Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Thursday, August 14, 2025, held a closed-door meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, at the Bank’s headquarters in Abuja. The engagement, which centred on trade-related issues and Nigeria’s position in global markets, brought together top government officials and trade experts.
According to an official post on the CBN’s X account, the meeting, tagged “Discussing Trade Matters”, was attended by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the WTO, Amb. (Dr.) Adamu Abdulhamid. Photographs released by the apex bank showed the four officials engaged in high-level discussions aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s trade relationships and economic competitiveness on the international stage.
While specific details of the deliberations were not made public, the meeting is believed to have addressed Nigeria’s engagement with global trade frameworks, export diversification, and strategies to enhance the country’s participation in international commerce. The presence of both the trade minister and the country’s WTO envoy underscored the strategic importance of the discussions.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister and current head of the WTO, has consistently advocated for deeper integration of African economies into the global trading system. The meeting with Mr. Cardoso comes at a time when Nigeria is seeking to expand its export base, attract foreign investment, and navigate complex trade challenges in a competitive global economy.
The Abuja talks mark another step in ongoing efforts to align Nigeria’s monetary and trade policies with international best practices. Observers say the outcomes of such engagements could shape the country’s economic trajectory in the coming years, particularly in light of evolving global trade dynamics.
