By Nestor Nnawuihe
The Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (UNIZIK), in collaboration with the World Trade Organization (WTO), yesterday officially launched the WTO Chairs Programme in Nigeria during the maiden hybrid international conference of the Prof. Ngozi Egbuna International Center for Regional Integration and Trade Research (ICRITR). The event, held on 13 August 2025 at the ASUU Secretariat Auditorium, also featured a Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) trade exhibition.
The conference, themed “30 Years of Nigeria in WTO: Opportunities, Challenges, and Prospects”, examined the nation’s three-decade engagement with the WTO, assessing its benefits, shortcomings, and future prospects. The MSMEs exhibition showcased innovations and business ideas aimed at stimulating growth, encouraging entrepreneurship, and deepening regional trade integration.
In her welcome address, the Director of ICRITR, Prof. (Mrs.) Ngozi Egbuna, urged participants to critically evaluate Nigeria’s journey within the WTO.
> “What has been Nigeria’s experience in the 30 years we have been part of the WTO family? What have we gained? What have we lost? Is our net balance in the blue or the red? We must ask these questions with the seriousness they deserve. Trade is not a zero-sum game; it is a web of mutual benefit or mutual ruin,” she stated.
Representing the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Carol Chinyelugo Arinze-Umobi, Prof. Angela Okezie commended the MSMEs for their active participation in the exhibition. She highlighted the WTO’s mandate of improving living standards, creating quality jobs, and promoting sustainable development, while acknowledging the challenges developing economies face within the global trade framework.
Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Abraham Nwankwo, underscored the timeliness of the conference, noting that global trade dynamics are increasingly shaped by unilateral tariff decisions. He commended ICRITR for linking theory with practice through the MSMEs exhibition, adding that the Centre is well-positioned to fulfill its mandate by connecting production to trade.
The event featured distinguished scholars including lead paper presenter Prof. Muhammad Tawfiq Ladan, alongside Prof. Jonathan Aremu, Prof. Uchechukwu Nwankwo (Department of Sociology), Prof. Uche Ebezie (Department of Mass Communication), Prof. Ebele Nwokoye (Department of Economics), and Prof. Uju Ezenekwe (Deputy Director, Business School). Members of the Centre, faculty, students, and other stakeholders were also in attendance.
The launch of the WTO Chairs Programme at UNIZIK marks a significant milestone in advancing trade research and policy development in Nigeria, fostering stronger academic engagement with global trade governance.
