Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Lagos held a business forum and One on One Business Consultation in Kano City, Nigeria. As a result, Nigerians are very interested in many Indonesian products, including footwear and herbal products.

“Based on information from importers, Indonesian footwear products are in high demand because of their high quality. Meanwhile, herbal medicinal products, especially herbal medicine, are also quite popular in both traditional markets and pharmacies. Other products that are in demand are textiles and textile products, fashion, and processed foods,” explained Head of ITPC Lagos Hendro Jonathan.

At the One on One Business Consultation, which was held on 27 May, ITPC Lagos also introduced food and beverage products, herbal medicine, batik, shoes, and Indonesian leather sandals to Nigerian businesses.

"In the business consultation session, there were requests for additional information regarding women's and children's clothing products, as well as kitchen utensils by Kano businesses," added Hendro.

According to Hendro, Nigeria is a promising market for Indonesia with a current population of more than 200 million people. While in Kano State itself, the population reaches 20 million people. The Sabon Giri Market in Kano State, which was visited on May 26, sells a lot of Indonesian medicinal and herbal products.

President of the Kano Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (KACCIMA) Dalhatu Abubakar, said Hendro, conveyed several Indonesian products that KACCIMA members were interested in, namely paper, agricultural equipment, vehicle parts, batik, Muslim fashion, footwear, and tires. Dalhatu also invited Indonesian companies to invest in the Kano industrial area. Thus, closer to consumers in Kano.

According to him, Kano's enthusiasm for Indonesian products can also be seen at every Trade Expo Indonesia. Indonesian products that attract business players from Kano include textiles and textile products with African or Ankara patterns from Batik Pekalongan; herbal medicine from Air Mancur, Sido Muncul, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs); drugs from Kalbe, Dexa, and Mensa, Muslim fashion; and processed foods.

On that occasion, Hendro also invited Nigerian business people to participate again in the 36th TEI.

"The 36th Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) will be held on October 20-24, 2021 in a hybrid manner taking into account the developments in handling Covid-19 in Indonesia. We hope that Nigerian business actors, especially Kano, can participate again in the 36th TEI," Hendro said.

Organizing TEI offline is a great opportunity for Indonesia because of the high interest of Kano business people to visit Indonesia.

"If TEI 2021 is implemented in a hybrid manner, we estimate that approximately 50 KACCIMA members will attend. This is considering the importance of Indonesia as a trading partner of Nigeria," said Dalhatu.