TheCable

A group of stakeholders has solicited US partnership to boost trade and investment opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.

The stakeholders, including ministers, shared the existing trade opportunities in various sectors at an event on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations Annual General meetings.

The programme had Nigerian political, business leaders and their US counterparts, in attendance.

On the front burner was advancing trade relations between both continents.

The event themed, ‘The Imperatives of Global Trade for SMEs as Game Changer for the Future Prosperity of the African Continent’, held on September 21 in New York.

The programme was organised by T-BYK ventures, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, SME100, K-Pro Consulting, and Progressive Professionals of Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, Tunde MacAlabi, chief executive officer (CEO) of T-BYK ventures, said the meeting would foster mutually beneficial relationships.

“The program is a private sector initiative to complement the efforts of the US-Africa Leaders Summit which seeks to foster greater commercial and trade relations between the two continents for the economic security of Africa,” MacAlabi said.

MacAlabi, who is chairman of the organising committee of the maiden edition of the Africa International Trade Exhibition and Investment programme, commended the sponsors of the 2023 event.

He added that the 2nd edition will be held in Atlanta, US and Ottawa, Canada in July 2024.

Other stakeholders at the event included Kanayo Awani, vice-president of Intra-Africa Trade of Afreximbank; Adesola Adeduntan, managing director of First Bank; Alex Okoh, director-general of Bureau of Public Enterprises; and Hadja Wakil, acting executive secretary and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.

Ministers who attended the programme were Mariya Mahmoud, minister of state for FCT; Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development; and Doris Anite, minister of industry, trade and investment, who represented President Bola Tinubu.