U.S. Honors Nigerian Business Partners, Holds Session on Increasing Bilateral Trade
The Commercial Service of the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria hosted its annual Networking with the USA Appreciation Forum (NUSA) and International Partner Awards on last week, Wednesday, September 7, 2016. The event took place at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, with over 400 local business executives in attendance.
The NUSA Forum honors Nigerian business leaders who promote U.S. products and services and who have contributed significantly to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the U.S. Commercial Service in Nigeria. Five categories of awards were presented to business leaders and companies demonstrating special creativity, resourcefulness and hard work in improving trade between the United States of America and Nigeria.
“This year the ceremony featured presentations on topical economic issues affecting businesses in Nigeria, including access to foreign currency, the floating exchange rate and the dual impact on dollar- and naira-denominated transactions,” said Senior Commercial Officer Brent Omdahl.
Distinguished guest speakers included Mr. Moses Kpughur Tule, Director of the Monetary Policy Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria, speaking on behalf of Governor Godwin Emefiele, addressed the topic of “The New CBN Flexible Foreign Exchange Policy – What Has Changed?” Mr. Edike Eporwei, Customs Area Comptroller for Zone A of the Nigerian Customs Service, also spoke on “Promoting Nigerian-American trade through an effective import/export process, cargo inspection and enforcement of standards.”
The ceremony, which was open to the Nigerian business community, also featured an interactive session with United States consular officers who explained the visa process and demystified common myths.
As part of the NUSA Forum, the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) held an information session on the process for accessing early stage funding to make infrastructure projects bankable.
Officers of the Nigerian Customs Service held discussions with participants on how best to manage the import process in a challenging business environment.
