Fuel Subsidy and Beyond: Okonjo-Iweala and Pate’s Dialogue with Tinubu on Nigeria’s Economy

Patrick OdeyAugust 9, 2023

2 minutes read

Tinubu and Okonjo-Iweala — Tinubu and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the minister-designate, Dr Mohammed Pate, had a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja on Tuesday. They discussed various ways to help Nigeria overcome its economic difficulties and create more opportunities for its citizens.

Okonjo-Iweala, who is also a former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, said that the meeting was not an official WTO mission, but a personal visit to share her insights and experiences with the president.

Okonjo-Iweala said that the purpose of her visit was to “work out modalities on how to help Nigeria alleviate the suffering of its citizens.”

She said that President Tinubu is aware of the hardships that Nigerians are facing and is committed to finding solutions.

She said that they talked about how to implement community and grassroots programmes that can generate jobs for young people, especially women and children who are most affected by the economic situation.

The two leaders discussed a number of possible initiatives, including:

Job creation: Okonjo-Iweala said that the government needs to create more jobs, especially for young people. She suggested that the government could focus on supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Women’s empowerment: Okonjo-Iweala also stressed the importance of empowering women. She said that women are often disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment, and that they need more opportunities to participate in the economy.
Digital trade: Okonjo-Iweala said that digital trade is an important opportunity for Nigeria to grow its economy. She suggested that the government could provide training and support to Nigerian businesses so that they can take advantage of the digital economy.She added that the WTO is already working with Nigerian women who own small and medium enterprises to improve the quality of their products and help them access international markets.

Okonjo-Iweala also said that they discussed how to invest in other sectors of the economy, such as the pharmaceutical industry, which is vital for health security. She said that the WTO can provide support and guidance for Nigeria in this regard.

WTO Director Gemeral said that she is committed to working with the Nigerian government to help alleviate the suffering of its citizens. She said that the WTO is also committed to supporting Nigeria’s economic development.

Pate, who is a former Chief Executive Officer of GAVI, the global vaccine alliance, and a former Minister of State for Health, confirmed Okonjo-Iweala’s statements.

He said that President Tinubu is actively working to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians and that the current challenges are temporary. He said that they also talked about how to prioritize health care in Nigeria, especially health insurance, primary health care and hospital care.

Okonjo-Iweala and Pate expressed their optimism that Nigeria can overcome its economic challenges and achieve sustainable development with the right policies and programmes. They said that they will continue to collaborate with President Tinubu and his administration to make this happen.

The meeting between Okonjo-Iweala and Tinubu is a positive sign that the government is taking the challenges facing Nigerians seriously. It is also a sign that the WTO is committed to supporting Nigeria’s economic development. I hope that the two sides will be able to work together to find solutions that will help to improve the lives of Nigerians.