The 13th edition of the Fair on government action known by its French acronym as SAGO has begun in Yaoundé with some exhibitors rounding up preparations for the annual event.
SAGO 2024 will run for eight days on the theme, “Governance and Improving the Living Conditions of Citizens” at the Yaounde Multipurpose Complex.
Day 1 of the fair has been a time for exhibitors to finalize preparations. A total of 245 exhibitors are expected at the event which will be officially opened on Monday 23rd July.
“This year, we want to showcase what government is doing to improve the living conditions of citizens. We count on the media to give out the right information so that Cameroonians can take advantage of every available opportunity during this exhibition and afterwards,” Patrice Assiga, head of the SAGO organizing committee told CRTV Web.
Last-minute Preparations
By 10am this morning, the SAGO village looked like a vast construction complex. More than 80% of exhibitors were still in the heart of setting up their stands.
Visitors are welcomed by loud sounds of hammers hitting pieces of wood together, cars transporting wood and other construction materials to empty spaces that would soon become stands, others are hanging blinds on their skeletal structures, rolling out carpets or busy with electricity installations.
Caters rush in with chauffeur dishes. They have come to deliver food, water and soft drinks to clients who had ordered. Elsewhere, heads of construction teams pace around dishing out instructions to workers constructing the exhibition stands.
Most people could be found standing, no chairs were available yet. A lady however sits in an almost completed stand. It bears the inscription “the Ministry of Fisheries, Industries and Animal Husbandry.” She is taking a rest, after having gotten the stand ready for exhibition, with a male colleague.
Mr. Perin Melchior Nzie, Head of the communication unit of the Ministry is busy searching for an electrician to fix a faulty electrical outlet. He tells CRTV WEB the stand is 90% ready for the event, but for chairs and a few other needs are yet to be brought in by suppliers.
The Ministry of Fisheries, Industries and Animal Husbandry is in SAGO with clear objectives.
“ We are here to showcase our services to the public. People need to know that it’s not only growing animals that’s important, but their health should also be taken care of. We also want them to know how they can get authorization to function as well as partners who are willing to work with them,” Divine Ngala, Sub Director of Aquaculture said.
The Ministry of Leisure and Tourism, some parastatals and businesses were also ready for exhibitions, and could be seen welcoming the handful of guests who made it to the exhibition village on Day 1.
Early Visitors
The presence of visitors at the SAGO exhibition village was quite timid. Barely a handful of visitors walked in to catch a first glimpse of the event ground.
Among them was a mum who came along with eight kids. The children looked excited and inquisitive. Their mum, made sure they stayed around each other, and called them to order each time one of them strayed.
“I have the habit of always taking my children to exhibitions. But it is sometimes not easy because of the things I have to handle. I believe bringing them here makes them see things that open their minds and they get inspired. The start of the fair is quite timid, but I may bring them again on Saturday,” Marie P told CRTV WEB.
SAGO 2024 is here! Public service structures, parastatals, and businesses are expected to showcase their services, projects and innovations, job opportunities to the public, in line with this years theme which borders on improving the living conditions of citizens.
Kathy Neba Sina
