The United States Consulate in Lagos says it is working to promote technology and investment partnerships between Nigerian entrepreneurs and American businesses.

The newly appointed US Consul General, Brandon Hudspeth, disclosed this on Wednesday at the GITEX Nigeria 2026 event in Lagos.

Hudspeth said the initiative was being pursued under the U.S.-Nigeria Commercial and Investment Partnership, with the Consulate taking an active role in connecting businesses rather than serving solely as a diplomatic institution.

He said he expected the partnerships to expand significantly, noting that stronger ties between the two countries’ technology ecosystems could create jobs, drive prosperity and improve access to services on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hudspeth said the Consulate’s responsibilities extended beyond diplomatic engagements to actively facilitating business deals and connecting entrepreneurs across both countries.

“At the Consulate, we are working to support these synergies, to drive mutual prosperity, facilitate deals, and bring Nigerian entrepreneurs together,” he said.

“I know there is enormous potential for these partnerships to grow even further. I know that there is collaboration that will bring prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, will create jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, and will deliver services on both sides of the Atlantic.”

He added that American companies were also playing a direct role in developing Nigeria’s digital talent, citing Google, Cisco, Meta and Microsoft as firms providing technology and artificial intelligence training to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians.

“U.S. companies are working today to help build the Nigerian talent pool. These companies — Google, Cisco, Meta, Microsoft — they are training hundreds of thousands of people in the tech and AI sectors,” he said.
“I believe that among us today are the developers of the next six unicorns,” he added.

Hudspeth said his optimism was supported by data from Dealroom’s 2025 Global Tech Ecosystem Index, which ranked Lagos as the world’s top Rising Star, following a 12-fold increase in the value of its tech ecosystem since 2017.