President and Chief Executive of the Corporate Council on Africa’s (CCA), Ms. Florizelle Liser, on Thursday, recently met with key stakeholders in the public and private sector during her visit to Kenya and Nigeria as part of ongoing efforts to promote the upcoming U.S.-Africa Business Summit.
CCA, a Washington D.C. based organization, is the leading U.S. business association focused solely on connecting business interests between the United States and Africa.
The visit scheduled to hold between June 18 and 21, 2019 in Maputo, Mozambique is aimed at advancing trade, investment and business engagement between the United States and Nigeria.
In Lagos, Nigeria, Ms. Liser and Ekenem Isichei, West Africa Director, CCA, met with CCA board members: Aliko Dangote, President/CEO, Dangote Group and Jim Ovia, chairman of Zenith Bank, and invited them to speak at the Maputo Summit.
The meetings also afforded Dangote and Ovia an opportunity to share their current business objectives and expansion efforts across Africa with Ms. Liser.
A statement by Olaotan Awoyomi said Ms. Liser and Isichei also attended a private CCA member dinner hosted by Ovia, which was attended by Dr. Yinka Oduwole, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Alhaji Dangote, Victor Hammond, Cecil Hammond, Femi Otedola, chairman of Forte Oil Plc and AIg-Imoukhuede, immediate past Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc. The dinner also had in attendance, private sector business leaders from Andela, Flutterwave, Citibank, GE, Google, Visa, Procter and Gamble, and Simon Coopers, among others.
At the dinner, Ms. Liser discussed CCA’s commitment to promoting U.S.-Nigeria relations, its activities in different sectors across Nigeria and the continent, inviting, while also using the opportunity to invite all members and dinner guests to the U.S.-Africa Business Summit.
During her visit, Ms. Liser also met with the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce (LCCI) President, Babatunde Ruwase, Muda Yusuf, the Director-General; and Ms. Temitope Akintunde, Assistant Director.
The meeting discussed areas of mutual interest and identify areas of opportunities where both organizations could work together.
Ms. Liser also met with the President of the Nigerian American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), Mr. Akomolafe, the Director-General, Joyce Akpata, and members of the board. Given that both organizations are focused on building strong synergies between the US and Nigeria, Ms. Liser invited the President and members of the NACC to CCA’s U.S.-Africa Business Summit.
The CCA president also attended a private dinner hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Tunde Folawiyo and the Global Citizen’s foundation, which was attended by the governor-elect of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwolu, Ovia, Tonye Cole and Biola Alabi, among others.
Ms. Liser also explored Nigeria’s tech sector by visiting the Andela Nigeria office and the Vibranium Valley innovation hub and expressed satisfaction with the human capital development efforts involved and the remarkable innovation from the ICT sector in Nigeria.
Photo Caption: From left to right- Mr. AIg-Imoukhuede, Mr. Aliko Dangote, Ms. Florizelle Liser, Femi Otedola, Jim Ovia, Tunde Folawiyo at Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) meeting in Lagos.