THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) SAYS IT WILL HELP DEVELOP NIGERIA’S HEALTH SECTOR FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH

At the meeting held Tuesday on COVID-19 with the Presidential Task Force, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General, made the assurance.
She pointed out that an economy cannot be developed until the health sector, especially in a global pandemic, is taken care of.

“The principal reason we’re here is to see how the World Trade Organization can help Nigeria in economic development. And health is part of this. It’s a pandemic. Naturally, until you care about the issues of health, you can not advance the economy,” she said.

‘We also want to discuss, firstly, the way in which COVID-19 vaccines arrive and how this is distributed, the challenges and opportunities to be faced and that the WTO can do ‘What the secretary of government and the Presidential task force is making is commendable,’ We are therefore here to see what we can do to promote Nigeria.

Personally, I must tell, I was chairwoman of the GAVI, five years’ vaccine alliance, one of the designers of the COVAX facility. I was very proud that I was able to provide access to vaccines at affordable prices to poorer and emerging markets such as Nigeria. So we’ll keep pushing

Okonjo-Iweala stated that the World Trade Organization will also work to reduce export restrictions on medical supplies, equipment, and COVID-19 vaccines among member countries.

“Interestingly, trade is of great importance when it comes to health supplies and equipment, as how do they get from one location to another? Trade is a way,” said the DG of the WTO.

“The fact that some of our Member States have imposed restrictions on the movement of medical supplies, equipment and even supplies to make vaccines is also part of the challenges we have faced in this pandemic.”

And at the beginning of the pandemic you remember there are a lot of countries. We have therefore succeeded in reducing this. There were at the outset 91 countries with medical supplies and equipment restrictions and export bans. We have fallen to 59 now.

“We have therefore significantly reduced my view, but still too many. And that’s one of the things that we try to make a difference.”