US embassy cable - 02ABUJA2032

UNCLAS ABUJA 002032 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE PASS TO USTR: USTR FOR WHITAKER AND COLEMAN; 
STATE FOR AF/PD, AF/W, AF/RA, AF/EB, IIP/G/AF, IIP/T/ES 
(CHRISTISON), PA/PI/OBS/P 
LAGOS FOR PAS, ECON, FCS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, KPAO, OIIP, SCUL, NI, AGOA 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: KEY ELITES WORK TOGETHER TO OVERCOME AGOA 
FAILURES 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: The Public Affairs Section and the Foreign 
Commercial Service of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria organized two 
one-day seminars, June 19-20, in Abuja focusing on the Africa 
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).  The seminars, "AGOA: 
Participating in Trade," and "Public-Private Partnership for 
Success with AGOA," featured PD-provided speaker Dr. Sharon 
Freeman with Fred Oladeinde and Gregory Simpkins of the 
Washington-based Foundation for Democracy in Africa and Embassy 
Counselor for Commercial Affairs Miguel Pardo de Zela.  The 
interaction of the speakers with the audience, and the audience 
with itself, created a positive dynamic and led to pledges of 
follow up between the GON and private sector.  Audience 
participation included seven Senators from the Committee on 
Economic Affairs;  senior officials of the Nigeria Customs 
Service, Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), and 
Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC); officials from 
ministries of commerce and industries at state and federal 
levels, and leading industrialists and textile industry 
representatives from Kano and Kaduna.  The seminars also promoted 
AGOA-related activities including the July 11-12 Seminar in 
Accra, Ghana. End Summary. 
 
 
GPRA Data: 
 
 
2.  DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY: More than 140 policymakers and key 
players in the Nigerian manufacturing sector participated in the 
two days of seminars.  The key speaker for the two sessions, Dr. 
Sharon Freeman, described AGOA and explained its potential to 
enhance growth and productivity.  Dr. Freeman said the failure to 
date to implement textile visas and trans-shipment laws, and poor 
infrastructure, had prevented Nigeria from realizing significant 
benefits from AGOA.  She encouraged the private and public sector 
participants to express their own concerns, and suggested 
possible remedies based on her experience promoting the Caribbean 
Basin Initiative in the 1980s. Oladeinde and Simpkins addressed 
the need for public-private sector interaction.  Pardo de Zela 
discussed the inevitability of globalization, the need for 
Nigerian enterprises to proactively seek out and use available 
information and sources of credit, and described how the Foreign 
Commercial Service could assist businesses wishing to export to 
the U.S. 
 
 
3.  JUSTIFICATION AND OBJECTIVE: During the two years since AGOA 
became law, Nigeria has made little progress in increasing 
exports to the U.S.  Macroeconomic policies which hamper exports, 
a lack of commitment by the business community, and poor 
infrastructure are among the obstacles to using AGOA to create an 
alternative to petroleum as a source of export earnings.  These 
seminars brought key individuals and institutions together to see 
how these problems might be addressed. 
 
 
4.  DATE: June 19-20, 2002, FY 2002, third quarter 
 
 
5. MPP UMBRELLA THEME AND AUDIENCE REACHED: Economic Development. 
Over 140 contacts drawn from relevant Nigerian institutions, 
including officials of the Ministry of Commerce, Nigerian Export 
Promotion Council, Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, NEXIM 
Bank, Nigerian Customs Service, elected officials including 
several national legislators and state governors or their 
representatives, and private sector representatives from chambers 
of commerce, major textile manufacturers, exporters, and non- 
governmental organizations engaged in manufacturing attended the 
seminar.  Regular viewers of Nigeria's national television, 
estimated to be several million, and those who read newspapers, 
were also part of the audience reached with the AGOA message. 
 
 
6. NON-USG SUPPORT: None 
 
 
7. USG SUPPORT: Excellent.  Post appreciates Washington's support 
in making Dr. Freeman available.  The Foreign Commercial Service 
was also of great assistance, as was USAID, which had sponsored 
Oladeinde and Simpkins and his group in their trip to Nigeria. 
Freeman is an articulate speaker.  At Post request, she modified 
her presentation to promote greater dialogue among the 
participants. Her experience in working with Central America gave 
her the authority to convince the audience that they could 
overcome similar problems facing their export sector. 
 
 
8. MEDIA REACTION: Dr. Freeman gave a 45-minute interview to 
Rhythm Radio, Abuja.  The national TV network, NTA, gave her a 
60-second soundbite.  Lagos-based Vanguard, one of Nigeria's 
leading papers, particularly among business readers, ran a three- 
quarter-page interview with Dr. Freeman. 
Jeter