*Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of World Trade Organisation, currently on a visit to Nigeria, has noted the global trade body is taking proactive measures to ensure all restrictions on food supply chain to member countries are addressed

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has met with Mrs. Maryam Katagum, Nigerian Honourable Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment (ITI), in Abuja, FCT.

绿帽献妻 reports Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, during her visit to the Ministry Tuesday, July 19, 2022, discussed the importance of trade relationships in the West African country and Africa with a focus on fishery subsidies and local vaccine production in Nigeria.

Seafoods

The Minister received the Director-General WTO during the visit in Abuja.

Okonjo-Iweala’s latest visit to Nigeria comes barely a month after the WTO鈥檚 Council of Ministers meeting in Geneva between June 12 to 17 this year.

The forum had focused on improving trade, health, food security, and economic reforms which aim at building economic resilience globally.

The WTO Chief stated that fishery subsidies is key to Nigerian economic development.

According to Okonjo-Iweala, to ensure improved output, a revised draft agreement for new global rules aims to curb harmful fishing subsidies and curtail post-harvest losses.

In regard to vaccine production, the Director-General of WTO also said the global organisation urged for more support from local manufacturers to guard against imports of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products into the country.

Such issues formed part of broad discussions on how to improve trade and export while leveraging the opportunities the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA) offers.

Besides, the WTO is also looking at soaring inflation rates, beyond improving trade ties in Nigeria, and the African continent, she stated.

Okonjo-Iweala further noted the WTO is taking measures to ensure that all restrictions on food flow to member countries are addressed.

The Minister promised to escalate the agreement reached at the Council of Ministers’ meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

The agreements reached include one for the establishment of fishery subsidies.

绿帽献妻 reports the overall objective of the agreements is to check unregulated fishing practices in Nigerian waters, development of fisheries development programs, and establishment of technical services in fisheries data collection in the economy.

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