Africa must not be a supplicant for shrinking pool of aid, Okonjo-Iweala says at ABU pre-convocation lecture
The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, says Africa must reach out to the rest of the world not as a supplicant for a shrinking pool of aid.
Rather, she said, the continent should be an attractive destination for investment and trade, as the workforce and the market of the future, and a source of diversification and resilience in the global economy.
Okonjo-Iweala spoke as the guest lecturer during the Pre-Convocation Lecture of Ahmadu Bello University, which was held in Zaria on Friday, 30th January, 2026.
The lecture, entitled ‘Challenges and Opportunities for Africa and Nigeria in the Present Global Geopolitical and Geostrategic Context’, was well attended.
The WTO Director-General talked about the current tumult in the world and how Africa and Nigeria should be seeking to navigate it.
“As disheartening as the news often is these days, from Sudan to Greenland, I am convinced that this crisis presents opportunities for the continent.
“But to seize these opportunities, our leaders will need to step up at home, and build stronger investment and commercial ties across the region”, she said.
Okonjo-Iweala also said the present crisis had only served to underscore the perils of overdependence on China for key supplies and inputs, and on the US market for demand.
She further said businesses and countries were already working to reduce supply chain risks through diversification and deconcentration of sourcing and markets.
Okonjo-Iweala explained that Africa could benefit from re-globalization by attracting supply chain investment in a wide range of sectors, from labour-intensive manufacturing to critical mineral mining and processing, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, and agro-processing.
For example, she said, imports of renewable energy technology had helped make solar and wind power cheaper than grid electricity, let alone diesel generators.
“But we should be looking to manufacture these items at home, not just to import them. This will create more jobs for our young people”, she further said.
She disclosed that Africa had 60 percent of the world’s solar energy potential but attracted only two percent of its solar investment. “That has to change”, he warned.
Okonjo-Iweala urged African leaders to make the investment environment attractive to the Chinese investors for them to come and invest in solar plants.
She stressed that the continent had a lot going for it, saying the Africa’s young populations represented the world’s talent pool of the future.
By 2050, she said, Africa would be on track to account for about 25 percent of the global working-age population.
Okonjo-Iweala further stressed that Africa had abundant arable land and mineral wealth.
The US Geological Survey estimated that the continent holds nearly 30 percent of the world’s known mineral reserves, including coveted rare earths and minerals critical for the low-carbon transition.
“And if we leverage our abundant solar and wind energy potential, we can envision a future of African regional supply chains with mineral processing powered by clean energy – good for jobs, good for growth prospects, and good for the planet”, she said.
The WTO Director-General noted that Africa had missed windows of opportunity before, praying however that the continent would not do so again.
She stressed the need for African leaders to be proactive in seizing the opportunities before them for the sake of the people they serve.
Okonjo-Iweala further stressed the need for followers to equally be committed to long-term development and also be willing to make their voices heard to get it.
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Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor,
Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria (NEWS/NAM/SGB/PIC/TKU)
Tuesday, 3rd February, 2026
