Okonkwo Samuel
The Professor Ngozi Egbuna Centre for Regional Integration and Trade Research at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (ICRITR), in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, organised a free workshop themed “Understanding the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Its Impact on Nigeria’s Economic Development” in Awka, Anambra State.
Held at Vertex View Hotels, IBB Road, Nibo, Awka South Local Government Area, the hybrid workshop drew participants from government agencies, academia, the private sector, exporters, and trade practitioners.
In her opening remarks, Professor Ngozi Egbuna, Director of ICRITR, recalled that Nigeria has been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1995, marking over three decades in the multilateral trading system. She explained that the workshop was organised to deepen stakeholder understanding of WTO rules, opportunities, and challenges, and to help position Nigeria’s policy discourse ahead of the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled for 2026.
The first paper presented by trade law expert Barrister Legborsi Nwiabu, who examined Nigeria’s engagement within the WTO framework. He highlighted Nigeria’s commitments under major WTO agreements — including trade facilitation, intellectual property, and digital trade — and underscored the need for coordinated government action, enhanced private sector competitiveness, and stronger research capacity.
Also presenting, Professor O.T. Ebiringa spoke on Nigeria’s current trade profile and the implications of WTO membership for national economic transformation. He noted that Nigeria’s export base remains heavily dependent on crude oil with limited value addition, and identified structural constraints such as infrastructure gaps, high logistics costs, weak policy implementation, insecurity, and governance issues. He further pointed to emerging opportunities in manufacturing, agro‑processing, energy transition, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The final presentation was delivered by Professor Ken Obi, who provided an overview of the WTO’s core principles and their relevance to Nigeria’s economy. He observed that WTO membership has broadened market access, supported trade facilitation reforms, and offered dispute settlement mechanisms, while also exposing domestic industries to heightened competition and compliance requirements. Professor Obi stressed the importance of institutional strengthening, policy alignment, and private sector readiness.
The workshop included an interactive session where participants engaged the presenters on matters such as trade liberalisation, domestic industry protection, dispute resolution mechanisms, and governance reforms.
At the end of the programme, certificates of participation were presented to attendees, followed by refreshments. The organisers announced that a policy paper capturing the workshop’s deliberations would be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and that presentation.
