Two years ago, the City of Houston in the United States honoured a Nigerian initiative in a way that caught many by surprise. It officially proclaimed 25 October as Fidelity Nigeria International Trade and Creative Connect (FNITCC) Day. For Houston, a city with one of the largest Nigerian diasporas in America, this recognition, attached to how a single platform was helping to reshape trade and investment between Nigeria and the United States, was both a nod to the growing movement and an encouragement to move more Nigerian goods and services into global markets.
FNITCC, an idea launched by Fidelity Bank, has quickly grown into a marketplace that puts Nigerian businesses directly in front of international buyers, financiers, and policymakers. The journey started in London in November 2022, when more than 100 Nigerian exhibitors travelled to the UK to showcase products ranging from processed food and fashion to fintech and the arts. That two-day event drew over 1,000 visitors daily and ended with trade and investment deals worth about 250 million dollars, which shows that Nigerian businesses could hold their own if given the right platform.
When the second edition moved to Houston in October 2023, the scale doubled. More than 160 Nigerian and US-based businesses participated, making it the largest showcase of Nigerian non-oil exports in the United States in recent times. The outcomes were tangible. JohnVents Industries, a Nigerian cocoa processor, signed a 40-million-dollar pre-export finance facility with Afreximbank, with Fidelity Bank as the local administrative agent. That deal was money on the table, designed to expand Nigeria’s cocoa exports into the US market.
The impact of the Houston outing went beyond cocoa. For small and medium-sized businesses, it was their first chance to step onto a truly global stage. Exhibitors were exposed to diaspora markets in search of authentic Nigerian products, learned first-hand the quality standards required to break into the US supply chain, and built connections with potential off-takers. It was about both visibility and viability, giving businesses the tools and networks needed to scale.
Numbers tell the story better. Between London and Houston alone, FNITCC generated a combined deal pipeline exceeding 500 million dollars. More than 260 businesses across two continents have now used the platform to pitch to international buyers, and thousands of visitors have engaged with Nigeria’s export potential through its exhibitions, networking sessions, and investment panels. For Fidelity Bank, which already serves over 9.1 million customers across Nigeria and the UK, the platform has become an extension of its commitment to support exporters beyond borders.
This September, Atlanta, Georgia, will host the third edition of FNITCC from 18 to 20 September 2025 at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park. Over 100 Nigerian exporters are expected to take part, with organisers projecting an audience of more than 3,000 participants, from US investors and policy makers to diaspora networks and development finance institutions. The focus will remain on non-oil exports; agriculture, packaged goods, fashion, beauty, fintech and the creative economy; all sectors that can reduce Nigeria’s reliance on crude oil and strengthen its foreign exchange earnings.
The lesson from this Fidelity Bank’s idea is simple: exhibitions matter when they move beyond speeches and panels to real deals and financing. FNITCC has proven in just two editions that Nigeria’s entrepreneurs are ready, that global markets are interested, and that with the right support, the country’s non-oil exports can break barriers. The 250 million dollars in trade deals in London, the 40-million-dollar cocoa financing in Houston, plus other businesses that have taken part in FNITCC, can attest that it is the bridge between ambition at home and opportunity abroad.
