US, Nigerian Officials Optimistic About Bilateral Trade

On Thursday, January 29, the U.S. Nigeria Council for Food Security, Trade, and Investment

(USNC) convened a dinner on Victoria Island on the margins of the US-Nigeria Commercial Investment Partnership (CIP) talks. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Bradley McKinney, Federal Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, H.E. Jumoke Oduwole, and Executive Governor of Lagos State, H.E. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, headlined the event.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and USNC Chairman Terence McCulley welcomed guests to the dinner and highlighted how the ongoing CIP talks present a valuable opportunity for the two countries to re-energize their commercial relationship as the bilateral security partnership takes on a new dimension.

DAS McKinney shared his positive impressions of Nigeria and noted that he is emphasizing US commercial ties to Nigeria in his role at the Department of Commerce. He was pleased with the progress made during the CIP talks earlier in the day and said he is optimistic about the future of US-Nigeria trade.

H.E. Governor Sanwo-Olu reflected positively on developments in Lagos State in recent years, noting that international investment (including from the United States) has been a key enabler in making the metropolis a hub of commerce and innovation in Africa. He highlighted the opportunities available to US firms and investors in Lagos.

H.E. Minister Oduwole echoed DAS McKinney's positive readout of the CIP talks and expressed her hope that continued talks would lead to even greater commercial ties between the United States and Nigeria.

USNC Senior Advisor, Aubrey Hruby, then moderated a discussion that included contributions from Nigerian and US entrepreneurs in the agriculture, tech, transportation, and finance sectors, among others. The USNC was excited to return to Lagos for a third straight year with this productive dinner event and was thrilled with the interest and engagement registered from business leaders from both sides of the Atlantic.

The value of this conversation was evident throughout the evening, and we were particularly pleased to welcome many USNC members, including Founding Member John Coumantaros, Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria and Honorary Co-Chair of the USNC, Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive of Oando, Zouera Youssoufou, CEO of the Dangote Foundation, Ebisan Akisanya, Coordinator for Corporate Responsibility and National Programs at Chevron, Femi Akinware, Director of Exchange Telecomm, Kelechi Ogbuaku, Deputy General Manager of Zenith Bank, and Elizabeth Oguegbu, Group Head for Financial Markets and Funding at Access Bank.