Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his role in stabilising Nigeria’s economy, noting that this stability forms the foundation for future economic progress.
Okonjo-Iweala spoke on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where she held discussions with the president on Nigeria’s economic outlook and development priorities.
“So we think that the president and his team – and we just exchanged with him – have worked hard to stabilize the economy. And you cannot really improve an economy unless it’s stable,” she said.
The WTO chief stressed that Tinubu’s leadership deserves recognition for achieving this economic steadiness.
“Tinubu has to be given the credit for the stability of the economy,” she added.
Okonjo-Iweala described the government’s reforms as “in the right direction” but emphasised that the next critical phase must focus on economic expansion.
“So the reforms have been in the right direction. What is needed next is growth,” she noted.
The former Nigerian finance minister also underscored the need to protect citizens who are bearing the brunt of economic reforms through targeted welfare measures.
“We now need to grow the economy and we need to put in social safety nets so that people who are feeling the pinch of the reforms can also have some support to be able to weather the hardship. So that’s the next step.
How do we build social safety nets to help Nigerians cushion the hardship they’re feeling? And then how do we grow the economy so we can create more jobs and put more money in people’s pockets?”
