US embassy cable - 04LAGOS685

UNCLAS LAGOS 000685 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, EINV, ECON, PREL, NI, AGOA 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: CONTRIBUTIONS FOR TRADE AGREEMENT 
ENFORCEMENT AND MONITORING REPORT TO CONGRESS 
 
REF: (A) KRZYWDA-GREGOIRE EMAIL OF 03/25/04 
 
     (B) LAGOS 309 
 
1. (U) In response to questions raised in the above- 
referenced email, Post is pleased to provide the 
following information: 
 
2. (U) Designated Abuja and Lagos EconOffs have primary 
responsibility for trade agreement monitoring and 
compliance.  The Mission's commercial counselor and 
agricultural attach are closely involved, especially 
in Mission-sponsored public awareness campaigns.  With 
State support, the agricultural attach generally takes 
the lead on issues affecting trade in agricultural 
goods. 
 
3. (U) The Mission's Trade Compliance Committee 
e 
coordinates inter-agency trade agreement monitoring and 
compliance efforts.  The committee meets quarterly to 
review GON trade policies and recommend action to 
policymakers in various Washington offices.  The 
committee comprises the deputy chief of Mission, the 
economic counselor, Abuja and Lagos EconOffs for trade, 
the commercial counselor, the agricultural attach, and 
USAID representatives. 
 
4. (U) State recently took the lead in coordinating the 
Mission's response to the GON's January 2004 
announcement of bans on more than 40 products.  The 
Lagos EconOff for trade collected data on the list of 
banned items, narrowed it to those of particular 
interest to U.S. businesses and economic sectors, and 
coordinated the first quarter's Trade Compliance 
Committee meeting, the findings of which were 
transmitted on February 10 (ref B).  The Departments of 
State, Commerce, and Agriculture, through their 
respective officials at Post, have jointly planned an 
awareness campaign to educate the Nigerian public about 
the disadvantages of bans and have recommended that the 
USG focus on specific issues in high-level meetings 
with the GON later this year.  In general, State leads 
the Mission's efforts to respond appropriately to the 
GON's increasingly protectionist trade policies. 
 
5. (U) Comment: Nigeria's trade policies tend to change 
suddenly and arbitrarily.  Decisions regarding tariffs 
and import bans are made at several levels of 
government, including the presidency.  A lack of timely 
published official rulings makes monitoring difficult, 
and enforcement of official policy is rarely 
consistent.  State EconOffs in Abuja and Lagos track 
Nigeria's ever-changing trade policy landscape by using 
contacts in a variety of govenment and private sector 
offices to obtain information quickly, put it in a 
business context, and forward it to interested parties. 
While the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture have 
great expertise in their fields, State EconOffs 
understand the broad implications of trade policy 
decisions and provide the USG with in-depth 
understanding of trends.  No other agency on the ground 
can provide that service.  End comment. 
 
HINSON-JONES