Okonjo-Iweala: Tinubu deserves credit for stabilising economy — reforms are in the right direction

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), says President Bola Tinubu must be given credit for stabilising the economy. 

Okonjo-Iweala spoke during a courtesy visit to Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Thursday.

She said what is needed next in the country is economic growth.

“So we think that the president and his team – and we just exchanged with him – have worked hard to stabilize the economy. And you cannot really improve an economy unless it’s stable,” Okonjo-Iweala said.

The WTO DG added that “Tinubu has to be given the credit for the stability of the economy”.

“So the reforms have been in the right direction. What is needed next is growth,” she said.

“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. So that’s the next step.

“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 said these are issues that have been discussed with the president but did not give further details.