the River Niger from Lokoja to Warri;

* N36bn for the construction of the long-awaited East-West Road;

* N21bn for the construction of the Kano-Maiduguri Road dual carriageway;

* N17bn for the completion of the Gurara Water Project.

The previous year, the government released N73bn for capital for works for the construction, rehabilitation and repairs of roads nationwide. Road construction, rehabilitation and repair works are at various stages of completion. Roads such as, Ibadan-Ilorin, Abuja-Keffi, Kaduna Eastern Bypass, Kano-Kaduna Dual Carriageway, Bodo-Bonny, Eleme Junction Fly Over, Warri-Benin, Benin Bypass and Onitsha-Owerri, are receiving priority attention.

Power plants

Significant progress was made in the rehabilitation and expansion of generation capacity, transmission and distribution. Work is progressing or completed on the seven new medium-sized power plants in the Niger Delta Region, at Ihovbor, Sapele, Gbarain, Egbema, Calabar and Omoku, as well as four additional power stations in Geregu, Papalanto. Omotosho and Alaoji. The government this year awarded the contract for construction of the 2,600MW Mambilla Hydro Power Station.

In the water sector, the federal government last year spent N76bn on the execution of various water supply, dams and irrigation projects nationwide. The Gurara Water Project, which is expected to provide a long-term solution to the water supply needs of the residents of Abuja and its environs, was commissioned this year.

Other dams, water supply and irrigation projects, such as the Shagari Dam, Owena Dam, Zobe Dam, Onitsha/Nnewi Water Supply Project, Azare Water Supply Project, Hadeja Valley Irrigation Project and the Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project are at various stages of completion.

All this activity provides a very vigorous backdrop for the two exhibitions and their associated seminars. ACE Event Management, with its Nigerian office, is offering great expectations for the combined exhibitions which are being endorsed by the Federal Ministries of Works, Housing and Agriculture & Water Resources, as well as the State Governor of Lagos itself.

The 70-plus exhibitors who have already staked their claims in the exhibition come principally from Europe, South Africa, China and Nigeria. The exhibitors will be showing and demonstrating products and services applicable to most sectors of infrastructure development.

Tracey Nolan-Shaw, Managing Director of ACE Event Management emphasised the help and assistance given to the event by the Nigerian government through its various ministries and emphasised the government's deep interest in the building, construction and water sectors, and the financial institutions' reforms, which have thrown up a lot of investments and opportunities.

ACE's Nigeria office, headed by Dr Timothy Demi-Ajayi, said that all arrangements have been concluded for a successful hosting of the event. He said spaces will be limited for the seminars, but exhibitors will be given preference. He has assured all concerned that the event has been carefully packaged to provide exclusive knowledge and comfort for both visitors and exhibitors.

www.ace-events.com

Exhibitors scheduled

Actaris France

Afrotec Industries Nigeria

AHI Roofing UK

Alkem Nigeria Nigeria

Aluminium City Nigeria

Aquanova Services SRL Nigeria

Arch Timber Protection UK

Balmoral Tanks UK

Bituline & Imper Nigeria

BOC Gases Nigeria

Bomag Nigeria

CFAO Structec Nigeria

China National Building

Material (Group) Corp China

CompAir UK

Davis & Deale South Africa

Degremont South Africa

DI Pipeline Specialists South Africa

Duraplast Ghana

Eco Water Management Nigeria

Emco Shingles Nigeria

Fairport & Silla Nigeria

Fembosco Engineering Nigeria

Festo Nigeria Ltd Nigeria

First Engineering & Procurement Services Nigeria

Focus Connection South Africa

Gama Engineering Nigeria

Geowags Ghana

Groundwater Engineering Nigeria

Hilti-Top Brands Import Ltd Nigeria

Horseley Bridge Tanks UK

International Procurement Services (IPS) France

Interplast Ghana

ITT Flygt South Africa

Josef Krenn Austria

La Roche Equipment Nigeria Nigeria

Laval Underground Surveys Nigeria

Lecico Nigeria

Legrand France

Makita Nigeria

Mapei Nigeria

Miller (ITW) Nigeria

Nahuelco SA Nigeria

Naston Engineering Nigeria Nigerite Nigeria

Nuel Holdings Nigeria

Open-Ended Ventures Nigeria

Orsogril Italy

Pergo Laminate Flooring Italy

Plantgeria Co Ltd Nigeria

Profile Engineering South Africa

Purechem Industries Ltd Nigeria

Rubitec Ltd Nigeria

Skyblue Incor Nigeria Ltd Nigeria

SNC SwissnovaChem Nigeria

So~Safe Water Technologies Ltd Nigeria

Somto Chukwu Nigeria Ltd Nigeria

Swareflex (Beijing) Traffice Technology China

Tebisa Nigeria

Theophilus Trades Ltd Nigeria

Toptech Nigeria

Vestergaard Frandsen Nigeria

Wagtech International UK

Wichtech Industries Nigeria

WIN TSS Nig Ltd Nigeria

Zenner International Germany