NASS seeks partnership with WTO on improving digital, marine economies

 

.As Kalu meets Okonjo-Iweala, seeks collaboration in boosting export of primary products from Africa

 

Ignatius Okorocha,  and Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

 

Nigeria’s delegation to the on-going 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), led by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has sought the collaboration of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in the area of Digital and Marine economies.

 

Addressing the WTO media, shortly after a courtesy visit to the Director General of the WTO, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, in her office in Geneva,  Switzerland, on Monday, Senator Akpabio said, the delegation were at the WTO on a courtesy call and to look for areas of collaboration with the organisation in the various sectors of the economy for the overall benefit of Nigerians.

 

According to him, ” we used our attendance at the IPU to pay courtesy visit to one of Nigeria’s very costly export to the world, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala; the Director General of the WTO. We came to thank her for the job she is doing for the world and thank her staff for supporting and standing by her to succeed. We, in Nigeria are very proud of her.”

 

” we had discussions on the various developmental programmes of the WTO and we noticed that there were spaces where Nigerians can become major players. We discussed issues affecting trade back home in Nigeria and ways in which the National Assembly can assist in removing barriers, through legislation for the benefit of our people.

 

“We also talked about issue of regulations concerning Digital economic contents, illegal finishing along the coastal states of Cross River, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states. How Nigerian women could benefit from the recent program funded by the organization was also discussed. The establishment of a Digital trade portal, where-in, all trade information could be accessed by our people top our discussion with the WTO. ”

 

Akpabio noted that ,” the deliberations were fruitful and we are confident that with our support in all of these, Nigerians would be the better for it.”

Speaking in the same vein,  Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala  described the visit of the Senate president and the Deputy Speaker, to her office as “a huge honour. We were able to  talk on those things we are doing at the WTO that would help make a material difference for Nigerians.

 

“We spoke of recent program that we launched in some development program from the standards and trade facilities to help in improving sanitary and vital sanitary standards for some of the crops in Nigeria, so that it helps in diversifying the economy to even fisheries and illegal mining of the waters of Nigeria”.

 

According to her,” a lot of things on the table have already been discussed. I am honoured by this visit and I am home-sick.”

.As Kalu meets Okonjo-Iweala, seeks collaboration in boosting export of primary products from Africa

Also, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu has solicited the cooperative efforts of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in boosting the exportation of primary products from Nigeria and Africa in general.

 

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Levinus Nwabughiogu stated that Kalu made the call, Monday, when he visited the Director-General of the WTO, Nigeria’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva on the sidelines of the ongoing 148th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentry Union (IPU) in Switzerland.

 

The Deputy Speaker who accompanied the Senate President and leader of the Nigerian delegation to the IPU assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio to the headquarters of WTO raised concerns about a downward slope of export of primary products from Africa to other parts of the world.

 

He said that most businessmen from the shore of Africa encountered challenges marketing their products due to aflatoxins that come in contact with them before reaching their destinations, especially within the framework of “The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)” which ultimately provides duty-free treatment to goods of designated sub-Saharan African countries (SSAs).

 

Available report describes aflatoxins are various poisonous carcinogens and mutagens that are produced by certain molds, particularly Aspergillus species.

 

The fungi grow in soil, decaying vegetation and various staple foodstuffs and commodities such as hay, sweetcorn, wheat, millet, sorghum, cassava, rice, chili peppers, cottonseed, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and various spices.

 

Kalu therefore solicited the help of the WTO to set up centres in Africa for the treatments of the primary products packaged for export.

 

“Africa is interested in exporting our primary products. We have always had issues with these primary products we are exporting. Aflatoxins, I don’t know what you are putting together to help these products reduce that because it’s one of the complaints about products coming from Africa. I don’t know if there will be centres around Africa where businessmen who cannot afford to do this decontamination will get that particular centre and detoxify their products to be able to meet the quality specifications before selling them off. Is WTO interested in this and how much so. Are there programmes designed to be able to facilitate this? Kalu enquired.

 

Responding to Kalu’s enquiries, the Director-General DG, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said that WTO is aware of development and is also eager to assisting countries implement their respective protocols on the issue.

 

“At the WTO, we have been heavily promoting something we called re-globalization. We are trying to persuade supply chains of companies located outside Africa, we are trying to tell them that this also a good place. WTO is very much aware. Many of the rules are built based on our rules. So, we have an interest in keeping in touch and making sure any country that wants to request our help to implement their protocols and so on will be able to do that. And we hope it will take off in a good way. Now, one big thing we have to watch is, we cannot all trade the same thing to each other. We are growing primary products. We are not going to trade Cocoa to Cote D’Ivoire. We can trade oil because most of them want oil but we don’t just want to trade that”, she said.