Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian Finance Minister has promised that the global economic body she heads, the World Trade Organisation (WTO)will assist Nigeria at this time through economic hardship.
Okonjo-Iweala made the pledge on Tuesday in Abuja when she visited the president, Bola Tinubu.
In her address to the media after the meeting, she also admitted that Tinubu is aware that ordinary Nigerians are going through hard times due to the hyperinflation caused by the hike in the cost of petroleum products.
She addressed journalists at the State House after her meeting with the president and said the discussion focused on how to help Nigeria to alleviate the suffering of the people.
The WTO chief executive said her conversation with the president was mainly about formulating approaches to stimulate job creation, enable women empowerment, and shore up digital trade within Nigeria’s economy.
“This was not really an official WTO mission, but we were able to engage with Mr. President to talk about what are the kinds of programmes that could be put in place to make sure that we had a conversation on trying to look at the community and grassroots programmes that can be put in place to create jobs for young people trying to support women and children who are those who are bearing the brunt of some of the suffering in the country.”
“We also talked about the type of support the WTO, the World Trade Organization, can bring. We are already working in Nigeria with women in particular, who own small and medium enterprises to try to help them upgrade the quality of their products, whether it’s in the agricultural area, textiles, and in other areas so that they can sell more internationally.
“We at the WTO are trying to help Nigeria with digital trade. The wave of the future is digital trade. So, how do we train and empower Nigerian women and small and medium enterprises throughout the country, to create more jobs?
“That’s what’s needed now in Nigerians to alleviate these difficult conditions that they are in. So, that is what we discussed with Mr. President and as the Director General of the World Trade Organization, we’re going to try to do the most we can to support Nigerians at this particular time.”
