Economy
US, NACC Charge Local Businesses to Capitalize on Trade Initiatives
By Adedapo Adesanya
The United States Consulate and the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) have urged local businesses to take advantage of the US mission’s trade initiatives for a greener economy.
This call was made during the NACC May Breakfast Meeting with themed US Mission’s Current Commercial-Focused Activities in Nigeria held in Lagos.
Mr David Russell, Head of Commercial Section, Lagos U.S. Consulate, said that the US mission has several initiatives aimed at engaging and providing Nigerian businesses and members of NACC with leverage and opportunities in the US market.
According to him, some of the initiatives include Prosper Africa, African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), West Africa Trade and Investment Hub, Networking with USA (NUSA) and initiatives targeted at women-led businesses.
Mr Russell said the Biden administration was focused on two-way trade between Africa and the US, adding that he was committed to revitalising partnerships based on dialogue, respect and mutually shared values.
“This means working together with African partners to advance our shared vision of a better and greener future and creating jobs in our economy through two-way trade and investment,” he said.
Speaking on the benefits of Prosper Africa, one of the initiatives, Mr Russell said it was one of the most powerful initiatives that Nigerian businesses could access to reach the US market.
“Prosper Africa is an inter-agency initiative within the US Embassy that looks to build and develop the economies within Africa.
“Through Prosper Africa and other broader economic initiatives, the U.S. government is dedicated to increasing two-way trade and mobilising investment inside Africa’s fast-growing markets.
“We are delivering on the Biden administration’s agenda of strengthening the availability of capital, infrastructure and global partnerships,” he said.
Mr Russell added that since relaunching the initiative, the US government had supported over 800 deals and investment deals worth over $50 billion for both economies.
“We are focused on driving transformative investment in key sectors that will bring us closer to the greener, healthier future.
“The sectors include digital economy, climate-smart infrastructure, financial services and healthcare,” Mr Russell noted.
He said that the mission would also promote investment and capacity building among women-led businesses, especially since they were adversely affected by the COVID -19 pandemic.
Mr Russell added that the West Africa Trade and Investment Hub provided guidance, capacity-building resources, mentorships and opportunities for businesses seeking to enjoy the benefits of AGOA.
He advised Nigerian business owners and members of the NACC across various commercial sectors to engage with the commercial department of the U.S. trade mission by visiting its International Trade Administration (ITA) website (www.trade.gov)
Mr Russell added that investment and support would go beyond trade to include the entertainment sector, especially since the Afrobeats music genre and Nollywood were becoming globally recognized.
On her part, Mrs Adebola-Williams, the president of NACC, reiterated the chamber’s commitment to boosting the volume of Nigeria-US trade.
She added that the chamber would continue to engage the U.S. mission in Nigeria on all trade and development activities for the benefit of members.
“We, therefore, provide regular opportunities for our members to update themselves with key initiatives undertaken by the US mission in Nigeria,” she said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The deadline for filing individual annual income tax returns for residents of Lagos State has again been extended to April 21, 2026.
This information was revealed via a statement signed by the Head of Corporate Communications of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mrs Monsurat Amasa-Oyelude, on Saturday.
The agency thanked some taxpayers for their continued compliance and commitment to the filing of their individual annual income tax returns, but charged those who have yet to file theirs to do so before the new deadline.
LIRS had earlier moved the deadline from its statutory period of March 31, 2026, to April 14, 2026, but due to “the overwhelming response and to enhance taxpayer convenience, while maintaining the integrity and accuracy of submissions,” the date was moved forward to April 26.
The tax-collecting organisation said it “observed a significant increase in traffic on its eTax platform as more taxpayers endeavour to meet the filing deadline.”
“In view of this development, and to ensure that all taxpayers are provided with adequate opportunity to successfully complete their filings, LIRS hereby announces a further extension of the deadline, now set for April 21, 2026,” it stated.
The agency reiterated that all filings must be completed electronically via the LIRS eTax platform: https://etax.lirs.net, which remains the only approved channel for submission.
Taxpayers were reminded that the filing of annual income tax returns remains a statutory obligation and were encouraged to take advantage of this final extension to fulfil their civic responsibility.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited was in green on Friday after it closed higher by 0.30 per cent as a result of sustained bargain hunting.
Customs Street was up yesterday after three of the five major sectors came under buying pressure, with the consumer goods index up by 1.64 per cent, the industrial goods space up by 1.12 per cent, and the banking counter up by 0.64 per cent.
Business Post observed that profit-taking brought down the insurance by 2.61 per cent, and weakened the energy sector by 0.01 per cent.
At the close of business, the market capitalisation increased by N707 billion to N131.166 trillion from N130.459 trillion, and the All-Share Index (ASI) expanded by 1,097.86 points to 203,770.42 from 202,672.56 points.
Transactions by Nigerian stock investors shrank during the session, as 548.6 million shares worth N31.5 billion exchanged hands in 48,538 deals compared with the 652.9 million shares valued at N39.8 billion transacted in 51,101 deals a day earlier.
This implied that the trading volume went down by 15.98 per cent, the trading value depreciated by 20.85 per cent, and the number of deals crashed by 5.02 per cent.
Access Holdings finished the day as the busiest equity after selling 52.7 million units valued at N1.4 billion, Zenith Bank exchanged 47.8 million units worth N5.4 billion, UBA traded 38.9 million units for N1.8 billion, Secure Electronic Technology transacted 36.7 million units worth N35.5 million, and GTCO sold 34.9 million units valued at N4.6 billion.
The market breadth index was negative during the session with 20 price gainers and 38 price losers, indicating weak investor sentiment.
Trans Nationwide Express appreciated by 9.91 per cent to N3.77, International Breweries grew by 9.88 per cent to N13.35, Chams rose by 9.84 per cent to N3.35, Guinea Insurance improved by 9.38 per cent to N462.90, and Lafarge Africa gained 8.52 per cent to close at N233.20.
On the flip side, Omatek lost 10.00 per cent to trade at N2.07, Austin Laz declined by 9.93 per cent to N3.99, Coronation Insurance dipped by 9.88 per cent to N2.92, Zichis crashed by 9.58 per cent to N12.55, and Cornerstone Insurance retreated by 8.77 per cent to N5.20.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange closed the last trading session of the week in the southern territory after further losing 0.59 per cent on Friday, April 10.
This happened as three price decliners weakened the NASD market due to continued sell-offs. The bourse did not finish in green this week.
11 Plc lost N24.70 to close at N222.30 per share compared with the previous day’s N247.00 per share, MRS Oil dropped N1 to settle at N164.00 per unit versus Thursday’s N165.00 per unit, and Geo-Fluids decreased by 25 Kobo to N3.00 per share from N3.25 per share.
As a result, the market capitalisation shrank by N13.79 billion to N2.315 trillion from N2.329 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) declined by 23.05 points to 3,870.45 points from 3,893.50 points.
Yesterday, there were two price gainers led by Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which chalked up N1.07 to sell at N64.21 per unit versus N63.50 per share, and Impresit Bakalori Plc appreciated by 22 Kobo to N2.42 per share from N2.20 per share.
The volume of securities fell by 81.9 per cent to 188,593 units from 1.04 million units, the value of securities decreased by 36.3 per cent to N25.7 million from N40.4 million, and the number of deals remained unchanged at 26 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 57.6 million units exchanged for N3.9 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.6 million units worth N1.8 billion.
GNI Plc was also the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units transacted for N8.4 billion, followed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units s0ld for N415.7 million and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded at N1.2 billion.
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