Zenith Bank will on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, hold the seventh edition of its International Trade Seminar themed “Unlocking Opportunities in Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Business,” at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, and virtually by 9.00 am.
The seminar, the bank said in a statement, is part of its efforts to support the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) initiatives to grow the country’s non-oil export sector.
The seminar, it noted, will draw participation from trade practitioners, local and foreign exporters, manufacturers, financial institutions, and government agencies, and 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.
Expected at the event is the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, who will give the welcome address, Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, will give the keynote speech, while goodwill messages will be delivered by eminent individuals, including the Founder and Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia; the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele; Secretary-General, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene; and President/Chairman, African Export-Import Bank, Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah.
There will be three panel discussions during the seminar, the first of which is titled “Unlocking Opportunities in Nigeria’s Non-Oil Export Business: Operators/Practitioners’ Perspectives”, which will focus on the value chain and prospects of the non-oil export sector and has five discussants, including the Managing Director, GACON Ltd, HRM 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 CBN, 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”, the statement further added, 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, Babatola Faseru; President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi; and Senior Consultant, 3T Impex Trade Centre, Mr Bamidele Ayemibo.
The seminar will be live on Zoom and YouTube, and interested participants are expected to connect on Zoom, simply visit www.zenithbank/exportsem to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. You can also watch live on YouTube via the link: https://bit.ly/ZBTradeSeminarLive.
