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Infoplus/IBG Nigeria and All Eyes on Africa (Maryland USA) invite you to Dubai Business Summit. Venue: JW Marriott Hotel, Dubai, UAE Date: June 15-20, 2009 Dubai would remain relevant in global business for many years to come. The aim of the Dubai Business Summit is to assist with market entry into Dubai. So, establish your presence there by getting a foothold. Participants are from the US, UAE and Nigeria/Africa. Take advantage of the networking opportunities the summit presents. The summit would investigate business opportunities in the sectors as below: • Property • Retail Trade • Oil & Gas • Tourism • Health Care • Logistics and other services There would be a pep talk on recession proof investments in Dubai. Sites visits, tours and desert safaris are part of the package. Register now as spaces are filling up quickly. Call Ndudi Osakwe on 080 2353 0007 or email him on ibgnigeria@gmail.com

It was about time to leave house two mornings ago when I heard a reporter on the Cable Network News (CNN) mention 'Lagos'. I stopped to listen. It was a story on the worst places for expatriates to work in the world, and apparently, Lagos topped the list. The report was based on Business Week's findings and other places mentioned included Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and some city in India but we had pride of place as the very worst host of all the world's countries to expatriates. The reporter, whose name I can't recall at the moment, told the CNN desk anchor he was trying to reach an expatriate in Lagos who would talk about his experiences here. He didn't forget to throw in a jibe when he said the difficulty in reaching that expatriate confirmed his theory about the state of affairs in Lagos. According to the reporter, the issues in Lagos included severe crime, horrendous traffic and many other major problems. He finally got through to the Lagos expatriate and it tu...

I felt agitated after reading the Moody’s report on the state of the US economy. The report states that there will be a lot more bankruptcies. Moody's places 283 companies on its bottom-rung list, up from 157 a year ago. Companies exposed to consumer spending have it toughest. The industries most represented on the list are media, automotive, retail and manufacturing. Companies in the most acute danger are those with reduced cash flow and a high debt load. A lot of big, well-known companies are in danger. On the list: Advanced Micro Devices; AirTran; AMR (parent of American Airlines); Chrysler; Duane Reade; Eastman-Kodak; Ford; General Motors; JetBlue; Krispy Kreme; Palm; R.H. Donnelly; Reader's Digest Association; Rite-Aid; UAL (parent of United Airlines); Unisys; and US Airways. Many of the other firms on the list are second- or third-tier suppliers to automakers, airlines, and other troubled firms. Being on the list doesn't mean a firm is destined for bankruptcy. But it ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) remains open to help finance U.S. exports to Nigeria, contrary to published reports in Africa. (In the recently released country limitation schedule effective February 26, 2009, Nigeria’s private and public sectors were qualified to receive all levels of support). "Ex-Im Bank remains positive about financing U.S. exports to Nigerian buyers," said J. Joseph Grandmaison, the member of the Bank's board of directors who focuses on promoting financing of U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa. "In fact, at this moment, we have a number of pending transactions in Nigeria and are looking forward to doing even more business there." In Fiscal Year 2008 Ex-Im Bank authorized approximately $197 million of loan guarantees and export credit insurance for export sales to Nigeria, with exposure in Nigeria totaling about $327 million. In June, 2008, Ex-Im Bank more than doubled the size of its Nigerian Ba...

Nigeria and Ethiopia topped a new index of African potential investor destinations on Wednesday, with the survey organisers saying the continent offers good potential growth even against the global economic crisis. The world‘s poorest continent had seen an investment boom in recent years, but flows into the region are seen drying up as the global financial crisis and falling commodity prices take the shine off what were seen as promising frontier markets. Business consultancy, African Rainbow‘s Star of Africa index ranks 53 African countries in terms of their investment potential in various fields, with its creators arguing that potential growth in energy, water and communications consumption could amply reward investors taking the risk, Reuters reported on Wednesday. ”It is for investors to make sure they don‘t miss a trick by overlooking a country they would otherwise have missed,” Chief Executive of African, Rainbow, Katharine Pulvermacher, said. ”Africa is going to overtake the Mid...

FEBRUARY Name: Specialized Education Fair (SEF) Date: 16th – 22nd February 2009 Venue: Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Organizer: Aulic Nigeria Limited Nature: Specialized Name: Office Exhibition (OE) Date: 16th – 20th February 2009 Venue: Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Organizer: Aulic Nigeria Limited Nature: Specialised Name: International Job Fair (IJF) Date: 16th - 20th February 2009 Venue: Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Organizer: Aulic Nigeria Limited Nature: Specialized Name: Spirituality Expo (SE) Date: 16th - 20th February 2009 Venue: Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Organizer: Aulic Nigeria Limited Nature: Specialized Name: Delta Domestic Trade Fair Date: 19th February-2nd March 2009 Venue: Permanent Trade Fair Complex, Warri Organiser: Delta State Chambers of Commerce and Industry Nature: General MARCH Name: 30th Kaduna International Trade Fair Date: 6th-15th march, 2009. Venue: Kaduna International Trade & Investment Centre, Kaduna Organiser...

We do not need official statistics to recognize the strides that Lagos state is taking to change the face of Greater Lagos Area. Other states could be doing greater things but Lagos remains the cynosure of our eyes, perhaps being the commercial hub of Nigeria or because of its enormous population that has bestowed on it a mega city status. Being a mega city in itself is troubling as it suggests that infrastructure has to be enough for the teeming population that call Lagos their home. Further, it has to be attractive enough to retain its commercial hub status and to attract new ones. It is therefore newsworthy to read of several projects embarked upon by the state government to meet with the infrastructure needs of the people in the 21st century. Realizing the weight of the tasks ahead, the state has equally called on the private sector and foreign investors to consider Lagos state for their business, providing opportunities for franchising, concessions and adoption of projects such a...