WTO DG Okonjo-Iweala On First Working Visit To Nigeria

Posted by Nwa Diokpa African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Saturday, March 13th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The newly elected director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has arrived in Nigeria for a one-week working visit.

This will be her first visit to the country since she assumed office as the first female and first African WTO DG on March 1.

Okonjo-Iweala was welcomed by the permanent secretary of the ministry of industry, trade, and investment, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo.

“The whole objective is to see how the WTO can better assist Nigeria and Nigerian entrepreneurs with respect to improving the economy,” she told journalists.

“We hope to be able to use the African Continental Free Trade agreement to improve our trade and to do that we have to improve investments, we have to add value to some of our products.

“This continental free trade agreement is a unique opportunity for us to be able to engage commercially with other African countries and boost our exports.”

She listed the meetings that would hold during the visit, saying she hopes to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and his chief of staff, the minister of trade and industry, the minister of foreign affairs, the minister of finance, the governor of the central bank, the organised private sector as well as the micro, small and medium enterprises, and women entrepreneurs.