Trump’s Aid Freeze: Okonjo-Iweala Urges African Leaders To Be Innovative

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By Abiola Olawale

The Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has urged African leaders to shift their focus from relying on foreign aid to embracing innovation and mobilizing domestic resources.

Speaking at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she emphasized the need for a change in mindset, particularly in light of recent global developments, such as the suspension of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) activities by the US President Donald Trump administration.

She described access to aid as “a thing of the past,” urging African leaders to recognize the current geopolitical challenges and adapt accordingly.

The DG of WTO also stressed the importance of leveraging Africa’s resources, such as pension funds and multilateral development banks like the African Finance Corporation and Afrexim Bank.

She noted that pension funds from countries like South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya alone could total around $250 billion, while African multilateral institutions have a combined balance sheet of approximately $70 billion.

She also called on African leaders to attract investment to add value to the continent’s abundant natural resources, such as lithium, manganese, and copper, which are critical for industries like electric vehicle manufacturing. She emphasized processing these resources locally to create jobs and boost trade.

She stated: “Access to aid, I think we can begin to think of it as a thing of the past.”