Over 50 Nigerian entrepreneurs gather for annual trade show in the park

Over 50 Nigerian vendors packed Kiwanis Park for the trade show to showcase their businesses. (Angela Stewart / CTV News)

The fourth edition of the Nigerian Entrepreneurs Summer Hangout (NESH) took place on Saturday,

Over 50 Nigerian vendors packed Kiwanis Park for the trade show to showcase their business.

Many of the vendors were selling traditional food, clothing, and makeup.

Adetutu Akinlou is the owner of Awelewa Makeovers. She started her business in Nigeria and then eventually moved to Canada to sell and do makeovers.

“I’ve been in business for as long as I would say 13 to 14 years now. I started way back in Nigeria, Africa. When I moved here, I started this and so far so good.”

Being a Black business owner, Akinlou said it was difficult getting her business up and running at first.

“I didn't really have any struggle in Nigeria because this is something that we appreciate in Africa. We love makeup, we love colours. But coming to Canada, I had this bridge of trying to get into the other skin tone. Breaking into the African tone was not a problem because I had to just to show people that, okay, this is me doing this and they were able to identify with it,” she explained.

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The event was also a chance for the vendors to network and build connections with those alike.

NESH organizers said tradeshows like this are good for new business owners as it gives them a chance to meet others and promotes their products.

"The mindset of people here right now, coming to Canada or travelling, they believe that all the Black businesses or the Black people cannot thrive in this community. But when you start, you come out, you attend this kind of trade show, you attend a community event … to showcase whatever you have. You don't have to start big, you just start small,” said Ola Sanusi, the organizer of NESH.

Sanusi, who is a business owner herself, said she knows first hand what it’s like to start as a newcomer and wanting to grow a business.

“I would say personally as giving me the limelight to people because when I came here first I didn’t know how to break into. The people in the market telling people, but coming here and people having to talk to me one on one, showing that my social media page, this is what I do,” she said.