By Yemisi Suleiman

Food lovers from across the world can once again look forward to an unparalleled culinary experience as the 2^ndedition of the GTBank Food & Drink Fair is set to hold during the Worker’s Day holiday on Sunday the 30^th of April and Monday the 1st of May, 2017. The 2-day event will treat attendees to enthralling gastronomic tours across a wide variety of exciting cuisines and delicacies while offering small businesses in the Nigerian Food Industry a free and vibrant platform to connect with a wider segment of their target markets as well as experts in their business fields.

The GTBank Food and Drink Fair was created by foremost African Financial Institution, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, as part of its efforts to empower small businesses. The 2016 debut of the consumer-focused event received very positive reviews nationally and internationally, had over 90 exhibitors from the food sector and attracted over 25,000 guests over the 2-day period. It was followed by the first edition of The GTBank Fashion Weekend, held in November 2016, which achieved a similar impact in the SME segment of the Nigerian fashion industry and featured over 100 exhibitors and about 30,000 guests.

The GTBank Food and Drink Fair, which is free to attend, will expand on the favourite features of the previous event, such as Cooking MasterClasses and Sales Exhibitions by small businesses, whilst providing new and exciting features such as a Farmers’ Market, where SMEs involved in agriculture will showcase and sell fresh and organic farm products, and a Baking Masterclass for children. There will also be a diverse range of restaurants offering mouth-watering dishes, outdoor grills and thrilling entertainments as well as savoury Wine tastings to enable attendees experience an exciting and eclectic mix of undiscovered brands and household names alike.

Commenting on the GTBank Food & Drink Fair, Mr Segun Agbaje, the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, said; “We are delighted to return with the2nd edition of the GTBank Food and Drink Fair.This year, we are raising the bar on the scope and features of the event to deliver an exquisite experience of Nigeria’s diverse culinary mosaic to our customers, the general public and food enthusiasts from around the world. He further stated that, “With the successes of the first editions of the Food and Drink Fair and Fashion Weekend events, we are encouraged to do more; connecting businesses to consumers, creating new markets and business opportunities for our customers.

GTBank has consistently played a leading role in Africa’s banking industry. The GTBank brand is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation. The Bank is also going beyond the traditional understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility as corporate philanthropy by intervening in key economic sectors to strengthen small businesses through non-profit consumer focused fairs and capacity building initiatives that serve to boost their expertise, exposure and business growth.