By Vera Samuel Anyagafu

The US Commercial Service in Nigeria at its annual Networking with the USA Appreciation (NUSA), yesterday, honoured Nigerian business leaders who have contributed to the increasing bilateral trade between the US and Nigeria by promoting both US products and services.

The NUSA forum which attended to over 400 local business executives who have contributed significantly to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the US Commercial Service in Nigeria, presented about five categories of awards to business leaders and companies demonstrating special creativity, resourcefulness and hard work in improving trade between the two countries.

According the Mission’s Senior Commercial Officer, Brent Omdahl, “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.”

Speaking on behalf of the Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Director of the Monetary Policy Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Moses Kpughur Tule, addressed the topic, “The New CBN Flexible Foreign Exchange Policy – What Has Changed?, while, Customs Area Comptroller, Zone A, Nigerian Customs Service, Mr. Edike Eporwei, lectured on ‘Promoting Nigerian-American trade through an effective import/export process, cargo inspection and enforcement of standards’, urging participants on how best to manage the import process in a challenging business environment.

However, the ceremony, which was open to the Nigerian business community, also featured an interactive session with United States consular officers, who in turn explained US visa processes, and also demystified common myths around it.

In addition, the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) provided information on the process for accessing early stage funding to make infrastructure projects bankable.