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ν Praises initiative at empowering women
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday commended President Bola Tinubu for stabilising Nigeria’s economy.
She stated this at a briefing with the State House correspondents during her visit to the President.
Describing the visit as very good, she expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for taking the time to engage on a key initiative aimed at empowering Nigerian women and supporting economic resilience.
“The President and his team have worked hard to stabilise the economy, and that stability is the foundation for all future progress. You cannot really improve an economy unless it is stable, and President Tinubu deserves credit for achieving that,” she said.
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She said she briefed President Tinubu on the unveiling of the women exporters fund for the digital economy, jointly managed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Geneva, launched in partnership with the First Lady. The fund seeks to support Nigerian women to navigate current economic challenges, create jobs and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s growth.
She revealed that Nigeria competed globally and was one of the four countries selected for this new initiative. “We had 67,000 Nigerian women who applied, while 146 won. These beneficiaries will receive direct funding to scale or start their businesses, alongside technical and business support for up to 18 months from the WTO and ITC, working with the ministry to ensure business growth, employment creation and economic contributions.”
She highlighted the collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Trade and Investment and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council to ensure the success of the initiative.
Looking ahead, she emphasised the next phase for Nigeria, saying, “Now that the economy has been stabilised through reforms, the focus must shift to growth and building social safety nets. We need to support those feeling the impact of these changes while fostering job creation and increasing incomes, all of which we discussed with President Tinubu.”
