The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged the Federal Government to establish social safety nets to cushion the impact of economic reforms on poor Nigerians.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Okonjo-Iweala commended the administration’s policies, including the removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of foreign exchange rates, but stressed the need to protect vulnerable citizens from the hardship these measures have caused.

She stated: “We think that the President and his team have worked hard to stabilise the economy. You cannot improve an economy unless it is stable, and he deserves credit for that,” she said. “The reforms have been in the right direction. The next step is growth—and we need social safety nets so that those feeling the pinch of these reforms can have support to weather the hardship.”

Tinubu’s reforms, launched in May 2023, have been blamed by many Nigerians for driving up food prices and the cost of living. Public anger has fuelled protests, including the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations of August 2024.

Okonjo-Iweala’s visit came just weeks before the end of her first term as WTO Director-General on 31 August 2025 and the start of her second term the next day. In 2021, she made history as the first African and first woman to lead the 164-member trade body.

Accompanied by Trade Minister Jumoke Oduwole, she also briefed the President on the launch of a Women’s Exporters’ Fund for the digital economy—an initiative jointly managed by the WTO and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

“We launched this fund today with the support of the First Lady. It is designed to help women navigate economic challenges and create jobs,” she said. “Nigeria was one of only four countries selected globally for this initiative,” she said.

According to Okonjo-Iweala, 67,000 Nigerian women applied, with 146 winners set to receive direct financial support. Sixteen will benefit from a “Booster Track” to scale existing businesses, receiving 18 months of technical and business support from the WTO and ITC. Another 100 will each receive $5,000 to start or strengthen their enterprises, with 12 months of follow-up assistance.