By Asmau Ahmad
The World Trade Organization (WTO) will support Nigeria’s digital trade growth, Director General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala was accompanied during the visit to the president by a minister-designate, Professor Ali Pate.
She said: “We all know that things are very difficult for Nigerians. Everyone is struggling. I’m here myself on a quiet visit, not really an official WTO mission.
“We had a really good conversation on community and grassroots programmes that can be put in place to create jobs for young people and support women and children who are bearing the brunt of some of the suffering in the country.
“For the longer term, we spoke about investment opportunities that Nigeria can cease, including in the pharmaceutical industry.
“We’re 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, in textiles and in other areas so that they can sell more internationally.
“We’re trying to help them with digital trade. The wave of the future is digital trade. So, how do we train and empower Nigerian women and owners of small and medium enterprises support so they can trade more and create more jobs?
“That’s what’s needed now, helping Nigerians to alleviate the difficult conditions that they are in.”
