AFAC A MAJOR VECTOR TO OPEN UP ARTS, CRAFTS MARKET - GASSOL

The Chairman, Senator Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Dahiru Bako Gassol has stated that the annual African Arts and Crafts Expo (AFAC) organized by the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation and the National Council for Arts and Culture is a major vector that can open up the arts and crafts market to serve local and international demands.

Senator Gassol who chaired the Investment Forum for the 3rd AFAC Expo, said the Investment Forum creates all the parameters aimed at stimulating the economic growth of arts and crafts in Nigeria and indeed Africa at large.

“The forum removes the bottlenecks that stunt the growth of the industry and also examines the market institutions and other networks that will encourage the growth of arts and crafts in the African region”, he said.

He however pledged the support of the Senate to support AFAC expo through robust budgetary provisions and commended the National Council for Arts and Culture in sustaining the tempo of the fair.

Idi Hong advocates One Village, One Product at AFAC Expo 2010
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong has lauded the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation as well as the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) in sustaining the African Arts and Crafts Expo (AFAC) and urged the Council to partner the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry in its One-Village-One-Product initiative.

According to the Minister, both initiatives have equal potentials of boosting socio-economic activities at the grass root level and ultimately raise the standard of living of Nigerians, especially those in the rural areas.

Hong who made the call at the Opening Ceremony of the 3rd AFAC Expo, said he was impressed with the impact AFAC Expo has made two years after its conception in 2008, when he was the Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation.

The Minister further stated that the crafts sector had continued to receive huge attention from several governments in the middle East, Asia and South America given the potential inherent in the sector.

He called on the stakeholders in the sector to join hands in the nation’s drive to reposition the crafts sector and maximise its gains.