Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote, Founder and Chairman Zenith Bank Plc Jim Ovia, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene and African Export-Import (AFEXIM) Bank President/Chairman Prof Benedict Okey Oramah are some of the dignitaries expected at the seventh annual edition of the Zenith Bank International Trade Seminar.
The seminar with its theme as: “Unlocking opportunities in Nigeria’s non-oil export business”, will be holding on Wednesday, July 20, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos and virtually at 9.00 am. The seminar will be live on Zoom and YouTube and participants will receive a confirmation email after registration.
It is part of Zenith Bank’s efforts to support the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) initiatives to grow Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
In a statement, the bank said its Group Managing Director Ebenezer Onyeagwu will deliver the welcome address; keynote speech will be delivered by Dangote, while goodwill messages will come from Ovia, Emefiele, Mene and Oramah.
The seminar will draw participation from trade practitioners, local and foreign exporters, manufacturers, financial institutions, and government agencies. This forum would also provide an opportunity for all participants, including relevant government agencies, to explore ways to unlock the immense opportunities in Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Sector.
The three panel discussions will focus on the value chain and prospects of the non-oil export sector and has five discussants, including the Managing Director, GACON Ltd, Adaku Chidume Okoro; Managing Director, WACOT, Bibhu Nanda; Group Managing Director, Tulip Cocoa, Johan Van Der Merwe; Managing Director, First Patriot, Santosh Phenany; and Managing Director, Starlink Global & Ideal Ltd, Alhaji Adeyemi M. Adeniji.
The second panel titled: “Funding/Logistics/Government Support for the Non-Oil Export Sector”, will explore the availability of long-term funds, insurance & reinsurance, and risk-sharing mechanism for the non-oil export sector.
The panel has five discussants, including the Managing Director/CEO, Bank of Industry, Olukayode Pitan; Director, Development Finance of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Yusuf Philip Yila; Managing Director, West Africa Container Terminal, Naved Zafar; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko; and the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Ibrahim Hameed Ali (rtd).
The third panel discussion titled: “The ABC of non-oil export,” will focus on the pitfalls in the non-oil export business, standardisation and grading of primary export products, as well as the export of services, especially the burgeoning Nigerian creative industry.
The panel also has five discussants, including a well-respected trade expert, Olusegun Awolowo; Founder/CEO, Flutterwave, Agboola Olugbenga; Chairman/CEO, Colossus Investment, Mr. Babatola Faseru; President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi; and Senior Consultant, 3T Impex Trade Centre, Mr. Bamidele Ayemibo.