Business
Nigeria, US Trade Hits $5.21bn In Eight Months
Nigeria and the United States recorded 5.21 billion dollars bilateral trade between January and August this year.
The Consul General, US Consulate in Lagos, Ms Claire Pierangelo, disclosed this during the 2019 International Investment Conference on Wednesday in Lagos.
The event, organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), was themed; ‘Promoting Investment, Connecting Businesses.’
Represented by US Commercial Attache, Ms Christine Kelley, Pierangelo said that the US saw a lot of opportunities in Nigeria, adding that 8.3 billion dollars was recorded as trade in 2018.
She commended Nigeria for improving in its ranking on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index, saying it foresees more improvement in the economy.
According to her, to sustain flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Nigeria, government should maintain an open dialogue with international bodies, improve its regulatory environment, policies and infrastructure.
She urged the business community to hold government accountable on some of its policies, saying that many US companies were affected by some of government’s policies.
Pierangelo said that such policies sent a warning signal to many US investors, thus scaring them away from the country.
According to her, policies such as 43 items on the banned lists and the dairy sector, is a concern to many investors.
She urged the government to take logical steps and adopt roadmaps that would enable it boost sustainable economic growth.
Pierangelo likened investment to water flowing only along easy paths, saying that addressing the challenges of the business environment would unlock more investment opportunities for both countries.
Also, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics and Business Intelligence, Lagos Business School (LBS), Dr Bongo Adi, noted that Nigeria moving 39 place upward in the Ease of Doing Business ranking was impressive and its best since 2011.
He, however, said that attracting FDI had not matched the achievement, saying the country had about 9 billion dollars FDI inflow in 2011 which had dropped to less than 2 billion dollars in 2018.
Adi said that government should work on policies and initiatives that would allow its improved ease of doing business ranking translate to increased FDI inflow.
Earlier, President of LCCI, Mr Babatunde Ruwase, said that the country was in dire need of investment to advance and transform the economy.
“Investment helps to create jobs, diversify the economy, grow government revenue and improve the welfare of the people,” he said.
Ruwase said that Nigeria’s recovery from recession in 2017 had elicited calls for policies that would support sustainable growth and development.
“Steps have been taken and policies put in place to ensure the revamping of the Nigerian economy through the promotion of industrialisation and non-oil export for sustainable economic recovery,” Ruwase said.
According to him, to sustain the recovery, there must be added drive for domestic and foreign direct investment, promotion of non-oil exports and continued efforts at improving the ease of doing business in the country.
Credit to Nigeria’s private sector rose to N83.26 trillion in June 2026 from N81.04 trillion in May, signifying a positive balance of N2.22 trillion month-on-month.
Year-on-year, the figure represents a nine per cent increase compared with the N76.13 trillion recorded in June 2025. The latest figures come as the CBN continues to balance efforts to control inflation with the need to support economic growth and expand credit to businesses.
The CBN data shows that credit to Nigeria’s private sector increased by approximately 2.74 per cent month-on-month between May and June 2026. Also, the CBN data noted that credit to the government fell slightly to N40.03 trillion from N40.38 trillion. Other assets, net, dropped to N10.76 trillion from N12.63 trillion.
The credit surge signifies sustained growth in lending to businesses and other private-sector borrowers during the month. The rise in private sector credit was recorded alongside an increase in net domestic credit, despite declines in credit to government and other assets.
Further analysis of the report says that compared with June 2025, private sector credit rose by about N7.13 trillion yea-on-year but net domestic credit increased by approximately N1.87 trillion during the month.
The CBN’s relatively tight monetary policy stance notwithstanding, more banks still loaded funds to the private sector within the period. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) held its 306th meeting on July 20 and 21.
The Committee reviewed recent developments in the global and domestic economies, assessed emerging risks to the outlook and considered their implications for monetary policy and retained all rates.
The Committee decided to retain the Monetary Policy Rate at 26.5 per cent; the Standing Facilities Corridor around the MPR at +50/-450 basis points and retain the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) for Deposit Money Banks at 45.00 per cent, Merchant Banks at 16.00 per cent, and non-TSA public sector deposits at 75.00 per cent.
The MPC decision means that credit extension in the private sector will likely continue to rise because of rising confidence in the sector and calls by stakeholders for banks to invest in the private scetor instead of government securities.
