U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bradley McKinney, and Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, have co-chaired the U.S.-Nigeria Commercial and Investment Partnership (CIP) Ministerial in Lagos. This happened on Thursday.
The meeting marks the continuation of high-level engagements under the CIP, a five-year framework designed to strengthen bilateral commercial ties, expand two-way trade and investment, and advance private–sector–led economic growth.
At the ministerial, the two governments convened an interagency delegation of trade financing, trade promotion, and project development experts to review priority reforms recommended by the three CIP working groups—agriculture, digital economy, and infrastructure—comprising U.S. and Nigerian private sector leaders.
These proposed reforms aim to deliver tangible, long-term improvements to the business environment and to remove barriers to trade and investment.
“This ministerial meeting underscores significant advancements in the vital U.S.-Nigeria commercial and investment partnership,” Deputy Assistant Secretary McKinney said. “Over the past six months, Agriculture, Digital Economy, and Infrastructure Working Groups have engaged across government and industry and developed thoughtful, practical proposals to unlock trade and deepen the bilateral commercial relationship between the United States and Nigeria.”
Oduwole applauded the continued strong relationship with the United States, evidenced by the high-level delegation visit from Washington and welcomed U.S. businesses to invest in the CIP’s priority sectors and “benefit from trading with Nigeria through to the African continent.”
Oduwole added, “A central priority for us is to accelerate non-oil export diversification and to ensure that more Nigerian businesses can access U.S. markets in a way that is competitive, sustainable, and inclusive.”
Since the launch of the CIP working groups in June 2025, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has “sustained momentum on business climate reform, strengthened competitiveness, and advanced investment, industrial, and trade policy alignment and implementation … laying the foundations for a more predictable, investible economy and creating stronger conditions for this partnership to deliver tangible outcomes”, she explained.
The CIP working groups were joined by senior U.S. officials, including the U.S. Mission Chargé d’affaires, Keith Heffern; the U.S. Department of Agriculture Associate Administrator for the Foreign Agricultural Service, Jason Hafemeister; and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa, Heather Lanigan. Nigerian government participation included the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Nura Rimi, and Director of Investment at the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Gertrude Orji.
Under the CIP, the United States and Nigeria will continue consultations on a wide range of trade and investment issues, explore ways to expand trade in goods and services, and encourage increased investment flows between both countries to further drive prosperity, growth, and job creation on both sides of the Atlantic.
Nigeria benefits from trading and investing with U.S. companies known for delivering world-class quality, efficiency, and effectiveness in their products and services, creating mutual growth through doing business with the most competitive American businesses on Earth.
Nigeria is currently the United States’ second-largest trading partner in Africa, with two-way trade in goods and services totalling nearly $13 billion in 2024.
The United States also remains one of Nigeria’s leading foreign investors, with U.S. foreign direct investment reaching $7.9 billion in 2024—a 25.2 per cent increase from 2023.
