US Government seeks to increase bilateral trade with Nigeria

The United States Government has expressed its readiness to increase her bilateral trade with Nigeria.

To this end, the Commercial Service of the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria has hosted its annual networking with the USA Appreciation Forum (NUSA) and international partner awards.

The event which took place in Lagos has over 400 local business executives in attendance.

The NUSA Forum honours Nigerian business leaders who promote USA products and services and who have contributed significantly to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the USA 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.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Senior Commercial Officer, Brent Omdahl, said: “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 the dollar and naira-denominated transactions”.

Apart from Omdahl, the Director of Monetary Policy Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Moses Kpughur Tule, who represented the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, and the Assistant Comptroller General of Customs (ACG), Zone ‘A’, ACG Charles Edike also spoke at the occasion.

While Emefiele spoke on the topic “The New CBN Flexible Foreign Exchange Policy – What Has Changed?” ACG Edike spoke on “Promoting Nigerian-American Trade through an Effective Import/Export Process, Cargo Inspection and Enforcement of Standards.”

The event which was open to the Nigerian business community also featured an interactive session with the United States consular officers who explained the visa process and demystified common myths surrounding it.

[today.ng]