First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider,sponsored the Africa International Trade Exhibition (A.I.T.E 2023), held on 21 and 22September 2023 at the Hilton Hotel Midtown, New York, U.S.A. The event was themed “theimperatives of global trade for African SMEs as a game changer for the continent’s futureprosperity”.
Woven into the fabric of society, with the rich heritage of being the premier Bank in West Africa,FirstBank’s sponsorship of the event reiterated its commitment to being the bank of first choiceand financial gateway in supporting businesses to boost the growth and socio-economicdevelopment of the continent in today’s fast-evolving business landscape.
Notable personalities and dignitaries at the event include Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister ofIndustry Trade and Investment and representative of Senator Bola Tinubu (GCFR), Presidentand Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Mr Festus Keyamo,SAN, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria; Dr Mariya Mahmoud, Ministerof State Federal Capital Territory; His Excellency, Adeyinka Asekun, Nigeria’s HighCommissioner to Canada; Hon Abike Dabiri, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in DiasporaCommission; Ambassa Bolaji Akintemi, Director, Economic, Trade and Investment, Ministry ofForeign Affairs, Nigeria; Mr Olukayode Pitan, Managing Director, Bank of Industry; Mrs KanayoAwani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade, African Export-Import Bank(Afreximbank); Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank Group; MrOluwatosin Adewuyi, Executive Director, Corporate Banking, FirstBank and Mr Ini Ebong,Executive Director, Treasury and International Banking, FirstBank.
Tunde MacAlabi, Visioner of the African International Trade Exhibition project said “The AITEproject is conceived to assist African SMEs to gain greater penetration in the North Americanmarket that has huge potentials.
The African American population in the US is 30 million strong, spending close to 1.2 trillion
dollars as consumers.
The popularity of our afrobeat music, the ground that it is gaining in North America and the
globe is remarkable. With this idea, pushing authentic African made products into the market to
rise on the wave of the popularity of our music can diversify the sources of foreign exchange
income that we accurately need in Nigeria and Africa.
Our effort is a complementary private sector driven initiative to help bridge the commercial gap
to increase the commercial engagement between Nigeria, Africa and the USA.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, CEO of FirstBank Group said: “I am particularly
delighted that this year’s theme beams the spotlight on a sector that can be referred to as the
bedrock of Africa’s economic prosperity. Africa’s SME sector is also a good representation of
the unyielding and resilient spirit of the African people in the face of many daunting challenges.”
With a vision to become “Africa’s Bank of First Choice”, FirstBank’s commitment to the
development and economic transformation of the African continent is unwavering and we will
continue to make the required investments to actualize this goal. I make bold to say that, in
FirstBank, Africa has a dependable ally.
Indeed, it is the turn of Africa to rise, and FirstBank is strategically positioned to provide the
required financial services support to the SME sector that will catalyze the next phase of Africa’s
growth and development,” he concluded.
Representing Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah, President & Chairman, African Export-Import Bank
(Afreximbank), Mrs Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade, African
Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) said “I am grateful to the African International Trade
Exhibition (AITE) for the kind opportunity to participate in this event. I congratulate AITE for
building this unique platform to rally global investments and policy support towards the
attainment of the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Agreements. These activities of
AITE are significant complements to Afreximbank’s trade facilitation agenda. We are therefore
pleased to be associated with AITE and its activities.
We must continue to leverage the platforms created by the Bank and AITE to forge
partnerships, share ideas and contribute to the growth and development of African SMEs to
ensure that their potentials as the driving force for the transformation of the continent. As l like to
say, the opportunity is now, and it has a shelf life.
Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria noted that “the
importance of the aviation sector in Nigeria and any country cannot be overemphasised. The
gains of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) cannot be realized without a robust
Aviation policy in Africa that will enhance the movement of goods and personnel across Africa.
We need to promote a robust Africa Aviation policy and find a way to liberalize the aviation
sector within Africa.
I call on investors to come to Nigeria as the Aviation sector is the gateway for investment into
the country, taking a cue from the speech of Mr. President yesterday to the world (during his
address at the 78th Session of UN General Assembly), we are asking investors to come and
partner with us as opportunities abound in Nigeria. We have the population, market, traffic and
economy to support businesses.
Encouraging Nigerians in the diaspora to drive foreign direct investment into the country, Dr
Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment spoke on behalf of Senator Bola
Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
She said “I enjoin Nigerians in the diaspora to invest in Nigeria. I know the spirit of being a
Nigerian because I am one.
We are very prosperous, resilient, persistent, bold, audacious. We like to make decisions in our
favour profitably. We are also very warm and welcoming. Galvanizing all these qualities and
focus it back home will lead to us doing a whole lot.
The A.I.T.E 2023 Business, Trade, and Investment Summit convened business leaders,
entrepreneurs and government functionaries from diverse sectors across Africa and the globe.
Held on the sidelines of the 78th Session of UN General Assembly (UNGA), the event promotes
networking amongst think tanks whilst being a viable avenue for organisations to showcase
cutting-edge products and services, thereby building valuable business relationships to drive
economic advancement and cooperation beyond the African continent.