Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has said President Bola Ahned Tinubu and his team must be commended for their efforts in stabilising Nigeria’s economy.
Gatekeepers News reports that Okonjo-Iweala made the statement during a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa on Thursday.
She said, “So we think that the president and his team – and we just exchanged with him – have worked hard to stabilise the economy. And you cannot really improve an economy unless it’s stable.”
“ Tinubu has to be given the credit for the stability of the economy”.
The WTO DG described the administration’s reforms as being “in the right direction,” but emphasised the need to now focus on accelerating growth. She added, “ What is needed next is growth.”
Okonjo-Iweala also stressed the importance of protecting vulnerable citizens during the reform process.
She explained, “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?”
The WTO DG said these issues were discussed with the president, but did not provide further details.
