ABUJA, Nigeria — Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has commended President Bola Tinubu for what she described as significant progress in stabilising Nigeria’s economy.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa on Thursday, August 14, 2025, Okonjo-Iweala said economic stability was a prerequisite for sustainable growth, crediting the president and his team for steering reforms in the right direction.
“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,” she said.
“Tinubu has to be given the credit for the stability of the economy.”
The former Nigerian finance minister stressed that the next phase should prioritise economic expansion and social protection.
“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,” she said.
“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?”
Okonjo-Iweala confirmed that these priorities were discussed with the president but did not disclose specific policy recommendations.
